Move the World with Words

What’s that old saying? Love what you do, and you’ll never work a day in your life? Most people will tell you that that quote is misleading. Of course you can love what you do, but it’s still work, right? It depends on who you ask. Diana Biser was a guest on the Move the World with Words podcast recently, and our conversation was incredible. 

She talked to us all about: loving the work so much that she used to do it for free, why it’s challenging to read books without wanting to translate them, why she watches English movies with the Spanish subtitles, and what “Move the World with Words” means to her. 

You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Context is king. 

So often, particularly in the world of translation, translators are asked to translate without any context. Maybe they’re given a set of phrases and have to translate those. But they might not have any idea HOW these phrases are being used, or in what context. This is especially true when it comes to marketing translation. Susanne Kraetschmer is a freelance translator specializing mostly in apparel and marketing translation for some of the largest companies in the world. 

She was a guest on the podcast recently and talked all about; when she knows she’s nailed an assignment, how she keeps her German language skills fresh while living in Portland, her favorite German tv shows, and what she would change about the translation industry.

You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Transcreation. Wait, what? Are we just inventing new words now? Not exactly.

On a recent episode of the Move the World with Words podcast, we sat down with Robin Limmeroth to talk about: what exactly is "transcreation?" what it was that got her hooked on translation as a career, how she stays on top of the trends in Germany, and what "Move the World with Words" means to her. 

You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

We’ve not talked a lot about mistakes. And it makes sense why. Nobody likes to think about their mistakes. Often times we dwell on them, beat ourselves up over them, and go out of our way to avoid even the hint of a mistake. But when you’ve been in the translation business for nearly two decades, mistakes are bound to happen. Because translation isn’t an exact science. It’s an art form. 

On a recent episode of the Move the World with Words podcast, we sat down with Dagmar Jenner, and talked all about- learning from your mistakes, the most important lessons you can learn from your mistakes, what it’s like the president of the Austrian Translators & Interpreter’s Association, and what Move the World with Words means to her

You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

We’ve not talked a lot about mistakes. And it makes sense why. Nobody likes to think about their mistakes. Often times we dwell on them, beat ourselves up over them, and go out of our way to avoid even the hint of a mistake. But when you’ve been in the translation business for nearly two decades, mistakes are bound to happen. Because translation isn’t an exact science. It’s an art form. 

On a recent episode of the Move the World with Words podcast, we sat down with Dagmar Jenner, and talked all about- learning from your mistakes, the most important lessons you can learn from your mistakes, what it’s like the president of the Austrian Translators & Interpreter’s Association, and what Move the World with Words means to her

You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

How does the old saying go? "Those that can't do, teach?" 

While that may be true for some things, it most certainly isn't the case for our latest guest on the Move the World with Words podcast. Alan Campbell might spend his time these days teaching and training the next generation of translators, but his background proves that he has a wealth of experience. He was a guest on the Move the World with Words podcast recently and talked all about: his time in the Army that led him to translation, why he thinks that speaking to someone in their language is so important, why it is the most people have never thoughts of translation or interpretation as a profession, and what Move the World with Words means to him. 

You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World with Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Are you sharing what you're learning? And if not, what's holding you back? We sat down with Dr. Hadeer Aboelnagah on a recent episode of the Move the World with Words podcast. She spent 30 hours traveling across the world to be at a conference, so we jumped at the chance to learn from her. 

We talked about; why machines translation isn't the enemy, her role as a university professor and how she helped her students, and why sharing your learning is the most crucial element to translation. 

You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World with Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

We talk a lot on the Move the World with Words podcast about freelancing. An awful lot of translators have made a very respectable career out of freelance translating. But it's not without its headaches. The headaches can come with things like accounting, invoicing, chasing clients down, and periods of having no work. But on the most recent episode of the podcast, we talked with Rosalie Henke, who does a lot of her freelance work with us here at Smartling. 

We talked about: the bonuses of working with an agency, why she doesn't want to translate medical or legal projects, and what "Move the World with Words" means to her. 

You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World with Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. 

"We tell ourselves stories in order to live." The prolific author Joan Didion said that, and nowhere is that more true than in the world of interpretation and translation. On a recent episode of the Move the World with Words podcast, we talked with Ibrahim Alkhaldi about: What makes a good translator, what makes a good listener, and the challenges of a career focused in Healthcare interpretation. 

You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World with Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. 

We talk a lot on the Move the World with Words podcast about translation. Obviously. But what happens when you're a translator for a part of the world where a LOT of English words and phrases just simply don't translate? Not that there aren't words for the things you're using. But culturally, it just doesn't make sense. 

This is something that Tess Whitty runs into an awful lot, being an English to Swedish translator. She was a guest on the show recently and talked all about: what sort of phrases and ideas don't translate well to the Nordic language, how she stays connected to Nordic culture while living in the US, and what she would change about the translation industry. 

You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World with Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcast, on Spotify, or here.