Last month I attended the Warwick Translates Summer School at the University of Warwick, a series of literary translation workshops and talks led by leading professional translators and publishers. As I hadn’t been to a translation event in quite some time and this one was especially geared towards literary translation, I was quite excited. My enthusiasm clearly showed as I tried to cram in three modules over the 5 days: French translation, Spanish translation, and Theatre translation.
Motivation
What’s it like being a translator? Q and A with the professionals

On 7th March, I was invited to a translation round table at the University of Exeter, where I, along with two other translation professionals, took questions from the final-year Modern Languages students, who are currently in the middle of a translation business project.
Continue readingMy appearance on Translators on Air (and a press interview!)
As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I had some fun translation projects and events lined up for this month.
So Wednesday 26th October was a very exciting day for me, as I had not one, but two media appearances!
“La rentrée” – Checking up on my business goals…
Going ‘back to school’ in September is a bigger deal in France than in the UK. They call it la rentrée, and not only does it mark a new year of school for children, but it is also a perfect opportunity for adults to start new projects, make plans, and basically treat it like a second ‘New Year.’
On cabin fever and the joys of freelancer friends
When I tell people that I work from home, the general reaction is “lucky you! I wish I could!” After all, what’s not to like? No horrible commute at the crack of dawn, no awkward water-cooler chat with acquaintances about how everyone’s weekend was, and you can make important business decisions without anyone but you knowing that you are, secretly, still in your pyjamas.
My New Year’s Resolutions (after my first year of business)
How to network when you feel socially awkward
I hope I’m not the only person who feels this way, but I find social interaction pretty exhausting.
Don’t get me wrong; I love my friends and family, and once I’ve hauled myself out of the house and into some kind of social event, I tend to have a great time. People wouldn’t guess from looking at me that inside my brain rages a storm of social awkwardness.
My route to becoming a freelance translator
(What do you mean, you don’t remember asking for my life story?)

Colca Canyon, Peru. © Natalie Soper, 2015
My name is Natalie, and I am a freelance translator.
It still feels weird to say to people “I’m a freelancer” “I work from home” or “I own my own business” – but I am slowly getting used to this relatively new path in my life. Maybe one day I’ll be able to swagger into a room and flick business cards at people, one-handed, like a magician, but I’m not quite there yet (and sadly, I haven’t found any marketing training that teaches business-card-tricks).