A bumper year for CPD? A breakdown of sorts

Last year I clocked over 250 hours of CPD activities on my time tracking app. I knew it had been a lot, but I didn’t expect it to be that much.

This is the first time I’ve really looked at the numbers of my CPD activities and they are interesting, even though they did not, on the whole, surprise me that much.

I maintain a client-facing CPD record of formal activities related to my specialist areas, translation and professional contribution. You can find it here.

I began by analysing the numbers there. I recorded 137.75 hours of conferences, workshops and webinars in 2021. This figure does not include activities like revision clubs, conversation exchanges and mentoring, for which I don’t record specific times in this record.

These hours break down as follows:

The 60:40 split between translation/writing/revision/editing skills and specialist area knowledge was about what I expected and feels about right to me.

Last year I attended three major conferences (ITI, MET and BOND) and had the opportunity to watch any sessions I missed as all the conference were held online and recorded. This in part explains why this figure is so high. I hope to attend at least three in-person conferences next year and perhaps one online so this year might end up with a similar total.

Given the current situation, it’s unsurprising that there was such a wealth of online CPD to choose from. As well as passive webinars I was also able to attend a number of online workshops that were more interactive. I barely even used FutureLearn last year, which is my usual go-to for online courses.

I’m not sure how this compares to past years but I have been making the most of online opportunities since I started freelancing, so these figures might simply reflect a change in platform.

Next I looked at my report from Clockify. This is the time tracking tool I use to track every minute of my working day. I click start when I start an activity and stop when I stop. I’m fairly disciplined at working on what I’m tracking without distractions or breaks sneaking in too much, so I think this is a fairly accurate reflection of how I spend my time.

It’s a lot more than I’d expected and includes everything in my client record, plus:

              - Revision clubs for French and Spanish

              - Conversation exchanges

              - Preparation for CPD events, such as reading and planning

              - Training on business skills (which I don't include in my client facing record)

              - Some mentoring (before I added a "Professional Contribution" tag)

It doesn't include listening to podcasts or reading, which I do (mostly) for pleasure, or most professional contribution activities like editing MET's Hive or mentoring.

You can clearly see the conference season in spring. This was an unusual year as conferences were all held online making them more accessible. I would probably still try to attend at least three conferences (ITI, CIOL, MET and Bond/other client-side) when they are held in person. In fact I'm speaking at CIOL this year and have already bought my ITI Conference ticket.

So, what does this tell me about my CPD? The obvious... that I’m obsessed with CPD and probably do more than I strictly need to. But also, that I’ve got a good balance between specialist area and translation activities.

In 2022, in addition to conferences I plan to continue with revision clubs, conversation exchanges and mentoring. I’m actively looking for translation workshops to attend and keeping an eye on FutureLearn for courses in my specialist areas. My clients and their partners also regularly produce webinars that I will attend when I can.

This volume of CPD is almost certainly unnecessary, but I pride myself on my expertise and the quality of the service that means I can offer my clients. Plus, I really really enjoy it.

I would like to say a big thank you to all my revision club and conversation exchange partners. I have learned so very much from you! And to the ITI and CIOL for all their fantastic online training events!

I hope that this will inspire you to specialize in an area that you’re passionate about so you too find CPD that you can’t get enough of.

Should translators work for free?

I work in the international development and human rights sector so this question is very close to my heart.

I know that my clients do fantastic work and do, in some cases, rely on volunteers to make that work happen. But the very fact that my clients work with me says something important: they understand the value of translation and the ethics of paying for skilled work.

I’ve been working on versions of this post for some time and have never produced a version I’m happy to publish. This is a sensitive issue and I know I’m sure to offend some. However, I’m due to speak on a Spanish Network panel next week and I need to get my thoughts in order and have somewhere to direct people to avoid derailing what will certainly be an interesting discussion.

Below I outline why I think working for free for non-profits is almost always damaging to the profession and the non-profits’ work, and sometimes even unethical.

1. Translation adds value and is key to the core mission of many non-profits

Here I am talking in particular about Western non-profits working in the “Global South” in communities that don’t speak their language. If these organizations aren’t using skilled translators and interpreters to communicate with the people they claim to serve, they cannot listen effectively, local people cannot share their knowledge and needs on equal terms and organizations cannot claim their processes are participatory.

Listening was a key theme at the BOND conference this year (on the theme of decolonizing aid) and the complete failure to mention translation even once dismayed and disappointed me. This oversight is a problem I hope we’ll be better positioned to address through our new ITI International Development and Cooperation Network.

2. Skilled work merits and needs commensurate remuneration

I see my work in this sector as providing a valuable service that promotes justice and human rights, not as an act of charity or goodwill (I discuss these different approaches in my post here). This means that I invest a lot of time, money and energy in learning about my specialist areas and the issues faced by the development sector. This investment would not be compensated by working in the for-profit sector alone. This means that if translators working in the non-profit sector aren’t paid, they simply can’t afford to specialize in the relevant fields.

While this is a practical observation, I also believe we have a moral right to decent pay like any skilled professional providing a valuable service, regardless of our client’s legal status.

Translators who invest in specialized skills so they can provide a valuable service to the non-profit sector must see a return on their investment, just as the NGOs they work with should see a return on their investment in translation.

Doing the occasional pro bono job is, of course, viable. But I always ask myself whether I have the requisite skills and whether I should be paid based on all the other arguments I set out here.

3. Making volunteering a route into the profession or a way to gain the requisite experience is exclusionary

A huge problem in the non-profit sector more widely, like unpaid internships (or any work for free) as a way into a jobs market, this route is only open to those who can afford it. Making a career path contingent on working for free shuts out those who cannot do so. This is in part why translation is dominated by the middle classes and career changers; they can afford the start-up costs. Non-profits should not be exacerbating this situation, which further disadvantages those already most disadvantaged at the very start of their careers.

4. Unpaid work, especially in “smaller” languages, takes work from people in places targeted by non-profits

Local people, who speak the languages that the non-profits should be using, are priced out of the market when they simply can’t compete with linguists willing to work for free. Perhaps it is fair to argue that the skills just aren’t there to supply the market in so-called developing countries. I don’t know whether this is true (I doubt it), but it is irrelevant. Destroying the market for paid translation disincentivizes potential translators from pursuing the requisite training, exacerbating a negative no skills, no jobs cycle.

5. Volunteering is not a good way to gain experience

Lots of translators use volunteering as a way to gain experience and, of course, no one could argue that you don’t gain experience volunteering. I would argue, however, that you don’t gain the right experience because your clients are simply not going to demand of you what they would if they were paying. Non-profits know they cannot demand the same quality of volunteers as they would paid contractors, so they are less likely to complain or provide constructive feedback that early-career translators can learn from. What’s more they’re spending time they could have spent on proper training on churning out low-value translations for no pay in the name of experience.

6. Non-profits have budgets and we should be advocating for translation to be prioritized

Translation is not optional for many non-profits, particularly when they are implementing or funding projects in countries where they don’t speak local languages. It is essential for consultation, participatory planning and evaluation. You cannot decolonize aid without it. To me, that says that translation and interpreting should take pride of place in budgets and never be slotted in as an afterthought.

7. It devalues translation skills in general

Non-profits pay for a wide range of services and have a large number of salaried staff and paid contractors. The idea that it is acceptable not to pay translators stems in part from the belief that anyone can translate if they can speak two languages. We translators know that this is not the case. We have a responsibility, whether acting alone or through our professional networks, to stand up for our profession, to help clients understand what it takes to translate well and to communicate the value we offer.

8. It is unnecessary

I did very few volunteer translations when I was starting out and quickly stopped doing most to focus on CPD and paid work. I now only do the occasional short blog post for UNICEF DRC that wouldn’t otherwise be translated. They aren’t core to the project’s mission and I’ve been doing them since I started out.

 

When is it okay to translate for free?

For me, the only times it’s ethically acceptable to work for free are on very low value projects that wouldn’t be translated otherwise (that would exclude mission critical documents, funding requests, reports, evaluations, engagement documents and campaign materials); occasionally when individuals need help and don’t have the funds to pay; and when there is an actual all-hands-on-deck emergency, (i.e. natural disaster). Even in the latter case, many of the relevant documents should have been translated, by a qualified translator for a fee, in advance.

 

This might seem like a hard line to take and I don’t remotely expect everyone to agree with me. But I know I’ll be asked the question, so here you have my answer.

 

NB: This post is by no means meant as a judgment on anyone who works pro bono, especially early career translators. I do hope though that it will give you the confidence to say no to unreasonable requests and help you argue for the value of your skills. Getting started as a translator is hard, too hard. I’m planning a post on what we can do as an industry to improve that situation, and I’ll link it here (if I remember) when I’m done.

Working for your why

Back when I started freelancing around 9 years ago, I wrote a business plan. I had lots of time to research how I wanted to do it and I was lucky enough to come across the video below. In it, Simon Sinek explains why it's imperative to start with your "why" (why you're doing what you're doing) before trying to identify and sell your "what" (your goods and services). At the time, this really resonated with me and I've held fast to the purpose behind my business since then.

While it has been updated a little over the years, the "why" behind my business hasn't changed all that much. How I've expressed that through my services has also changed, but again, only a little.

Below is the "why to what" that drives my translation work. It governs who work with, on what projects and how I run my business.

The idea of "why" also links to the concept of values. If you don't know what values drive you, it can be hard to identify why you do what you do. Again, how I've articulated these values has evolved over time, but they haven't changed a great deal.

The values that drive my business are personal to me, they run through my life and motivate me:

What are the values that drive you? What's your "why"? If you don't know, your client's certainly won't. And that's no way to build a strong relationship.

It's not difficult to identify your values and articulate your purpose. You just listen to your gut. It takes time and introspection, but it's well worth getting it down on paper (or screen), so you can remind yourself from time to time, especially when you have a tough decision to make.

I've shared mine, now what about yours. I would love to hear what drives you and why you do what you do.

What a year!

I did it! I wrote a blog post every month for a year.

It was one of the goals I set during my last big business retreat in October 2021. Some months I made it just under the wire but that’s not the point. Reviewing my goals and breaking them down into concrete monthly and weekly actions meant that I did what I set out to do.

This year has been full of highs and I couldn’t have done it without the fantastic community of colleagues I’ve had the pleasure to be part of over the last year.

Warning: This post is mostly about what I’ve achieved in my business this year, so if you don’t like that sort of thing, turn back now.

CPD

The ITI, CIOL and Bond online conferences were massive highlights of early 2021 and I’m very much looking forward to the in-person iterations next year. They helped me hit my required hours of CPD only months into this financial year. That didn’t stop me attending lots of other CPD events, reaching double that target so far this year. 

Revision club is often the highlight of my week. I am a member of two revision clubs (one for French and one for Spanish) and I cannot express how much I enjoy discussing the ins and outs of our translations. It has been a privilege working with you all.

Client work

I’ve had some fantastic projects with new and longstanding clients committed to furthering human rights and supporting everyone to flourish while protecting our planet. Working in the fields of human rights and sustainable development, I am sometimes frustrated by what I read and translate, but I hope I am in some small way making a positive difference through my work. There are good news stories too, so it’s certainly not all doom and gloom.

Associations

This year I joined MET and got actively involved. I’m helping as a HIVE editor and attending virtual co-working sessions (VCOWs) several times a week. I’ll be helping to host the METM Online conference next month too. If you’ve looked into MET membership and hesitated I would tell you to go for it. It’s a welcoming community of brilliant people who are eager to share their knowledge and talk about their work.

On the ITI front, I volunteered to help run events for the ITI French Network with Alanah Reynor. We haven’t put on any events so far but watch this space... It has been an absolute pleasure working the Alanah and the rest of the French Network team so far. Thank you for welcoming us so warmly.

I’m helping to run the ITI SHEA Network’s Twitter account. Things may have been a bit quiet of late but we’ll get the ball rolling again soon. There may be some more news about another new network coming up. Exciting to say the least!

Mentoring

Having taken part in the ITI Spanish Network’s mentoring scheme as a mentee many years ago, I was keen to get involved as a mentor once I felt I had the requisite experience. I actually signed up as a translation mentor for both the ITI Spanish and French Networks. So far I’ve mentored one translator in each language and have loved the experience.

I also put myself forward as a business mentor for the ITI French Network and working with my mentee was a wonderful, inspiring experience. I can’t wait to try it again soon.

A few things that went awry

I did not meet my client contact targets but I’ve changed up my strategy, improved my record keeping and am all set to start afresh when I get back from holiday. Even so, I did start working with some great new clients and am continuing to work with many fantastic longstanding clients. I feel very lucky in that respect.

I didn’t meet my income goals every month or even on average. On the bright side, I wasn’t far off and I did make the conscious decision to work a bit less this year to give me time to look for higher paying work. Over lockdown I occupied myself with working; it wasn’t healthy and didn’t give me the time I needed to do all the non-work and professional contribution stuff I wanted to do.

Things I’m looking forward to next year

As I was writing this the CIOL published their programme for the 2022 conference. It’s official... I’m going to be presenting (squee) at the conference next year on how to get your CPD right. I’m terrified and excited, and feel a little ill at the prospect.

The ITI conference in person in Brighton is set to be absolutely incredible. Are my expectations too high? If last year’s online conference is anything to go by, certainly not!

I’m also really keen to organize an in-person business retreat for my fellow ITI East Anglia members. I’ve floated the idea at our informal chats and a few people seemed keen. I know it will be a lot of work to organize but it’ll be a great experience for all involved.

There are other exciting things happening that I can’t talk about yet but as soon as I can I will, because I really am bursting to.

I’ll be going on holiday next week and running a business retreat for myself when I get back. I’m looking forward to readjusting, setting new goals and cracking open a new planner. I know I’m incredibly privileged and I’m thankful every day for what I have.

To end, I would like to shout out to my incredible partner, Ant. Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve half of this. He is a constant source of support and encouragement. Teamwork makes the dream work.

Training Review: On traduit en ligne/Translate online

What is On Traduit?

“On Traduit” is a yearly training event held in different locations – hence the full name Translate In X/On Traduit En X – for French into English and English into French translators. It focuses specifically on translation skills rather than writing, editing or general business skills. This year it was held online and I, along with attendees from all over the world, seized the opportunity to attend.

The training sessions were held over two afternoons and included (for each language direction (FR>EN, EN>FR)):

- a “translation slam”

- two sessions on specific translation issues

- two sessions on particularly tricky words or phrases.

We also had the opportunity to attend a panel session with all the trainers and post-training networking sessions.

Pre-event Preparation

As far as I’m concerned, how you prepare for a training event is almost as important as the event itself. I read up on the trainers, filled in my profile and, most importantly, had a go at translating the FR>EN slam text (more on that below). I also read through the EN>FR slam text, but in all honesty I was not remotely prepared for that slam!

The Workshops

The two FR>EN workshops covered two aspects of comparative stylistics. The first, “Pop the question”, was presented by Martin Hemmings and highlighted ways to embed questions into our English writing to make it more idiomatic. Martin is a fantastic presenter and trainer (he used to be a teacher after all) and he used a lot of examples and exercises to get our brains working.

Making the workshops interactive was key to their success in my view, as I often find myself disengaging from webinars where information is only passively received. However, this session came right after the EN>FR translation slam and I was not on my best form; I felt like I barely had time to process the French before the answers were popping up. Perhaps that should be taken as a lesson to better manage my energy levels at training events (by not working the morning before an afternoon event, for example). 

 

The second workshop, “Taming the Savage Sentence”, presented by Lillian Clementi, sped through a number of translation issues that arise due to the different ways French and English speakers structure their sentences and arguments. This session was a whistle-stop tour of comparative stylistics, but the speed was a welcome trade-off for the sheer volume of tips and tricks gained. Again, this session was interactive and an enjoyable challenge. Lillian’s examples perfectly illustrated how the two languages differ in approach and why translation involves far more than mere word replacement.

The Tips

In between the “main sessions”, attendees were directed to pre-prepared YouTube videos on specific words and phrases that are difficult to translate. French into English translators were given suggestions for “lieu de vie” (e.g. “eat, play, live”) and “solidarité” (e.g. “community”, “outreach”, “social”). I found the session on “solidarité” particularly useful as I come up against it and its Spanish counterpart “solidaridad” regularly.

The Slams

Each translation slam* lasted two hours, much longer than any translation slam I’ve previously attended. The EN>FR slam kicked off the whole event, right at the start of the first day. While I had read the English text in advance, I found taking in the different translation approaches and the discussion in French in real time a challenge. By the end of the session I was exhausted and if I had my time over I may have watched the recording instead, so I wasn’t so dazed for the next session. I will watch the recording anyway, so I can pause it and give myself time to process what was being said.

I was better prepared for the FR>EN slam, given that I had translated the text myself and all the discussion was in English.  This time, I was able to participate when the audience was asked for comments and suggested translations. The two translation slammers had drastically different approaches and used different variants of English, so there was a lot to talk about. The discussion even got a little heated when we got to the topic of gender-neutral language and translators’ responsibilities in that respect.

Both of these slams highlighted that different translation approaches can be perfectly valid and there are many correct ways to translate a text. It also underlined the importance of working with others to spot any issues with the translation and clarify or improve anything that needs it.

The Trainers

The formal part of the training rounded off with a Q&A panel with all the trainers. Topics included tricky words, client relationships and business practices. The trainers were:

• Chris Durban (USA-France)
• Dominique Jonkers (Belgique)
• François Lavallée (Québec)
• Grant Hamilton (Québec)
• Laurence Cuzzolin (France)
  
• Lillian Clementi (USA)
• Marc Lambert (Québec-France)
• Martin Hemmings (UK)

Networking Sessions

Both days ended with networking via Zoom, either in English or French. I was fairly chicken and opted for the English networking on both days (in my defence I was so mentally exhausted that I could barely string a sentence together in English, let alone French). For the networking sessions we were given prompts to get the conversation flowing, though some had us stumped (best piece of business advice you’ve ever been given...). Even so, I met some wonderful, interesting colleagues who shared great advice and experience.

Overall this was a superb training opportunity and one I would certainly repeat when the event next comes to the UK or Europe.

*A translation slam is in no way a competition between translators. Two translators translate the same piece of text and then come together for a moderated discussion of why they chose particular solutions. Alternative (less combative) names have been suggested, e.g. translation huddle, translation jam.

Basic Skills Audit: An easy way to decide where to focus your CPD efforts

I love continuous professional development (CPD for short). Big time. My favourite types of CPD are interactive and on either my specialist areas or translation. As I say in the introduction to my CPD Record, there are three key reasons I put such a strong emphasis on CPD:

1) Understanding my subject areas and constantly improving my translation and writing skills means I can do justice to the words I translate and the people who wrote them.

2) It makes my job easier. When I understand the subject matter I’m translating, I know I’m using the right terms in the right way, and I can ask my clients relevant questions to ensure they get the best end result possible.

3) I love it. I’m passionate about my specialist areas and the links between them, so CPD is always a joy.

But how do I decide what I want to do? What will help me make the most progress in my business?

Every year I take myself on a solo business retreat to review what I’ve been doing over the past year and decide how I want to move forward in the coming year. This involves a lot of deep thinking, a lot of brainstorming and a lot of analysis. I tend to focus on a few key areas and a big one is always CPD.

During my last business retreat, back in September last year, I split my skills/knowledge into three categories – translation/language, specialisms and business – and wrote down the key skills and knowledge I need in each area for my business to succeed. I then used a traffic light system to indicate how strong I felt my skills were in each area. This was based on a gut feeling of confidence in that area, probably influenced by an awareness of how much training I had already done and how recently (i.e. not very scientific).

Here is the result of my translation/language skills analysis:*

At the top you can see my strongest skills, my native language skills followed by my passive second language skills and translation. This basic exercise clearly shows that I need to work on my second language speaking and listening skills. So I made a plan to do just that.

I now regularly listen to French and Spanish language podcasts and news bulletins in my source languages while getting ready in the morning or exercising. I particularly like El Hilo for Spanish and Sur le grill d’Ecotable for French. Listening to conversations and reports relevant to my work also helps me to stay up to date with current affairs and news in my specialist areas. More recently I set up conversation exchanges with some old friends to practice speaking French and Spanish in an informal setting.

I still struggle to understand everything in very colloquial French and still often need the subtitles when I watch Dix pour cent [Call My Agent!].

Over the last year I have also taken part in various translation and writing workshops and attended a number of events on topics from revision to copy writing. Just because I feel those are my strengths, certainly doesn’t mean I’ll neglect them; they are after all critical skills for my business. Every quarter I refer back to my plan and check I’m on track and whether there’s anything else I need to incorporate. Given the work I’ve put in I would say the chart below more accurately reflects how I feel about my skills now. It’s motivating to see that I’m moving in the right direction.

Apart from translation and language skills, I reviewed my specialist area knowledge and business skills and created a CPD plan for each of those too. It sounds like a lot of work but by maintaining and improving my skills I can deliver quality to my clients, taking pride in my work and having the confidence to work with clients I like on projects I enjoy.

During my next business retreat this autumn, I’m going to trial different ways to assess my skills, so watch this space!

How do you review your skills? What have you been working on over the last year?

 

* You might have noticed that I split out general and specialist and colloquial and formal language and that my levels are quite different for French and Spanish. This is because I started learning Spanish in Year 7, spent my year abroad in Spain and have visited Barcelona for at least two weeks for the last 7 years (bar last year of course). French on the other hand, I started learning aged 21 and my only truly immersive experience of French was in Senegal when I frequently had to act as an informal interpreter between a mixed language group. Back then I would have said my French speaking and listening skills were definitely in the green. In short, for French I have let things slide far too far. (Let me be clear, even though I put conversational French speaking firmly in the red, I could (and can) speak and understand French, but not as well as I would like. I was rusty and lacked confidence because I didn’t practice as much as I should have.)