All About Translation

My name is Reed James, and I have been a professional Spanish into English translator for the better part of the 21st-century. I have set up this website and blog to help new translators their way this ever-changing
universe of opportunities. It also serves those who have been translating for many years. There is always something new to learn, be it software, marketing, time management, dictionaries and glossaries – and whatever else concerns translators and the translating profession.

I was born and raised in the United States, but have made my home in Santiago, Chile. When I first got here, the logical job to seek was that of English teacher. After all, English is my native-language and I have studies in languages, both Spanish and German. At first it was appealing, as I got to meet many people and learned all about getting people to learn and observing the processes they went through to acquire language. Nevertheless, after a few years, I realized that teaching wasn't my best option, so I started looking for alternatives. Since I'd already dabbled in translating, that seemed like the logical direction to go in.

It wasn't easy at first. In the early 2000's, Internet was nothing like it is today. Somehow, I managed to find work at local translation agencies in Santiago. Then I realized that there was an entire world of translation agencies out there in several countries. In fact, my first foreign agency placed an ad in the local newspaper (yes, people actually read paper papers then). I soon got a response, and went from there. At some point, I was searching terms on the Internet (I don't even think it was Google) and noticed that a lot of these terms were found on a page called ProZ. This piqued my interest. I decided to look into the site and finally decided to sign up as a paid member.

So, I was bidding on jobs and picking up agency clients to the point that I was making more than just spending money. In fact, I'll never forget that I went on vacation with my family and was able to pay for the entire stay. Finally, after about three or four years, I was able to earn a full-time income. I'm sure that if I had done more research and talked to more people I could have avoided some of the pitfalls I encountered and have had a smoother and faster path to success. Oh well…

That is why I started mentoring on ProZ, and why I started this blog. I want translators to take the high road and minimize obstacles, even though they will be there for them anyway. In addition to being a way of bringing home the bacon, as it were, it is your chance to enjoy language and languages: all within the comfort of your own home, or wherever you choose to work.

Oh, and one last thing – teaching and mentoring can be an excellent way to learn. Indeed, I quite enjoy learning from others, so if you have something to contribute by way of a question, suggestion or experience to share, please do shoot me an email.