Greater than 2 minutes, my friend!
#TranslatorsOnAir Starting out as a translator feat. @Panagiotis_C Season 2, Episode 2
Proudly sponsored by SmartCAT — the Free Translation Platform! You can learn more about SmartCAT here.
Hey friends!
I hope you’re having a lovely Sunday!
This Wednesday we had a chance to talk with Panos Choubavlis, a freelance English-Greek translator. Panos shared his experience of starting our in this profession. We talked about CVs, cover letters, reaching out to clients, building portfolios and answered lots of questions from our audience. It was great fun!
You can watch the replay right here.
You can also watch/listen on YouTube or SoundCloud below.
Watch on YouTube
Listen on SoundCloud
Or if you’re super busy, you can check out some of the highlights below.
Highlights of the Show
1) Panos talks about the most difficult part of creating a good CV.
2) We talk about the reaching out to experienced translators for advice.
3) We talk about approaching direct clients.
4) We talk about work samples and whether or not we should use them.
To watch the entire episode simply click this link.
About Panos
Panos studied at the City Unity College in Athens with a major in Translation Studies. Since 2014 he works as an in-house translator in the translation agency ‘The Xenophon Link’ and also as a freelance translator. He provides translation, proofreading and subtitling services from EN<>GR.
Panos also plans to get a Master’s Degree. This October he will be studying French Language and Literature in the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (BA).
Panos fell in love with translation from a young age and he knows that this is the field he’d like to pursue. His dream goal: to translate a book and see his name printed right next to the words ‘Translated by’.
In this episode you will learn:
- What could be your first steps after you graduate with a degree in translation;
- How you can create a good CV and a cover letter;
- Why asking experienced translators for advice is a good idea;
- Why it’s important to continue to learn new things and how you can organize your CPD;
…and much more!
Useful Links and Resources
Panos and some of our viewers were kind enough to share these valuable resources that might help to those who are just starting out in this profession:
1) Website to find voluntary work for French translators (https://www.ashoka.org)
2) Free e-book on writing a CV (http://wantwords.co.uk/school/
3) Working with self-published authors (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksWFCuChwm4)
4) Great article on starting out as a freelance translator (https://www.onehourtranslation.com/translation/blog/starting-out-freelance-translator)
5) Useful advice for those who’re just starting out in this profession (http://translatorthoughts.com/2013/10/get-started-as-a-freelance-translator/)
6) A collection of tips to kick-start your freelance career (https://www.quora.com/What-are-good-tips-for-building-a-freelance-translation-career)
7) A LinkedIn group for freelance translators who’re starting out (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7466530/profile)
8) A great article on starting out by Caterina Saccani (https://theopenmic.co/starting-out-as-a-freelance-translator/)
P.S.: As always, sharing is caring! 99.99% of translators never heard about our show, so if you really enjoyed watching this episode, make sure you click one of those social-sharing buttons below.
Hugs from Toronto and Nizhny Novgorod!
Jasmine Heesaker 
