29 May 20151 May 2026 Nikki Graham - Translation and Proof-editing Services

Books on My Shelves – 101 Things a Translator Needs to Know

Perhaps the first thing you should do when you open your copy of 101 Things a Translator Needs to Know is skip to the final few pages and be awed by the credentials and careers of the colleagues that put it together. Eighteen contributors are listed, although apparently the WLF Think Tank behind the book includes more members. Once you discover who you’re dealing with, then you can turn back to the beginning with the realisation that this is a meatier tome than the simplistic cover and drawings might lead you to believe.

29 May 20151 May 2026 Nikki Graham - Translation and Proof-editing Services

Beyond the Basics

A review of Corinne McKay’s Beyond the Basics of Freelancing course by Elizabeth Garrison

Last May, I found myself in a position that many freelance translators will be familiar with: things were ticking over nicely with my freelance business, I was getting work from a handful of clients with whom I had long-standing relationships and I was generally satisfied with the way things were going. Then, after months of non-stop, back-to-back jobs, things suddenly went a bit quiet, forcing me to take a step back and reflect on the state of my business, which led to the realisation that I was actually stuck in a bit of a rut. I had reached a point where I was confident enough to stand firm with my rates, as well as being confident with the quality of my work and experience I had acquired, but was nevertheless failing to really move forward. At the same time, I was also feeling inspired after having attended workshops run by Judy Jenner and Chris Durban in the preceding nine months where they flew the flag for getting yourself out there and asserting yourself as a businessperson, although I also felt I was lacking the tools to put this confidence into practice and get myself out of the rut.

29 May 20151 May 2026 Nikki Graham - Translation and Proof-editing Services

Wicked METM14 Gathering

This post has been brewing for a while as it’s been four weeks since I flew back from Madrid after attending the METM14 conference organised by the association of Mediterranean Editors and Translators. Most of my busyness has revolved around work, routine family life and still trying to get the house we moved into at the end of July sorted in time for Christmas. But towards the end of October and beginning of November I was actually socially busy for a change.

First came a few days in a cottage in Kent to attend a 50^th birthday party. Held in a house perched on top of a hill overlooking the Channel with the twinkling lights of France in the distance, we were kept warm outside by a couple of bonfires, dazzled by a firework display that could rival many a public one, and entertained by fire-eaters and magicians before sitting down to a wonderful chef-prepared meal served to us as if we were in a restaurant. The evening was then rounded off by a highly amusing and polished drag cabaret act.

29 May 20151 May 2026 Nikki Graham - Translation and Proof-editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 13: Spellings Part 10 – By the Sea

Spellings Part 10 – By the Sea

The weather was miserable when I looked up the first of the sea words in today’s list (because the spellchecker in Word didn’t like seabed), so I let myself get carried away for a few minutes thinking about beaches, sand and sunshine and looked up a few more. I must admit, I was surprised to find that the New Oxford Style Manual says sea horse is two words, especially as the Microsoft spellchecker does not mark seahorse as being incorrect. You live and learn.

28 May 20151 May 2026 Nikki Graham - Translation and Proof-editing Services

Let’s Talk Money

This post is not going to tell you how much to charge for your services, because there’s no such thing as a going rate in translation. The amount you receive for your work will depend on your language pair, the specialism involved (in other words whether it’s a subject you need other qualifications and/or years of experience for), and a whole host of other factors.

there’s no such thing as a going rate in translation

28 May 20151 May 2026 Nikki Graham - Translation and Proof-editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 12: Spellings Part 9 – All One Word Again

Spellings Part 9 – All One Word Again

Here are a few more spellings I’ve come across during my translation travels, some of which are not recognised by the spellchecker in Word. They all happen to be one word as well. As some of them are closed compound nouns (two words that have been put together to form a new term), the Microsoft spellchecker might not let you know that you should not have written them separately.

Please note that the bite-sized tips series is based on the New Oxford Style Manual, so spellings may vary in other style guides.

27 May 20151 May 2026 Nikki Graham - Translation and Proof-editing Services

13 razones (más o menos) por las que podrías dejar de trabajar para una agencia

Corregidme si me equivoco, pero el principal factor causante de que los traductores finalicen su relación con una agencia es que no les paguen (es de cajón: seguir trabajando para un cliente que no te paga, sean cuales sean sus excusas o promesas, carece de toda lógica empresarial), y el segundo, que les paguen tarde. Por suerte, en todos los años que llevo traduciendo, esto ha ocurrido en contadas ocasiones. Una agencia unipersonal quebró justo después de haber acabado un pequeño trabajo para ella y nunca vi un céntimo, y otra no me pagó todas las palabras que había traducido porque no nos poníamos de acuerdo en la cantidad exacta. Sin embargo, se me ha pagado tarde más veces de las que me gustaría y he dejado de trabajar para varias agencias por este motivo, incluso para algunas con las que llevaba años trabajando. «Estaba de vacaciones en la otra punta del planeta y por eso no te pude pagar en agosto, y ahora no dispongo de fondos hasta que me pague mi cliente» no me vale.

27 May 20151 May 2026 Nikki Graham - Translation and Proof-editing Services

18 razones por las que una agencia puede dejar de trabajar contigo

El consejo más extendido en lo que a clientes se refiere es que se deben buscar clientes nuevos de forma activa continuamente porque nunca se sabe lo que puede pasar. No solo deberías pensar en sustituir a esos clientes que ya están en tus círculos y para los que no te gusta demasiado trabajar, sino que además es conveniente tener otros con los que contar por si pierdes alguno. Esta entrada se centra en por qué una agencia puede dejar de trabajar con un traductor, aunque algunas de estas razones también son válidas para clientes directos.

27 May 20151 May 2026 Nikki Graham - Translation and Proof-editing Services

Círculos de clientes

«No te vendas barato»

«Si la tarifa es demasiado baja, no la aceptes»

«Deja de trabajar para el mercado al por mayor y busca clientes directos premium»

Supongo que habrás oído las frases anteriores o alguna de sus variantes con cierta frecuencia a lo largo de tu carrera profesional. Si asistes a congresos (o lees los tuits que se generan en ellos) y lees entradas de blog de forma habitual, habrás observado que las tarifas y los distintos mercados son un tema bastante recurrente. Seguramente, hasta te habrás visto tentado de sucumbir al grito de guerra de aprovechar el momento y prepararte para llegar a donde nunca te has atrevido a adentrarte hasta ahora (en otras palabras, para no dejar que otros te pasen por encima).