I get so excited when I see my name in print. Today, the Institute for Translation and Interpreting’s student publication, IgnITIon, published an interview I did with my award-winning mentor, Ellen Worrell. The ITI has been really important to me as I have started out on my path to becoming a freelance translator and it’s nice to be able to help others along that same path. The mentoring I receive from Ellen not only helps with practical issues, like record keeping and discussions about rates, but also offers support and friendship along the way. It’s also great to have someone to be accountable to; working on your own means it can be easy to let some things slide. So when I say I’m going to do this, that and the other, I feel I have to get on and actually do it.
Ellen and I met through our local East Midlands Regional Group of the ITI. Anyone looking for support as they start out in translation, I would highly recommend joining one of your local groups. It brings you into contact with other translators and interpreters in your local area. While it’s great that there’s so much information available online, there’s nothing quite like a face-to-face conversation.