The list below is from 2010. For a
more up-to-date list please visit Top 10 Translator's Blogs [2011].
Blogs have, to a certain extent,
lost their potency of late. The hype surrounding the ability to pen your
thoughts and share them with the world has passed. On top of this the quality
of blogs being written has turned many people off as they usually come across
postings of little practical use. However, there are still gems out there and
Kwintessential decided to conduct some research into the translation
blogosphere in order to find the top ten translators’ blogs.
Before the research commenced our
team decided upon the criteria against which they would assess the blogs
available. The following outline the essential factors taken into consideration
when the team analysed blogs.
1. Look > the look of a blog
incorporates the format of the blog, the aesthetics, the ease of navigation,
length of posts, colours, use of logo, etc.
2. Content > we came across tens of blogs however when it came to content clear differences existed between them. The team were looking for content that was a) relevant, b) useful, c) varied and d) interesting
3. Frequency of posts > When the initial fact finding was carried out it was agreed that any blog that had not been updated with a post within the preceding two weeks was not going to be taken into consideration. The reasoning behind this was that if a blog was truly going to be among the top 10, it should at least be updated regularly.
4. Owner > only blogs written by translators are included. Any blog written by an agency or business was disqualified.
5. Language > only blogs in English were considered.
6. SEO > marks were also given for blogs that performed well in search engines and were easier to find.
2. Content > we came across tens of blogs however when it came to content clear differences existed between them. The team were looking for content that was a) relevant, b) useful, c) varied and d) interesting
3. Frequency of posts > When the initial fact finding was carried out it was agreed that any blog that had not been updated with a post within the preceding two weeks was not going to be taken into consideration. The reasoning behind this was that if a blog was truly going to be among the top 10, it should at least be updated regularly.
4. Owner > only blogs written by translators are included. Any blog written by an agency or business was disqualified.
5. Language > only blogs in English were considered.
6. SEO > marks were also given for blogs that performed well in search engines and were easier to find.
Following a lengthy search of blogs,
assessing content and comparing them against each other, the Kwintessential
review panel agreed on the following blogs as the top ten for 2010. We decided
not to vote for a number 1, i.e. the best, but to give acclaim to all
shortlisted.
The blog is written by Werner Patels
who specializes in translations from German, French and Spanish to English as
well as from English, French and Spanish to German. Based in Canada, Werner
keeps his blog well updated with a variety of posts ranging from feedback on
the latest tools he has tried out, language issues, things happening in the
news and issues facing fellow translators and interpreters.
Transblawg is updated by Margaret
Marks who is a German-English legal translator. Margaret posts charming and
personal posts to her blog which offer the reader a real insight into the life
of a translator. A recent set of photos taken of marathon runners whilst she
took fifteen minutes out of her schedule are a nice touch which offers a window
into her life and surroundings. Her comments on news and events are all
up-to-date and she offers simple yet important tips and slices of information
that anyone interested in German – English translations would enjoy.
Corinne McKay is American
Translators Association-certified French to English translator, specializing in
legal, corporate communications and public health/international development
translations. Her blog has already received attention by being voted the 79th
most popular language blog as rated by the recent Lexiophiles contest. As a
blog it is great reading for any freelance translator or even agency. Corinne
offers great posts on practical and useful issues facing freelancers. From her
tips on marketing to translation agencies to practicalities on juggling work
and life, her blog is a must for anyone’s bookmarks.
Tess Whitty is a freelance
translator (English-Swedish), proofreader, editor, copy writer, localizer and
entrepreneur. Tess’s posts are full of useful tips and advice for fellow
freelancers. She clearly has a thorough understanding of business development
and the need for freelancers to improve their abilities to develop and do
better commercially. The blog is also a very useful read for any budding
freelance translators wanting some insight into the nature of the work and how
it links in with the sector as a whole.
B.J. Epstein completed a Ph.D. in
translation studies in June 2009 at Swansea University, with a dissertation on
the translation of children's literature. Now in Norwich, England she is a
lecturer at the University of East Anglia in literature and translation also works
as a translator, writer, and editor. One of the most impressive things about
this blog is the sheer diversity of posts. Dr Epstein covers pretty much any
topic worth covering in her 400+ posts and is a treasure of links, resources
and tips.
Cared for by Kevin Lossner, a German
to English translator and technical consultant. Kevin’s blog is rather niche
however we concluded this was its strength. Although the blog is meant to focus
on translation technologies, marketing strategies, workflow optimization,
resource reviews, controversies and other topics of interest to translators, it
is in fact heavily biased towards looking at technology within translation. The
conclusion was therefore that this blog is very valuable for others looking at
using or currently working with certain tools or technologies.
A title that most translators can
relate to, the blog is kept by Jill Sommer a full-time freelance German to
English translator. Blog posts aside Jill has a nice format to her site with
tabs at the top pointing towards information about her; what she is currently
reading, what she is currently working on and a list of useful abbreviations
used in her posts. It was felt that these additions to the website were a bit
different and innovative and allowed people an insight into what Jill is up to.
Post-wise the frequent updates are all interesting, relevant and useful.
Owners Judy Jenner and Dagmar Jenner
are a pair of identical translating and interpreting twins working in Spanish,
German, English, and French (Dagmar only). The slick, modern and bright look of
their blog immediately won fans within the review team. The format and
navigation of the blog is also more in line with a website, offering readers
the ability to reach categories through links at the top of the page. The posts
are peppered with lots of insight into the industry as well as specific posts
on humour, professional development, marketing and even fraud.
Philippa Hammond works from French,
Spanish and Portuguese into English, specialising in law, EU matters and
marketing and communication. The posts since 2007 offer a nice look at the
development of a freelance translator in terms of the experience, issues,
challenges, etc they have faced. The personal tone of the blog makes one feel
like Philippa is communicating directly to the reader.
Sarah Dillon is a full-time
professional translator working from French, Spanish and German into
first-language English. The blog offers readers useful tips and detailed guides
on the things they don’t teach you in translator school. Posts include
interviews with other translators, reports on events and conferences as well as
hot topics in the world of translation. A clean, smart look which integrates
well with web2.0 functionality makes this a blog worth watching.
Copyright Kwintessential Ltd
No comments:
Post a Comment