Our December 2022 Event: Year-end Reflections, Things we Learnt in 2022

For December’s Event, we connected language professionals through what we call ‘link-building networking’. The theme of this month was ‘Year-end Reflections: Things we Learnt in 2022′ .

To mark the end of 2022, we invited language professionals to reflect on their experiences this year, and what this means for them moving forward into 2023.

We are excited to share their submissions below.

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Focusing too much on the ‘big picture’ end result can get in the way of progress and make us want to give up.

Here are my biggest lessons from this year – in life, teaching and learning:

• Small, sustained shifts can make an unexpectedly big difference. One sound, one mini-habit, one moment of noticing your breath all add up if done daily.

• Focusing too much on the ‘big picture’ end result can get in the way of progress and make us want to give up. It’s normal not to be ‘there yet’ when you’ve only been working on something for days or weeks. Even if it’s been years, ‘off days’ are to be expected.

• Most worthwhile projects take longer and are more complicated than we can ever plan for. Even the finished product ends up looking different from the picture in our minds.

• Conversely, some tasks are a lot easier and quicker than we expect. Have you ever delayed writing a (seemingly) complicated email, then finally it took only two minutes. What’s more, the response was smooth and harmonious – not full of objections as you imagined!

Sonya Ross

Voice, Speech and Communication Coach

Website: http://www.vocalchoice.co.uk/

Connect with Sonya via LinkedIn

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Remote interpreting didn’t “go away”

Biggest surprises in 2022:

Remote interpreting didn’t “go away” as much as I thought it would post  the Covid lockdowns! Clients are still happy to use it. It is much more cost effective for them than FTF bookings.

I’ve also surprised myself by finding out that many new potential  FTF clients are happy to renegotiate FTF bookings into remote interpreting where assignments are very short ones (an hour) so it is win-win and cost effective for both of us.

I have also been horrified by how many remote interpreting assignments are completely unsuitable ………..for remote interpreting; for example where vulnerable clients such as the mentally ill are put in front of a screen and expected to communicate with someone or even a group of people not physically in the room with them. 

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année 2023.

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I feel more in control and like I’m going into 2023 with a clear picture of where my business is headed.

2022 was the year where I really learnt the value of tracking elements of my business. I looked at income, the number of direct and agency clients per month, the total number of clients per month, the number of projects per specialisation and the number of words per project. This sounds a lot, however I measured it all from a simple spreadsheet. This meant I could slice and dice the data as and when I wanted. I was more aware of which of my specialisations was most lucrative for my business, I saw a shift towards a more even share of direct and agency clients, and I saw the impact marketing efforts had on my income and how long this work took to kick in.

The information I gained from simply tracking this data has made me far more conscious of the kind of work I’m taking on and whether it fits with my aims and aspirations. I feel more in control and like I’m going into 2023 with a clear picture of where my business is headed.

Marjolein Thickett

Profession: Freelance translator and proofreader

Website: www.thenativecrowd.com

Connect with Marjolein via LinkedIn

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Perseverance is the key to success

I learnt so much in 2022 that maybe it was the most fruitful year of my life. In January, I was completing my MA’s 2nd module, focusing on Translation Technology. I struggled to familiarise myself with Trados Studio, but the assessment results were rewarding. 

After that module, time passed so fast that I completed all the modules without even realising a year had passed since the beginning of the MA. During my studies, I acquired a high-level translation competence, and the last module was particularly insightful for starting my freelance business. I learnt much about the language services industry and how to run a freelance translation business. I got to know LinkedIn and its enormous potential, how to market and price my services, and how to approach translation agencies and potential clients. 

I jumped into the world of freelancing in early October, starting my own business and launching my brand-new website. In so little time, I worked on a number of projects for several translation agencies and progressed a lot. I also learnt the secrets of invoicing and that every single achievement has to be considered as proof that you’re on the right track. Anyway, there’s always room for improvement, and perseverance is the key to success.

Meanwhile, I am working on my Extended Translation Project, focusing on tourism translation. I know now that this is one of my favourite translation domains and I want to specialise in it. This is one of the goals I wish to fulfil in 2023, together with graduating and expanding my business further, by building a solid clientbase to work full-time.

 Lucrezia Lodato                                 

Translator from English, Spanish and French into Italian

Website: www.lucrezialodatotranslations.com

Connect with Lucrezia via LinkedIn

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‘Nature Boy’ by Nat King Cole:

“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”

Carole Shaw

Language Professional & Comedian

Connect with Carole via LinkedIn here and here

Apprentus: www.apprentus.com/carole.sh

ProZ: https://www.proz.com/profile/3050009

Check out LearnCube

Take a look at these Facebook pages

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If you are trying to build positive habits, it starts off difficult but gets easier.

When reflecting on 2022, I think the most important thing I’ve learnt is the importance of habit-building.

Although in theory we could be constantly making decisions on what to do next, in practice most of us just follow our usual routine and don’t think about it too much. This means that if we habitually procrastinate, eat unhealthy food and generally don’t look after ourselves it becomes harder and harder to break this routine and make positive life changes. When trying to implement positive habits into our daily routine it requires a lot of conscious effort to start with because we are used to just automatically following our previous habits without thinking about it.

All that’s to say that if you are trying to build positive habits, it starts off difficult but gets easier as it will gradually require less conscious effort and become more of a habit that we don’t even think about before doing. So, never give up because it will get easier.

Wishing everyone reading this a wonderful holiday season.

Marcus Darby

Psychology Student and Digital Marketing Intern

Connect with Marcus via LinkedIn

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Any further thoughts and ideas on Things we Learnt in 2022? Leave a comment below and let’s continue the conversation there.