Smart Habits for Translators

We are shaking things up with a special episode by answering your questions this week! Thank you to everyone who sent us questions. Before we jump in, we would like to share our support and solidarity with our colleagues who are experiencing a setback in their freelance businesses because of what’s going on right now with the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of recording this, we know that many inte...

First, a quick announcement: we now have listeners in over 40 countries—wow! We are so grateful that you choose to listen to our podcast, and we really appreciate all the support! This episode is a special one—we have our first guest! Tune in as we chat with Susie Jackson. Susie is a freelance copy editor and Spanish-to-English translator specializing in academic texts for the social sciences. She...

In our previous episodes we talked about smart habits for organizing your to-do list and finding motivation to do the tasks that you need to get done. But sometimes the reason we don't feel productive, focused, or motivated is that there is simply too much mental or physical clutter around us. So, today we wanted to talk about smart habits for decluttering: cleaning out, organizing, and simplifyin...

In our last episode, we talked about different ways to organize your to-do list and get it under control. But what if you know exactly what needs to be done, but you’re struggling to find the energy or motivation to do it? You know you have a lot of things on your to-do list, but maybe you feel uninspired, and you have no energy or desire to do the work that needs to be done. So, it's easy to proc...

The beginning of the year and that time when you come up with your goals and priorities for the year always seem like a clean slate, right? But give it a couple of weeks, and your to-do list can start to get of control. We’ve all been there! That’s why we wanted to talk about conquering your to-do list and what you can do to prevent it from controlling your life or causing guilt or insecurity abou...

As the year is drawing to a close, it’s a good idea to review how things went for you both professionally and personally before you start setting your goals and priorities for the new year. There are so many different ways to do this! You could do your planning on paper, digitally, in your favorite planner (we’re excited to try our Full Focus Planners in 2020!), using an online tool, a mind map, o...

As freelancers, we often have a hard time hitting the “OFF” button when it’s time to stop working. Whether you are wrapping up your work day, spending time with family or friends, or taking a much-needed break, it can be hard to stop thinking about work, and that often triggers feelings of guilt. In some way, shape or form, we all experience some guilt as freelancers when it comes to the amount of...

Do you sometimes find yourself working for hours without proper breaks for movement and healthy meals? Healthy exercise and nutrition habits can be tough for many translators to maintain, because we tend to work long hours in front of the computer. We tend to think of exercise first and foremost, but the truth is that it goes hand in hand with a healthy diet, drinking enough water, getting enough...

Translators have to read a lot for work, but for many of us it can be hard to find time and energy to read for pleasure or to learn something new. Yet, reading is crucial for maintaining our language skills, learning new terminology, language style and usage, and becoming better writers. Tune in as we talk about strategies and tips that can help you read more when you’re not working.

We all know that it’s important to follow up with leads and clients, but this can also be a bit nerve-racking. There’s always the possibility that a client may say “No” to a pitch or a quote we send them for our services, and we all have days when the impostor syndrome gets the best of us. But that’s no reason to avoid this task. Tune in as we talk about strategies and habits that make it easier t...

Do in-person networking events fill you with anxiety and stress? Or are you excited to attend the moment you put them on the calendar? Conferences and meetings can be a major source of inspiration and energy for translators (and a great way to meet new colleagues and clients!). ⁠⁠But there is so much effort that goes into preparing for these events, not to mention the fact that they can truly be e...

Have you ever doubted yourself, sabotaged your own plans and dreams, and thought that others surely think that you are NOT who you say you are? Have you ever felt like an impostor in a room full of geniuses and experts? Tune in as we talk about Impostor Syndrome and how to overcome that suffocating feeling that you are not enough.

In this episode, we introduce ourselves and talk about the idea and vision behind the Smart Habits for Translators Podcast. We also talk about work/life clarity, why we prefer this term over "work/life balance", and how to set your boundaries and priorities intentionally.

Welcome to Smart Habits for Translators! We are excited to bring you our podcast on October 1, 2019.