It’s almost June! And I realized that I haven’t updated my friends and colleagues about the major learning opportunities I have enjoyed over the past few months. I usually commit to at least one training per year, but there were many great events available online that I couldn’t miss! Working from home also helped in taking some time off and rearranging my schedule around these training hours, thanks to my supportive working environment!
Here is a brief of key learning events I enjoyed so far:
- ATA’s Back to Business Basics: this webinar series is free for members and available for a small fee for non-members. The webinars are offered monthly, but I chose “Setting Goals for Your Freelance Business” by Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo and “Personal Branding Basics” by Ben Karl. Write to me if you want to learn more about these amazing webinars!
- The hard side of Project Management: software, timelines and Gantt charts: This webinar was facilitated by the Chartered Institute of Linguists and presented by Carina Balbo. The webinar focused on project management skills for translators: how to arrange and plan your projects strategically, how to organize tasks visually, and how to keep track of project workflow. It offered very good tools that work with Mac or Windows systems.
- CIOL Online Conference, March 2021: this was my first CIOL conference experience! The 3-day conference offered an eye-opening perspective on the future of translation and language services in general, and how diversification and learning new skills are now indispensable. “Linguists- pathway to employability” by Reza Navaie and “Diversification in the language profession” by Carina Balbo and Hugh Ottewell fit the theme very well. One of the significant sessions I found extremely useful and relevant to my working experience is “Media translating: a hybrid discipline” by Karl McLaughlin. That was top-notch education! I wish it went for hours! A virtual exhibit the CIOL organized for SDL TRADOS on the sidelines of the conference was a plus!
- BP21: my 2nd online and 4th BP (Business and Practice) Conference. I miss the “networking coffee” and the fancy dinners organized by our one and only Csaba! But still, the conference never lost its glamor! Hundreds from around the world attended and the conference offered a space for casual networking. The BP speakers are very well chosen, and they offer consistent information and rich lessons to improve your translation/ interpretation standards. Chris Durban’s sessions are highly recommended, as always!
- Remote interpreting trainings with Cultural Bridges: training with Maha El-Metwalli means more neuroplasticity 😀 I continue to join Maha’s trainings to learn more about RSI techniques and platforms. This year, I attended two outstanding trainings:
- Sight Translation.
- Paperless Preparation.
Maha’s trainings are always hands-on, with plenty of room for practice. A great professional investment.
I hope you all have a solid plan for training and professional development for the upcoming six months!