Translators getting together

Today I’m writing about the importance of translators getting together and the difficulties some face to do so. Being a translator is an amazing job, but it is also a very lonely one. Especially if you work as a freelancer. We spend our days in our offices and we have very little physical interaction with other people. So, the chance of meeting other colleagues is a great opportunity to break that routine. It is also the chance to talk about our profession and issues we face, in order to find a solution for all.

Some Forums and Associations organise these events for their members. For example, Proz.com calls these events “powwows”. I attended one in Sydney, a few years ago. It was organised by members located here and advertised through the Forum. AUSIT also organizes this type of events, they are called “networking events”.  In this case, the event is organised by the Association and communicated to its members via email. Some events are free, some we have a pay a small fee.

What do we do in those meetings?

Usually, networking events are designed for us to meet other colleagues in our area and talk about our profession. Some may work with the same language pair, but we will find that most will work with other language pairs. Well, that was my reality when I attended that “powwow” a few years ago. But, apart from the social aspect of it, there is also the professional part of these events. We use them as a way of discussing possible issues we have encountered. Sometimes, other colleagues have encountered the same problem and we can all discuss it and perhaps find a solution. We can talk about markets and new strategies to face the challenges we face.

Difficulties some of us may have to attend these events

Although these events are a very important part of our professional development, sometimes it is hard to attend and that can be quite frustrating. For example, in my case, I haven’t been able to attend a few events because I’m unable to reconcile them with my 3-year-old daughter’s routine. I would love to participate, but so far, I haven’t been able to attend an event. Other colleagues may encounter other issues that prevent them to attend. However, it is very important that we do and I certainly acknowledge that.

Cátia