Greater than 2 minutes
The Open Mic Stories How We Can Support Each Other
Do you remember what your first impression was when you heard about the Open Mic? What made you decide to join?
For me, it was the easiness of meeting other translators and learn from their experiences in the industry. I got hooked on the Open Mic when I started to connect with colleagues I’d never had a chance to meet before. I wrote my self-introductory post 10 days after joining.
Since I have the notification on, it’s safe for me to say I’ve read almost all of the stories published on the Open Mic. If one post is a page of 8-page origami book (as shown on the cover photo), I’ve read close to 330 stories, which are represented by these 41 origami books.
One of the first stories I read was written by Enrico Mion about specialization.
It resonated with me, as someone who was unsure about specialization, the message of “go with the flow” until you find the field was really reassuring to me.
Whenever I contacted the authors of the posts, I usually got replies right away. I felt great about being a member of this brand new community where everyone is accepted whether you are new or experienced. I even made a spreadsheet to help me remember the colleagues I met on the Open Mic; their language combinations, specializations, where they are based, and the memorable things about them. (By the way, the new map of translators will help me with this greatly!)
Of course, it’s not only about connecting with colleagues and having a great time networking. The important issues are published and discussed, and I’m reminded that we are here to help each other to build something new and better. As the Open Mic gets developed into a vibrant community, I’m certain it will bring new opportunities for each of us. I have a feeling it can happen when we support each other.
I hope I get my first review on the Open Mic soon. I hope to read your stories and feel empowered, as I always do when I see others are sharing as well.
If you need more encouragement to share your stories on the Open Mic, I recommend you to read this post by the founder of the Open Mic, Dmitry Kornyukhov. (It works every time for me 🙂 )
Are You a Translator? Then Start Writing!
Happy reading and happy writing!
Photo credit: origami books: designed by David Brill, who gave me the permission to publish the photo of books on the Open Mic. Bookshelf: designed by Mari Michaelis
The Open Mic Team 
Thank you so much for putting that up, Kozue! I love how passionate about The Open Mic, sometimes I even think you’re more passionate about The Open Mic than I am, haha! 🙂
Thank you so much for making this! I love them!
I hope that’s a good thing 🙂 I can’t help it, it’s such a comfortable place to be! (And do you remember how frightened I was at first?)
I think we can create opportunities for ourselves if we think creatively and participate. The Open Mic has allowed me to experiment and reach out to the colleagues in a way I wasn’t able to before.
I’ve added more 4 more books to the collection this afternoon. So it now has 350 pages (current total number of stories published, according to you)! Thank you for taking the time to let me know and comment!