– Focusing on the principles of collaboration and support amongst colleagues, this November’s Stronger Together 2 meet-up, organised by the NWTN, built upon the foundations of last year’s event and reminded us how valuable being part of a network is, both professionally and personally.

Professionally, we benefitted from the advice and support of colleagues shared freely and informally throughout the day. Small-group discussion sessions covered a choice of topics from work-life balance, coworking, business finances, marketing, CPD, agencies & clients, and workflow & productivity.

By sharing ideas and experiences, suggesting solutions to each other’s dilemmas, and listening to each other’s points of view, we enhanced each other’s business practices and enriched our professional knowledge.

We also got to know colleagues with different specialisms, language combinations and subject expertise who may become collaborators on future projects or who we could recommend to clients looking for linguists with particular professional backgrounds.

The insightful Post-it note session, where members were encouraged to post questions on the board for colleagues to answer last year, was digitalised on a Miro board this year. The digital board extends this activity beyond the one-day event, as members can continue to post questions and get helpful advice from colleagues long after the in-person event has ended.

Personally, this year’s event allowed me to reflect upon how my experience of being a member of the network has developed since last year, when I arrived at this event alone. Not knowing many of the participants, I participated in the discussions on collaboration, revision, accountability and mentoring, which led to a few of us setting up a local accountability group which has met regularly ever since. This year, our small group travelled to the event together, and I found myself in a room of familiar faces.

It was also great to see a few new faces, who will have the same opportunity as I did to connect and find their place in the network over the coming year. Thanks to our network organisers Laurence, Kate, and Katell, for creating such a thought-provoking and enjoyable event.

The post Stronger Together appeared first on North West Translators' Network.

After a brief interlude during which votes for the various baked goods were cast (hold on: no one said there would be judging!), we gathered around the table for a festive game of pass-the-parcel. Lovingly prepared by chair Laurence, there were more than enough layers for everyone to get at least one turn at unwrapping either a forfeit (count backwards in a foreign language, decline something grammatical in your target language, mime an Xmas movie etc.) or a piece of Manchester memorabilia (bee-festooned coasters, keyrings and pens).

With the parcel duly decimated, it was time for the all-important results announcement. My team was pleasantly surprised to have won the quiz. Then my sausage rolls were crowned the best bake, beating all manner of other scrumptious seasonal treats with a stonking four votes! A total curve ball! The best dressed vote (quite rightly) went to the unrivalled cuteness of a mother and toddler in matching Christmas jumpers.

There then came the more serious matter of awarding bursaries for physical and virtual attendance at the 2024 ITI conference and the party was already over. Overall, I spent highly enjoyable afternoon with a splendid group of people and I look forward to the next opportunity to catch up with the NWTN.

written by

Nick Hubble

Nick is a German to English translator.

The post Festive Social 2023 appeared first on North West Translators' Network.

Named after the Bridgewater Canal, which runs past the garden and links the village of Worsley to the city of Manchester, RHS Garden Bridgewater, we learnt on the tour, is the only garden that the RHS have had the opportunity to create completely from scratch. Whereas previous RHS gardens were from the Victorian, Georgian or Edwardian periods, the Bridgewater site, situated within the footprint of the demolished Worsley New Hall, was completely disused by the time the RHS acquired it in 2017. This meant that Tom Stuart-Smith, the landscape architect commissioned with the design task, was not constrained by historic expectations, but instead had the freedom to create a new garden fit for the 21st century.

Meeting in the larch-clad contemporary Welcome Building upon arrival, we had a chance to network with colleagues over lunch, or in my case, over the first of several cakes! Before the tour began, I caught up with some familiar faces, as well as making new connections with translators that I had not met before. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences, whether discussing translation, gardening, or sustainability.

The café sources much of its produce from the walled garden, which we were about to visit, and it was thought-provoking to see sustainable design everywhere we looked. The Welcome Building uses its giant roof for rainwater harvesting, which provides water for flushing the loos, whilst heating and cooling is provided by a ground-source heat pump. Even the car park has a sustainable drainage system for managing storm water.

We were split into two groups for the guided tour of the Weston Walled Garden. Making our way out of the building and down The Long Walk, our group lingered next to an impressive border which was bursting with colour. Our guide explained that rather than planting traditional bedding plants that need replacing each season, the 21^st century idea is to plant varieties which in the past would have been called weeds. They are perennials and don’t need much maintenance, but still provide spectacular colour and save the gardeners a tremendous amount of time.

Inevitably there was an international theme to the commentary on our tour. The clipped topiary yew domes on the lawn were imported from Belgium, as UK growers don’t grow them for long enough, whereas in Europe they will grow them for generations before selling them, which led to a comparison of different growing methods between the UK and France. Later, in the new Orchard Gardens the diverse array of fruit trees, including 37 cultivars of apples, led to further discussion about which varieties were popular in different regions and countries.

We entered the 11-acre walled garden, passing the Hot Borders, so called because of their deep orange and red colours, into the Kitchen Garden, which occupies half of the Weston Walled Garden. The layout for this area of the garden was inspired by the local network of underground waterways built during the Industrial Revolution. We then made our way into the second half of the walled garden, called the Paradise Garden, which has a microclimate enabling plants to flourish from all around the world. The tall, Mediterranean iris cultivars stole the show at the time of our visit, with their rich, velvety deep purple colour, whereas at other times of year the Asiatic species, or species from the Americas would be the ones that impress.

Eventually we reached the Orchard Gardens at the other end of the Walled Garden, which feature turf pathways through a long grass meadow with picnic tables dotted around, creating relaxed, informal seating for visitors. The picnic tables were well utilised on this beautiful blue-sky Sunday afternoon. As children enjoyed a game of hide and seek amongst the grasses, we returned via a different route, passing the Community Wellbeing Garden, where local residents can come to access the therapeutic benefits of gardening. The whole site is very accessible, and we passed several visitors on mobility scooters on the generously wide paths.

As the tour came to an end and most said their goodbyes, a few of us continued over to the other side of the site to see the Chinese Streamside Garden. As the name suggests, the meandering path is set alongside a stream, with small bridges crossing the water, leading up to a lake. We returned for a rest and refreshment in the cool Welcome Building café and, after saying our goodbyes, I had a quick browse in the garden centre and shop before making my way home.

Overall, the day had provided a relaxed and informal setting in which to get to know fellow NWTN members and was a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the first of the warm summer weather. RHS Garden Bridgewater has plenty more to offer than we managed to see in just one day, and my impression was that most of us were already starting to plan our next visit.

On behalf of all the attendees, I must thank Kate Lo, the NWTN’s Events Team Leader, for her meticulous organisation of this event, which, I am sure everyone would agree, was a great success.

written by

Nina Hasinski

Nina is a German to English translator.

The post NTWN Tour of RHS Garden Bridgewater appeared first on North West Translators' Network.

I got talking with Sue Leschen, who was to be our first speaker of the day. Her willingness to share her wealth of knowledge was immediately engaging and made me feel that turning up in person was well worth the effort.

Sue’s talk on the importance of having your own Terms and Conditions gave me a confidence boost to realise that you don’t have to simply accept a job as it is offered to you without first considering what you are prepared to work for and the conditions which you are prepared to work in (particularly relevant for interpreters who travel to different venues). Having your own T’s & C’s makes you better prepared to negotiate terms with clients or LSPs and provides the foundation for you to stand your ground. It was very empowering. Adopting the ITI Terms and Conditions could be used as a starting point and asking a mentor translator with legal experience, such as Sue, to help draft your own terms was suggested as a way to get this task done.

A coffee break provided some light relief and a chance to discuss some of the issues raised. It was interesting to hear different perspectives from translators and interpreters of varying backgrounds and experiences.

Clare Suttie was our next speaker and presented remotely. This did not prevent her CV clinic from being truly eye-opening. There are some very creative people out there presenting themselves in remarkable ways! In addition to seeing some brilliant examples of creative CVs, Clare shared her views from the perspective of a recruiter, giving tips on how to make your CV stand out by making it impactful, visually appealing and include personality – after all, we are all unique. Clare generously offered one-to-one training in this area in return for a donation to charity.

A lunch break gave us time to network over coffee and sandwiches. It was lovely to meet so many translators and interpreters at different stages in their careers and share tips and ideas in such an energising environment.

You may have thought that scheduling a talk on professional indemnity insurance straight after lunch would be a chance for a nap, but Nicole Fenwick’s upbeat presentation was completely engaging. She provided valuable tips on what should be included in your policy depending on your circumstances and what questions to ask when purchasing indemnity insurance. She emphasised how foolish it would be to provide services without being insured and explained the risks involved.

A short coffee break was followed by the return of Clare Suttie, who brought us tips and tricks on using LinkedIn. She encouraged us to move towards commenting and posting, and not only showed us how to improve our profiles and network with other translators, but also how to use the platform to connect with potential clients in our specialist fields. Full of ideas and inspiration, I returned home through the rain and the sleet and went straight to my computer to improve my LinkedIn profile. It was no surprise to find other Boost Day participants already there.  Attending the Boost Day in person and meeting so many interesting people was definitely well worth the effort, so I would thoroughly recommend attending NWTN events in person whenever you can.

This was, necessarily, a very jam-packed day, but full of useful information and advice… It was intended to tackle four very important and topical subject matters, namely, terms and conditions, CVs, professional indemnity insurance and finally, marketing via LinkedIn; I personally was highly interested in all four! 

The day started with Sue Leschen’s presentation on terms and conditions, including non-disclosure agreements, focusing on the need to have our own version of the former; she emphasised the fact that whilst the ITI’s model terms and conditions provide an extremely good reference point, they should be used rather more as a basis for the preparation of our own, more extensive and possibly more specific terms. In this regard, I believe it is worth mentioning the fact that the ITI’s own webinar on this subject matter recommended the preparation of a set of general terms and conditions, together with a more specific supplement for each assignment… 

Sue gave us a number of useful tips, including the fact that it is often more expedient to charge for proofreading by the hour and that we should charge for research time if we spend more than an hour on this. In terms of confidentiality and the request frequently made of us (in particular by agencies) to delete files, she pointed to the requirement to retain records for our PI insurance, notwithstanding any statutory records retention requirements, and advised that we should, for example, insert our own clause to this effect in our terms and conditions. 

This excellent session was then followed by one in which I was particularly interested, having not changed the format of my CV for many years now! The speaker, Clare Suttie, did not let us down, presenting us with the very useful perspective of agencies, who have to trawl through many CVs, and giving us extremely good ideas on how to make our own stand out! To my own surprise, while I had the length of my CV correct, namely two pages, my biggest mistake was having a very text-heavy version…. It turns out that unlike translators, clients tend NOT to pay attention to detail, so we have to flag the important information up to them in a very visual and concise manner, whilst emphasising the fact that we are professional and qualified. 

One other interesting aspect was the need to include as much key information as possible in the file name: not just our own name, but possibly the languages that we translate and/or the fact that we are multilingual – anything to spike the recipient’s interest! Clare presented all this in a very down-to-earth, practical and fun way and the session was not just informative, but also hugely enjoyable. 

Following a very good lunch (M&S sandwiches, yum), we headed into the third session on professional indemnity insurance. Nicole Fenwick, the speaker, was also very to the point and clear, providing an excellent overview of precisely what professional indemnity insurance is and why we need it; although I have an insurance background, there were still some issues that I was unfamiliar with, including the important point, particularly for translators like myself who are intending to retire in the next few years, that we need to ensure that at the latest by then, we purchase so-called “run-off” cover for the event that claims are made in the future in relation to work performed by us prior to our retirement! 

Finally, Clare returned to talk to us about the ubiquitous LinkedIn… I personally had previously dismissed this as merely another platform for people who are well versed in marketing strategies, but Clare was able to show us the very real ways in which, with not too much effort and certainly not a steady stream of self-promotion, we could harness the tools offered by the platform to build our business, including how to find suppliers such as agencies, how to be specific and concise about what we are able to offer to target a particular audience and what information to include such as, for example, CPD to increase interest in that offering. Once again, this was presented in a fun, useful and relevant fashion! 

Finally, a shout-out to our organisers and technical facilitators, Kate, Kat and Katell, who as usual did a sterling job and one which we highly appreciate… 

written by

Rebecca Power

Rebecca is a French, German, Italian and Spanish to English translator.

The post Boost Day 2023 appeared first on North West Translators' Network.

What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon? As soon as I saw the details of the event hosted by my neighbouring ITI network the NWTN, I bought my ticket and put the date in my diary. The location was the YHA at Potato Wharf in Manchester, by the side of the Bridgewater Canal in the Castlefield area; the industrial and Roman heart of the city. The afternoon was divided into two sessions with a refreshment break in between so, after a chance to chat to other participants and admire some of their crafting projects on display, we dived straight in.

Anne de Freyman explained how she, as a translator specialising in international development and international affairs, came to be translating the Vogue Knitting book from English to French. She then discussed the specific challenges involved in the project, as well as the strategies that she and her fellow knitting translator adopted to overcome them. Rounding off the session, she showed us a selection of her knitting creations and the patterns and books in her collection, then tested our knitting knowledge with a quiz (from “yarn barf” and “toad” to “otn”, crafting has a language all of its own!).

After a refreshment break (two flights of stairs down and back up again to get the blood pumping!), the second session was a chance to chat, share our projects, admire each other’s work, try out a new craft and explore the patterns and books that Anne had brought with her. Some participants had visited a local yarn shop on their way to the event, so their purchases were admired (and coveted) and the relaxed and convivial atmosphere meant that we were all surprised when Laurence announced the end of the event.

A huge thank-you to the NWTN for organising such a wonderful afternoon and to everyone who attended and brought their work to display.

Kerry Gilchrist (MITI)

The post Knitting and Crafts Social Saturday appeared first on North West Translators' Network.

I attended this event as, during my long career, I have on several occasions been called upon to translate some documents or sections of documents with which I was not as comfortable as those relating to my specialism of [re]insurance and contracts. This was particularly the case when translating larger volumes of insurance texts, which might then for example contain one or more pages of medical text! And it was precisely this kind of situation that Maureen Cohen, our excellent speaker for the event, addressed early on in her talk when she asked us whether we had ever had a situation in which we were confronted with a project which subsequently turned out to be somewhat more challenging than we had anticipated. As this was a hybrid event, those attending via Zoom were sent into so-called “break-out rooms” to deliberate and discuss, which worked well despite our organiser’s Katell’s concerns and understandable stress levels….  

We also looked at the question of tackling subject matters that were currently beyond our remit but that we were interested in investigating further and the best approach for doing so. Maureen herself is extremely well-qualified, having managed to obtain two degrees and a masters! She is now focused more on physics but, earlier in her career, when working as a full-time translator, she suffered from imposter syndrome; to counteract this, she completed a chartered linguist diploma and paralegal diploma to enhance her knowledge of the subject matter, so is clearly in favour of CPD. On that note, we discussed the various options available through universities and through the ITI, together with Linkedin Learning, all of which offer freelance translators and interpreters the chance to become better acquainted with certain topics in an effort to eliminate the feared imposter syndrome… 

Turning to the subject of imposter syndrome from a psychological point of view, we learned that it is quite common, particularly among those who do in fact have a higher level of knowledge than they realise. I for one was very pleased to find that my long-held suspicion that ignorance and arrogance often seem to go hand-in-hand is borne out by an actual psychological theory of the “paradox of knowledge” (Dunning- Kruger Effect)!! Maureen also informed us that imposter syndrome is largely unrelated to low self-esteem, which is more of a mental health issue. 

Finally, we looked at the pitfalls of jargon and specialist terminology, which represent one of the risks of venturing outside our areas of expertise, and how to overcome this. The knowledge-based economy means that we all have to cope to some extent with subject matters such as e.g. information technology and keep up-to-date with developments in our fields. We also touched on the problem of ambiguities in the source document and the reduced opportunity for discussing this with the author, given the intervention of agencies. 

All in all, a very interesting and thought-provoking event hosted by a highly-qualified, learned person! 

written by

Katell Sevellec

Academic liaison/Events team member

English into French translator & subtitler

The post What is Expertise – Managing Imposter Syndrome  appeared first on North West Translators' Network.

We rounded off 2022 with a fun festive social. In this post, Michaela Pschierer-Barnfather reports on what we got up to and her impressions of the event.

The Festive Social was well organised with plenty of instructions and information in advance. Unlike me, who was still was wrapping the present for Secret Santa and finishing off my cake for the Bake-off with minutes to spare before I had to dash for my train.

At least I got there in plenty of time and could help Chloe and Dot set up.

We had a room booked at the Oppidan on Edge Street, but we seemed to have the whole place to ourselves.

Soon the other guests started to arrive. We were 18 in total.

We started with chatting and mingling, enjoyed mulled wine and sampled the goodies prepared for the Bake-off.

There were vegan mince pies; butter biscuits, dyed green and in the shape of Christmas trees and holly leaves; chocolate macaroons, decorated like Rudolf the Reindeer; Rollitos de Naranja, complete with a list of ingredients; plus, my chocolate and nut gateau. Of course, I had to try them all. And we had to vote for our favourite – a difficult decision!

Then it was time for the Quiz. We got together in teams of 4. There was one round all about numbers and one round where you had to recognise a carol by a rhyming couplet. That was hard! For the final round, somebody from each team had to hum a Christmas tune and the others guess. I think we all got full points for that one.

The winning team was Kate Lo, Helen Jones, Kirsty Olivant, Marta Cisa and Kat Slater (editor’s note: I can’t remember the team name!).

After that, we had the Secret Santa, with Dot handing out the presents. There was a full variety, from socks to a vase. Thank you, Santa, for my beautiful writing pad and colourful pens.

Photos next. The lady at reception was very obliging and also agreed to act as the judge for the best outfit. The title went to Katell, for her very creative Sugar Cane. She even took on the correct pose!

And then the winner of the Bake-Off was revealed. It was Dot and her mince pies. They got my vote too, especially as some of them had jam in them – much preferable to mince, in my opinion.

After top-ups of mulled wine, tea and coffee, we were ready for the Karaoke. Unfortunately, the sound system was a bit low, but that didn’t stop us, and we were all jiggling along to Wham and Slade.

We all helped to clean up afterwards, and a smaller contingent went on to the Christmas markets to sample some more mulled or other drinks.

I don’t know how long the festivities continued, as I had to leave a bit before 6.

All in all, a very enjoyable day – I certainly felt the next day that I may have enjoyed it too much…

written by

Michaela Pschierer-Barnfather

Michaela is an English to German translator.

The post Festive social 2022 appeared first on North West Translators' Network.

Three months on from our memorable 35^th anniversary dinner, one final task was completed to round off these celebrations: the handing-over of a life membership certificate to express the NWTN’s gratitude to its founder member, Rod Riesco MITI. 

Rod was unable to attend the dinner for health reasons, so he missed out on receiving his certificate alongside co-founder Norbert Hermann MITI, but this omission has now been rectified 

Rod is remarkably modest about the extent of his achievement (“I feel a bit of a fraud”, he says) but there is no denying that the lineage of the NWTN can be traced back to his door. In his early days as a translator, after changing career from librarianship, he decided (in the pre-online world of the 1980s) to place an advert in the Translators’ Guild Newsletter and in Manchester Central Library, asking translators based in our region to contact him with a view to forming a “mutual support group”.  

As the saying goes, “great oak trees from little acorns grow”, and nearly four decades later, Rod’s baby – which was christened (the) NWTN – is a thriving organisation with around 200 members. Few of them have ever met Rod, as he has not been an active member for some years now. He recalls how – at an IT training session he attended at the Manchester YHA around 20 years ago – he was taken aback by a committee member from the old days who stood up, addressed the group and explained who this “Rod Riesco” in their midst was, before urging the members present to introduce themselves to him afterwards, beginning with the words “hello Daddy…”.  

It was my pleasure and my privilege to present this life membership certificate on 8 August, and to say, on behalf of all our members, “thank you, Rod, for creating the NWTN”. 

written by

Mike Hanson
NWTN Vice Chair 

French to English translator

The post Rod Riesco awarded life membership for his contribution to NWTN  appeared first on North West Translators' Network.

His engaging talk broadly covered how the translation process fits into multilingual DTP projects and where the pitfalls lie.

Now, I’m a complete novice when it comes to DTP and it’s not something I generally come across in my medical translation work; however, thanks to Chris’ talk, I now have a greater understanding of how the two work streams intertwine the production of multilingual printed and PDF materials.

His focus on page layout software highlighted the superiority of dedicated DTP software over word processors in localising print materials, emphasising its ability to better cope with industry requirements (something I wasn’t aware of before Chris’ talk).

Using an example DTP text for translation, Chris broke down what’s known in the trade as ‘copyfitting’: the careful insertion of text into a prepared design. For the translators in attendance, I suspect that neither the lack of project management foresight nor the potential adjustments required during and post translation of a DTP project, such as text box sizing and overset text, came as much of a surprise to learn about, but it was however interesting to learn how such oversights can have serious consequences for the legibility of printed materials.

Chris’ font discussion highlighted further issues in multilingual DTP projects, pointing out that not all fonts contain a full character repertoire, i.e., accented and circumflexed characters, something the trusty Arial user inside me was shocked by. However, amongst corporate image design constraints and serif vs. sans serif, Chris’ insight into the shortcomings of DTP software when working with non-Latin and complex scripts, such as Arabic, Farsi, and Japanese, was revelatory to a Eurocentric translator such as myself.

The talk concluded with an entertaining look at some poorly, if not shockingly, executed multilingual DTP projects, and, while I personally don’t intend to diversify into DTP, Chris certainly demonstrated how such skills could be hugely beneficial to translation professionals. One thing’s for sure: I’ll never look at a multilingual information board the same way ever again!

written by

Will Maitland

French and German to English Translator

The post DTP for translators event report appeared first on North West Translators' Network.

NWTN goes to the seaside

Joint summer walk with the YTI

A large group of NWTN and YTI members arrived at Todmorden station on Saturday 30^th July. I quickly learnt that it is pronounced TOD-mər-dən with emphasis on the TOD. After a short walk together into the town, we split off into two groups for a harder walk and an easier walk.
I’m not entirely sure how long the harder walk was, but my phone tells me I walked 18km that day. It wasn’t overly cold, but the northern drizzle kept us cool while we learnt a little bit of history and got to know each other better. We stopped for lunch in a field by a wall and then hiked up a rather large hill. At the top of this hill, we found the Stoodley Pike Monument, which we also ascended. On our way down the other side, we sang some songs with our new pals.
We ended the walk at the Hebble End Coffee Lounge, where we met up with those who had been on the easier walk. It was lovely to be able to chat to fellow translators and interpreters and learn so much about each other and what we do.
If you want to really see what it was like, watch this short video –>

Dot Roberts

Translation can be a lonely old business at times – and a sedentary one too. So, when I saw that the North West Translators’ Network (NWTN) was organising a joint walk with the Yorkshire Translators and Interpreters (YTI) it was just too good an opportunity to miss. A dose of healthy exercise, combined with the chance to socialise and network in person with translators from across two of my nearest regional groups. What could be better?
Two walk variants were on offer, both from Todmorden to Hebden Bridge: the ‘hard core’ route up to Stoodley Pike and a more civilized stroll along the canal towpath for the less hardened walkers. As someone who enjoys a good yomp up a hill, but is also a bit of a canal geek, I was torn. In the event, though, trouble on the railway line between Manchester and Leeds meant that NWTN’s Kathryn and I arrived an hour late and in the wrong place (Hebden Bridge instead of Todmorden) so we settled for our own special variant of the canal walk, meeting the main group halfway and then turning around to retrace our steps to Hebden.
Still, it turns out you can cover a lot of conversational ground while stuck on a train in Manchester Victoria station, and the towpath walk was pretty with lots to see. Once reunited with the group I even got to practice my Dutch with Nicole – all while strolling along enjoying the picturesque narrowboats and impressive wildflower displays along the canalside, alive with bees and butterflies.
Every good walk ends in a pub or a tea room and the canal walkers managed to fit in both, being joined after a while by the hill walkers back from their exertions. Conversation flowed easily while tired walkers refuelled with cake, coffee and maybe even a well-earned glass of wine or beer (or two). All in all, the day brought home to me that, while Zoom has been a lifeline during the various lockdowns of the recent past, you still can’t beat getting out and meeting other translators in person.

Rachel Waddington

Click on an image to see the full version

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