Smart Habits for Translators

Smart Habits for Translators

By Veronika Demichelis and Madalena Sánchez ZampauloBusinessEntrepreneurshipEducationSelf-ImprovementCareers
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Smart Habits for Translators episodes

  • Episode 18: Creating a Four-Day Work Week With Matt Baird

    As the name of our podcast suggests, we’re always on the lookout for new smart habits that can be helpful in our work and personal life. We have been long-time admirers of the approach that today's guest takes to create work/life clarity and find freedom in freelancing. Our friend and colleague, Matt Baird, is joining us to share how he transitioned to a four-day work week.

    A necessary caveat: Like most of us, Matt’s reality is quite different these days (during the COVID-19 pandemic). However, his goal is to return to a four-day work week as soon as possible, as it helps him find some much-needed time for himself and his family.

    About our guest:

    Matt Baird is an ATA-certified German-to-English translator, editor, and copywriter specializing in marketing and communications. He is also an active member of the American Translators Association, currently serving as an ATA PR writer and host of the ATA Podcast.

    Matt has a BA in German and International Affairs from the University of Colorado at Boulder. After studying at Georgetown University and working in Washington, DC, Matt broke out of the Beltway and fled back to Colorado, where he traded his suit for sweatpants and launched a successful freelance translation business. Now based in Germany near the banks of the Rhine River, Matt is at his best crafting copy in his quiet office, but happiest playing with his wife and two kids in the great outdoors.

    Here is a summary of our conversation with Matt:
    - How and when he started his freelance translator career
    - How his typical workday looked before the COVID-19 pandemic, how it looks now, and how his daily routine has changed and evolved over the years
    - When and why he made the switch to a four-day work week and how he made that transition
    - What habits and strategies he had to adopt to make it happen
    - How he set reasonable expectations and boundaries for his work and volunteer commitments
    - How he typically organizes his work week
    - What smart habits he recommends to colleagues who would like to have a successful week

    For more details and resources, visit our show notes at https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/18

    To learn more about Susie Jackson's group mentoring program "Charge with Confidence", visit her website: https://www.susiejackson.co.uk/charge-with-confidence

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  • Episode 17: Coping With Quiet Work Periods

    This topic was a request from one of our listeners, and we thought it would likely apply to the current situation when many of us are feeling a lull in our work—or maybe even some patchy spots when work is busy for a week and then completely quiet the next—because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the global economy.

    We’ll also talk about other situations when you might experience a quiet work period, like holidays, summer vacation, or those times when you have unresponsive clients.

    So, today, we’ll share our perspective and tips on how to get through these quiet work periods successfully by employing some smart habits.

    Here is a summary of our conversation:

    - Why it’s important not to overreact, but instead, to think about the situation in a calm, constructive manner

    - What you can do when work slows down or dries up in emergency situations (like the current COVID-19 crisis)

    - How to “nudge” existing clients and contact new ones in a graceful and respectful way

    - How to go about expanding your service offerings, looking at other areas where your clients may need you—maybe pivoting

    - How to create meaningful professional partnerships with colleagues

    - What you can do to incorporate professional development into your schedule

    - Why you may want to use the quiet work periods to volunteer with professional associations or become a mentor

    - What you can do to improve your website and marketing materials

    - How to contact unresponsive clients and not looks “salesy”

    - How to plan for those times of year when work tends to slow down

    - Why it’s so important to keep some perspective during slow work times


    For more details and resources, visit our show notes at https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/17

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  • Episode 16: Smart Marketing Habits With Tess Whitty

    While everything about business looks a bit different than usual for most people right now, we can still be thinking about smart habits to put in place to market our businesses moving forward. Does it feel strange to think about marketing your services these days? You’re not alone!

    That’s why we’re excited to share our interview with our colleague and friend, Tess Whitty.

    A disclaimer: we recorded this interview about a month before the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world. However, the content of our conversation is still relevant, and we hope that you find some ideas useful. Now, back to our guest.

    Tess Whitty is an English-Swedish freelance translator specializing in corporate communications, software and IT. She has a M.Sc. in Economics and a M.A. in marketing and previously worked as a marketing manager.

    Tess shares her knowledge and experience in marketing and business as an award winning speaker, trainer, consultant, author and podcaster. For more information, or to connect, go to www.swedishtranslationservices.com or www.marketingtipsfortranslators.com.

    Here is a summary of what we discussed in this episode:

    - How and when Tess started her freelance translator career

    - How her typical workday looks, and how her daily routine changed and evolved over the years

    - What smart habits that have been crucial in her career

    - What marketing habits most freelance translators struggle with, underestimate, or overlook

    - Tess’ advice to translators who are just starting out in their freelance career and who struggle with choosing what is most important to focus on first

    - Tess’ marketing tips for mid-career professionals who are looking to grow their business


    For more details and resources, visit our show notes at https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/16

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  • Episode 15: Smart Sleep Habits

    This topic may be one that hits particularly close to home for a lot of us, especially in times of uncertainty and stress.

    We all know how important sleep is for our physical and mental health, but it can also be one of the hardest habits to maintain. Many of us can relate to this during the current COVID-19 crisis, when our usual daily routine is disrupted, our financial stability is affected, and we are overwhelmed with heavy news. That’s why we felt it was particularly important to talk about smart sleep habits and how to maintain them, even in these turbulent times.

    Here is a summary of we discussed in this episode:

    - How to plan to get enough sleep, and what you need to have in place to succeed with this habit
    - How to establish a solid bedtime routine
    - Why it is important to limit the time you spend with screens and digital devices before bedtime
    - Why quality may be more important than quantity when it comes to sleep
    - How to create your ideal sleep environment
    - Why healthy sleep habits are so important for translators and interpreters in the work we do
    - What happens when we don’t get enough sleep on a consistent basis
    - How nutrition affects our sleep habits
    - Our smart habit hacks for quieting our mind before bedtime

    For more details and resources, visit our show notes at https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/15

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  • Episode 14: Smart Habits During Social Isolation: A Special Episode With Sara Maria Hasbun

    It has been a strange few weeks, hasn’t it? The global COVID-19 pandemic turned our whole world upside down. It's impossible not to be affected by it in some way.
    That's why we decided to record this special episode. We are so grateful to our guest for meeting with us virtually and sharing some great advice on how to come out of this experience feeling stronger.

    Sara Maria Hasbun is the founder of Meridian Linguistics, a language services agency providing translation, language data collection, language data analysis, and linguistic annotation services to technology companies. She also blogs about her adventures in "extreme language learning" at misslinguistic.com.
    Sara Maria currently lives in Beijing and has been practicing social isolation for more than two months as a result of COVID-19. We found her tips and encouragement very uplifting, and we hope that you'll feel the same way after listening to this episode.
    Here is a summary of we discussed in this episode:
    • What Sara Maria’s experience with social isolation has been like
    • How her social life and mental health have been throughout this experience ⁠ ⁠
    • What she did to stay busy
    • How to overcome the feeling of uncertainty over what comes next
    • How to deal with fear related to the health of your loved ones
    • How to stay in touch with friends and family during this time
    • How to deal with the disruption to your daily routine
    • How to overcome anxiety and the inability to focus
    • What to do if you’re worried for your financial future and the future of our profession
    • Tips for those who are living and working in a foreign country—far from their family and home—during the COVID-19 pandemic
    • Our smart habit hacks (as well as one from a listener!) during this time of social distancing and home confinement

    For more details and resources, visit our show notes at https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/14

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  • Episode 13: Ask Us Anything

    We are shaking things up with a special episode by answering your questions this week! Thank you to everyone who sent us questions.

    Before we jump in, we would like to share our support and solidarity with our colleagues who are experiencing a setback in their freelance businesses because of what’s going on right now with the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of recording this, we know that many interpreters have lost work, and while some translators are seeing an uptick in documents related to information on the virus, there are still many who are not receiving work because their clients are hitting the “pause” button.

    In addition, some of us are having to take care of kids or other family members while still trying to work.

    We’re thinking of you, and we know how challenging it can be for your business and your mental health. We’re sending you our love and support.

    And now… Here are the questions that we answered in this episode:
    - How do you feel you've grown as translators over the years?⁠ ⁠
    - What keeps you on track in the rough weeks? Which habits do you jettison and what stays no matter what?⁠
    - What do your tracking systems look like?⁠ ⁠
    - What are your tips for young translators?⁠ ⁠
    - What are some clever ways to market remotely (besides the usual warm e-mails, etc.)? ⁠ ⁠
    - What are your tips and tricks for dealing with worst-case scenarios? ⁠ ⁠
    - Any tips on how to automate as much as possible? What and how to improve productivity?⁠ ⁠
    - I’m a freelance interpreter getting ready to move to a new city. Any tips for how I can approach new colleagues and smoothly integrate myself into the market? ⁠ ⁠
    - How did you decide to do a podcast together on the topic of habits? Do you have all the topics planned out in advance?⁠

    For more details and resources, head to our show notes page at https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/13

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  • Episode 12: Financial Habits for a Healthy Business with Susie Jackson
    First, a quick announcement: we now have listeners in over 40 countries—wow! We are so grateful that you choose to listen to our podcast, and we really appreciate all the support!
    This episode is a special one—we have our first guest! Tune in as we chat with Susie Jackson.
    Susie is a freelance copy editor and Spanish-to-English translator specializing in academic texts for the social sciences. She also mentors freelancers to help them figure out how much they should be charging and who their ideal client is so that they can earn a decent living doing what they love.
    What you'll hear in this episode:
    - How Susie started her freelance career and how it evolved over the years
    - How her typical workday looks and the smart habits that help her run her business smoothly and efficiently
    - Why it’s important to track the data related to your work, marketing and admin tasks
    - How to avoid overspending on business expenses
    - Why it’s important to budget and how to review and adapt your budget regularly
    - What the Profit First system is and how Susie implements it in her business
    - Why Susie has several savings accounts and how she splits her income between them
    - How the habit of blocking out time in your calendar can be helpful for work and personal commitments
    For more details, resources, and some freebies, head to our show notes page at https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/12
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  • Episode 11: Decluttering
    In our previous episodes we talked about smart habits for organizing your to-do list and finding motivation to do the tasks that you need to get done. But sometimes the reason we don't feel productive, focused, or motivated is that there is simply too much mental or physical clutter around us.
    So, today we wanted to talk about smart habits for decluttering: cleaning out, organizing, and simplifying what’s happening in our office, on our desk, and in our heads.
    What you'll hear in this episode:
    - Our thoughts on how physical and mental clutter affect us
    - How we can avoid accumulating clutter in our profession and in our workspace
    - Whether it’s possible to stick to your hobbies and interests while staying clutter-free
    - What to do when your family members and loved ones don’t seem to share the same desire to organize or declutter your home
    - How to decide what to keep and what to donate, give away, or recycle
    - Whether it’s best to organize a little bit every day to stay on top of things or to do a complete clean-out when things get chaotic
    - How to overcome mental clutter and set boundaries on what is worth your time and energy
    - How to deal with all the electronic clutter that we accumulate in our emails, our computers, on our phones and other devices
    - Some strategies you can use to declutter and organize your inbox and your electronic devices
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  • Episode 10: Finding Motivation
    In our last episode, we talked about different ways to organize your to-do list and get it under control.
    But what if you know exactly what needs to be done, but you’re struggling to find the energy or motivation to do it? You know you have a lot of things on your to-do list, but maybe you feel uninspired, and you have no energy or desire to do the work that needs to be done. So, it's easy to procrastinate or get distracted.
    We all have days like this!
    So, today we wanted to talk motivation: how to find it when it just isn’t there.
    What you'll hear in this episode:
    - Our own examples of days when we feel that we lack motivation… and how we cope with that feeling
    - Why it’s important to go deep, try to identify where that “blah” feeling comes from, and name it
    - Why gratitude, self-care, and grace can sometimes be the best medicine when you feel tired and uninspired
    - How to deal with unnecessary drama that drains your energy and motivation
    - How your personal and professional network can help you snap out of that “blah” feeling
    - Some strategies you can try to give yourself that much-needed boost and turn your day around
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  • Episode 9: Conquering Your To-Do List
    The beginning of the year and that time when you come up with your goals and priorities for the year always seem like a clean slate, right? But give it a couple of weeks, and your to-do list can start to get of control. We’ve all been there!
    That’s why we wanted to talk about conquering your to-do list and what you can do to prevent it from controlling your life or causing guilt or insecurity about all the things you need to do.
    Tune in as we talk about how we organize the tasks on our to-do lists, share stories of success and failure, and discuss some strategies for managing your tasks efficiently.
    What you'll hear in this episode:
    - Why it’s important not to jump into making a to-do list before you set your priorities and goals
    - How to choose a system to manage your plans and tasks… and when to try another one
    - Why we like organizing our to-do lists under themes or categories, experimenting with the concept of “theme days” and batching tasks
    - Why it’s important to write down your three most important tasks of the day
    - What to do when everything on your to-do list seems important, and you can’t prioritize
    - How to handle tasks that have been sitting on your to-do list for too long
    - What to do on those days when a personal emergency happens, and you have to re-prioritize your to-do list
    - Why you should review and adjust your to-do list periodically
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About Smart Habits for Translators

From the publisher's feed

If you’re a translator who enjoys learning about habits to improve your business and lifestyle, then this is the podcast for you.