Review of Christelle Maignan’s ‘Interactive Time Management’ Workshop

‘Minutes are worth more than money. Spend them wisely.’ ~Thomas P. Murphy

christelle-maignanAn award-winning, qualified personal performance coach and experienced English-to-French translator, Christelle Maignan is passionate about coaching fellow freelance translators, whether they are new to the profession or have decades of experience under their linguistic belt. With a keen interest in personal development, and over 15 years of experience in the translation industry, coaching seemed like the next logical step in Christelle’s career.

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What I learned in December 2016

As I draw this series to a close and reflect on 2016, my overriding need and desire remain managing my time better so I can fit everything in: work, family and me-time. I’ve been struggling because family issues have swallowed up huge chunks of my time and look as if they will continue to require my attention for some months to come. Going forward, I’ll have to try to focus harder on what matters and get my priorities right by being more organised and ruthless because I haven’t always achieved everything I set out to do. On that note, I found this short TED Talk by Laura Vanderkam incredibly inspiring.

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What I learned in October 2016

It’s nearly December now and here I am just getting around to writing about last month. Following weeks of working on one project after another, and being lucky enough for clients to agree to wait in the queue, I’m finally enjoying a bit of breathing space. Hopefully it won’t signal a famine period for me as I am only free because I couldn’t make the deadline for one largish project and didn’t fancy anything else I was offered.

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My MA in Translation Studies with Interpreting at the University of Nottingham

nottinghamI’d always planned to become a translator. The career seemed to fit my abilities and interests well so the die was cast on my academic path. The translation modules I did as part of my undergraduate degree in Modern Language Studies (French, Spanish and Dutch) only whetted my appetite further for continuing my study of translation. Then, as if almost by a stroke of fate, just as I was starting my final undergraduate year, the university’s Cultures, Languages and Area Studies department announced that they would be introducing a postgraduate programme in Translation Studies – with the option to study interpreting as a supplementary module. I leapt at the chance to apply for a place as soon as I could, and so began my Master’s degree at the University of Nottingham.

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Review of MATI at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies

montereyToday’s guest post is by Deepti Limaye and it’s our second on an MA course outside Europe.

The Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS), formerly known as the Monterey Institute of International Studies, offers four degree programs in translation and interpreting—MAT (Translation), MATI (Translation and Interpretation), MATLM (Translation and Localization Management), and MACI (Conference Interpreting)—in Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Spanish. Some Portuguese translation and interpreting classes have also been offered since 2012. I finished the coursework for the MATI program in Spanish in May 2015, and will be graduating in December 2016, after defending my translation thesis.

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What I learned in September 2016

I’m posting this rather late because October has been another busy month for me work- and family-wise. It’s also been quite hectic on the blog with the start of the revision survey results (do check them out if you haven’t already. I’ve included as many comments as I can to show the range of opinions on the topic) and more MA review posts (on Cardiff and Westminster).

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Learning to become a translator at the University of Westminster

westminsterAs I sat on a boat to Hvar, Croatia, knowing that I wanted to leave my job and mulling over the options available to me, I had my lightbulb moment: “I know,” I thought, “I’ll go back to university to study for a Masters in translation.”

After returning to the UK, I set about researching my options (part-time vs full-time study, distance learning vs attending lectures and the like), but what was always clear in my mind was that I wanted to become a translator and I wanted to be ready to delve into the profession as soon as I left university. I settled upon the University of Westminster’s MA translation programme as it seemed to me the best and the most practical course out there – and I wasn’t disappointed. Here’s why:

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Revision Survey Results – Part 1: Why and Why Not?

rs1Back in July and August I ran a survey on revisions (one of my favourite topics!) using Google Forms to try to get an idea of colleagues’ experiences with and attitudes to revision.

As I stated in the survey:

By revisions I mean checking another translator’s translation against the source and making corrections as deemed necessary. This is often wrongly termed proofreading.

 

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Plea for Help with MA Translation & Interpreting Review Project

Since June 2015 my blog has featured guest posts by colleagues who have completed an MA in translation and/or interpreting. What started out as just an idea to provide future MA students with useful information has grown into a huge project that is larger than I am, which is why I’m now appealing for help.

If you are interested in this project and might have some time to spare between jobs, then please read on.

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