I feel like lots of translators are thinking about finding another career due to all of the AI/MT/Federal government/other challenges these days! If that's what you want, go for it! But if you'd like to stick with freelancing and you're simply frustrated with how things are going, here are some suggestions to try. 

If you're not on the Training for Translators mailing list and you enjoy this podcast, you should join!  

This episode is based on a LinkedIn post I wrote this week, that generated a lively discussion. If you're finding the current freelance environment hard, you're not the crazy one: perhaps, all these years (or decades, or since the 1980s) you've been more of a fractional employee than a freelancer? 

If you enjoy this podcast, make sure to join the Training for Translators mailing list in the sidebar of my blog, and grab a copy of my new book, Getting Started as a Freelance Interpreter! 

We've all been there! "I was in a great marketing routine, then something happened" (life event, huge project, etc.) "...and now it feels so overwhelming to get back in the groove!" 

Don't give up hope; in this episode, I offer a few tips on how to get back on the marketing wagon after you've fallen off. 

In this episode, I talk about how to self-publish something that you wrote or translated, with options ranging from minimum viable product (instant-download PDFs) to creating a book that is indistinguishable from something produced by a traditional publisher. To visit any of the links mentioned in this episode, visit the blog post that it's based on! 

Visit the Training for Translators website to subscribe to my mailing list or to learn more about my classes and books! 

Right now in the translation world, it seems like many people are doing great, or horribly, with very little in between. In this episode, I talk about how the first quarter of 2025 went for me, along with some observations about what I'm hearing from other people. 

If you enjoy the Training for Translators podcast, visit our website to learn more about our classes and challenge groups! 

In this episode, I take a look at three ways to not earn enough money as a freelance translator or interpreter:

1. You don't have enough work, period
2. You have enough work, but it's low-paying
3. You have well-paying work, but not enough of it 

...and how to handle each of these situations!

Links mentioned in this episode

• The Training for Translators website
• The 2022 American Translators Asociation compensation survey
• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' outlook for translators and interpreters
• The MIT Living Wage Calculator 

A quick bonus episode to remind you that my March Marketing Madness challenge group starts on Monday, March 3! Back for year seven (!!), the challenge group costs $90 and gives you:

• 20 motivational videos to get the marketing motivation going
• 20 daily marketing challenges that will take you 15-30 minutes to complete
• An optional, but very fun Slack group 
• Marketing resources (e-mail templates, goal-setting workbook) 
• Six months of access to the course materials 

"Corinne’s March Marketing Madness challenge group has transformed my approach to marketing forever! It was an intense and exciting month, during which I felt empowered to ramp up my marketing efforts in ways I hadn’t considered before," says a past participant! Come join in! 

In this episode, I discuss how 2024 went, and hopefully this will inspire you to conduct your own year-end business review, if you haven't done one already. I review my income, my enjoyment of the work I did, and my satisfaction with life in general! 

• Join the Training for Translators mailing list in the sidebar of my blog
• Here's the blog post that this episode is based on 
• I find it hard to quit projects I've committed to, because I'm an Upholder 
• AIIC, the International Association of Conference Interpreters
• My business coach, Treasa Edmond 

I used to be the ultimate ChatGPT hater, and I've now found a few really helpful use cases for it. In this episode, I describe how I don't find ChatGPT useful for actual translation or writing, but I do find it helpful for interpreting prep, jazzing up presentation titles, complicated research questions, and other tasks like complying with specific character counts and tone. 

Links mentioned in this episode:

• ChatGPT
• techforword
• Riccardo Schiaffino's presentation on Perplexity as a research tool
• Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies framework (I'm an Upholder)
• The Neuron AI newsletter
• The blog post that this episode is based on 

To get your free Nudge Kit, sign up for the Training for Translators blog in the sidebar of any blog post! 

Freelancing gives us the freedom to work when we want, how we want—but let's be honest, it often feels more like 'work all the time or risk not getting paid.' That delicate balance between freedom and hustle can sometimes tip us straight into burnout. In this episode, I take a look at the realities of overwork, why burnout happens, and—most importantly—10 tried-and-true strategies I use to keep burnout at bay.

In this episode, I mention my "Deciding what to charge" worksheet, which you can download here if you'd like to try it! And if you're not on the Training for Translators mailing list, you should join so that you don't miss anything!