The METS is a unique MA programme offering a distinct set of professionalization modules in different fields of specialization. Students spend two semesters abroad at two different partner universities of the METS consortium.
When I applied for this Master, I had analysed the different modules each school offered and I chose KU Leuven (Antwerp) because it was specialized in Translation Technologies and ISIT (Paris) for its Communication module.
My master’s journey kicked off with an interview day at the University of Bath. First up were two interviews with a tutor, one for each language pair, which involved performing a sight translation – something I managed to embellish with a grand total of 19 “erms” according to one of my interviewers. The afternoon consisted of a short written translation exam. Despite my verbal sluggishness that morning, the experience was relatively relaxed and the only downside was the mammoth train journey from Durham to Bath. For anyone in a similar position, the university is able to offer accommodation on campus at reduced rates.
Welcome to the second half of our guest post on Nikki’s blog, My Words for a Change! For those of you who didn’t read last week, Nikki kindly invited the Deep End bloggers (Claire Harmer, Katharine Mears, Felicity Pearce, Paula Pitkethly and Sandra Young) to write a guest blog post on our experiences at Westminster University. Please read on to find out more, and take a look at last week’s post!
Nikki kindly invited Claire Harmer, Katharine Mears, Felicity Pearce, Paula Pitkethly and Sandra Young to write a guest blog post on our experiences at Westminster University. Since we studied there in 2010-2011, in this post we have tried to indicate any major changes that have taken place on the course, but if you would like further information about the current programmes on offer, please visit the Westminster University website or contact Alexa Alfer, the university’s Translation Studies Programme Director (A.Alfer01@westminster.ac.uk).
Each of us have taken a specific aspect of the course to expand on, hoping to give anyone thinking about taking the plunge into the world of translation and interpreting an insight into the programme and the lecturers, to see if Westminster offers the right course for them.
The Freelance what? For the uninitiated, The Freelance Box, or TFB, is a series of half-day, in-person business and marketing courses offered by Valeria Aliperta of Rainy London Translations and Marta Stelmaszak of Want Words.
Although TFB is based in London, it has travelled as far afield as Madrid and Bratislava. The beauty of these events is that they come to you.
Well, in theory they do. Being a rather determined, dedicated and ‘nothing is getting in my way’ kind of girl, I didn’t think anything of hopping on the Glasgow to London train for TFB launch event.
After stumbling around the City trying to get my bearings, I eventually found the venue. Twitter 1 – 0 Google Maps.
Please note that Nicole Y. Adams no longer offers this course.
As the title suggests, the online course The A to Z of Freelance Translation by Nicole Y. Adams is mainly aimed at freelance translators in their first year of self-employment, or translators who are planning to become self-employed in the near future.
There are 15 lessons in total, dealing with various topics related to launching a freelance career. After registering, participants get lifetime access to the entire course contents and can work through them in any order they like and at their own pace. The course setup is very flexible, so you can interrupt at any time or jump back and forth between the different lessons. Even after completing the course, you continue to have access to all the materials (including any updates or newly added content).
Please note that Marta Stelmaszak is no longer providing this course.
My freelance business had been ticking over nicely for a few years, but the spark had gone towards the end of last year. I wasn’t really making any progress and I didn’t know how to get myself out of a rut. That’s when Marta’s Business School came along!
I must admit that I wasn’t 100% convinced from the off. I wasn’t sure it was the right course for me and it all looked so swish: would it be style over substance? But the detailed course description was impressive and described my situation down to a T. So, after reading some of the glowing testimonials from a few unexpected sources, I took the plunge.
Last May, I found myself in a position that many freelance translators will be familiar with: things were ticking over nicely with my freelance business, I was getting work from a handful of clients with whom I had long-standing relationships and I was generally satisfied with the way things were going. Then, after months of non-stop, back-to-back jobs, things suddenly went a bit quiet, forcing me to take a step back and reflect on the state of my business, which led to the realisation that I was actually stuck in a bit of a rut. I had reached a point where I was confident enough to stand firm with my rates, as well as being confident with the quality of my work and experience I had acquired, but was nevertheless failing to really move forward. At the same time, I was also feeling inspired after having attended workshops run by Judy Jenner and Chris Durban in the preceding nine months where they flew the flag for getting yourself out there and asserting yourself as a businessperson, although I also felt I was lacking the tools to put this confidence into practice and get myself out of the rut.
Tranix Translation & Editing Services 