On being a specialized generalist – Jasper Pauwels

Many language professionals will either argue in favour of diversifying your services or urge you to specialize in a specific niche. Few people actually talk about combing the two strategies, specializing in a few areas of expertise. Personally, I translate both legal documents and marketing copy, which is an unusual combination that occasionally raises eyebrows. During this presentation, I will explain how I diversified into these very different fields and why it works out for me. From a more general perspective, we will also discuss the pros and cons of diversification, specialization or choosing the middle ground.


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About the presenter

 Jasper Pauwels

Jasper Pauwels works as a full-time freelance translator, translating from English and French into Dutch for many clients across Europe. His translation and proofreading services cover a wide range of topics, with a strong focus on legal and marketing translations. He holds two degrees in translation from two different countries – a Bachelor of Translation from Zuyd University of Applied Sciences in Maastricht, the Netherlands, and a Master of Translation from the University of Antwerp, Belgium.

Money management: why you should pay yourself a salary – Martina Abagnale

Freelancing means uncertainty, we have all heard that. It means not knowing how much money you’ll make each month, a pendulum between feeling the richest person in the world and wondering whether you can afford dinner. But does it really need to be that way? What if we paid ourselves a salary?


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About the presenter

 Martina Abagnale

Martina Abagnale is an English and Dutch into Italian translator based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. After starting her career as a project manager at a translation agency, she became a freelance translator in 2019. She specializes in legal and financial texts,helping companies prepare their documents for legal use in Italy. She regularly organizes (virtual) events for beginner translators.

Personal branding: Lessons learnt through trial and (t)error – Anne Oosthuizen

Believing that there most definitely is such a thing as your ideal client, Anne has previously been approached to talk about personal branding by Leiden University and NGTV, and will now share with us her ‘lessons learnt through trial and (t)error.’


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About the presenter

 Anne Oosthuizen

Anne Oosthuizen is a Dutch-English translator and editor. She completed her BA English Language and Culture at the University of Amsterdam and the University of Otago in New Zealand, and graduated with honours from Leiden University, earning her an MA in Translation Studies. Anne has been a freelance book translator and academic editor for just over two years. This year, she was one of the lucky few awarded a grant for special-interest sample translation by the Dutch Foundation for Literature. In addition to translating literary and non-fiction prose, Anne’s super special nice is poetry and song translation.

Language skills in global times – Ellen Singer

We live in a globalized world, in which we are exposed to other languages. Humans absorb language on a daily basis, but as you improve your second or third language, your mother tongue can be affected. How should we maintain our skills in our native language, especially if we are not based in a country where it is spoken? There are many reasons why the language around you is not developing at the same pace as it does in your country of origin: Your partner may come from the country you live in, your colleagues may communicate in English, in a variant used by non-native speakers... When your job depends on language skills, you will need to work on them. But how? As with most issues, you need to be aware of it first, then work hard to reduce its impact. As a native English speaker in a foreign country like the Netherlands, where most people speak English at a reasonable level, you may be influenced by their English and do not always pick up on the latest trends in the UK/Ireland/ USA/Australia, etc. the way you would when living there. Maintaining your native language skills is a sine qua non and investing time in this should be part of your continuous professional development.


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About the presenter

 Ellen Singer

Ellen Singer is a freelance translator with more than twenty-five years of experience as a full-time translator and project manager. She owns a small technical translation agency with her husband that focuses on quality. She loves challenges and knowledge and enjoys co-operating with others. Ellen puts her creativity to good use working as a copywriter and transcreator. Ellen speaks English, Spanish and Dutch and has presented at conferences since 2013, addressing a wide range of topics: from technical translation to Donald Duck, from file conversion to QA or even the question: why translate? She enjoys conferences and meeting people with a multicultural background.

Recognizing and working with inductive/deductive communication styles – Nandini Bedi

Have you been in a situation where you asked your client or business partner or supplier a closed question for which you expected a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’, but what you got in reply was a story? Many more words than you had counted on, and they weren’t answering your question. You could have felt like the speaker was taking you for a ride, or maybe you were confused and didn’t quite know what you should do or say to take the exchange to a fruitful end. In this presentation, I will introduce you to two different styles of communication and show how these are embedded in culture. I will also give you tips on how to recognize these styles and how to work with the one most unfamiliar to you.


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About the presenter

 Nadini Bedi

Nandini Bedi teaches English, copyedits, gives intercultural trainings and posts on her blog taal-tale.com. Via her trainings, she builds a bridge between the Netherlands and India. She does this with reverence and humour. She has settled in Oegstgeest with her partner, flown-out-of-the-nest-but-visiting twin boys and live-in cat, Sher Khan. More about her is available on www.nandinibedi.com.

How to increase your visibility and market your services – Claire Bacon

Some language professionals find it difficult to market their services and get credit for their work. They may also wonder how they can attract the clients they really want to work with. In this talk, I will describe how I increased my visibility within the editing community to get more client referrals and networking opportunities. I will also describe how I used a content marketing approach (through regular blogging) to target my ideal clients and educate them on what language editing is and why it is needed. My goal is to help you increase awareness of the services you offer and to help you convince potential clients that you are the best person for the job.


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About the presenter

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Dr Claire Bacon obtained her PhD in neuroscience from the University of York in 2006, after which she moved to Heidelberg, Germany to work as a research scientist in the department of Human Genetics. Working in a lab with multilingual scientists, she quickly realised that many scientists struggle to publish their work in English and became the official ‘language editor’ of the lab. In 2014, Claire decided to leave academia and set up her own language business. After taking several courses in copy editing and medical editing to develop her skills, she now runs a successful editing business, working mainly for multilingual scientists whose native language is not English. She publishes a monthly blog to help her clients with their research writing and teaches courses on scientific writing and academic publishing at the University of Twente.

Spanish wine and translation: What could they possibly have in common? – Rebecca Reddin

Upon diving deeper into Spanish wine, what every biologist and humanist knows became crystal-clear to one linguist: we share a lot more than we think. Rebecca reflects on the very relatable lessons the Spanish wine industry has to offer translators and editors everywhere about process, product, identity, value and purpose. This is a chance not only to peek behind the curtain of a prestigious, delectable industry, but to start imagining: what could your clients teach you?


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About the presenter

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Rebecca Reddin has been a freelance translator, editor and subtitler working from Spanish into English since 2017. She believes the world is full of rich, eloquent, enlightening ideas and projects, and not just in the English-speaking sphere. As she specializes in the complex world of wine and scales the learning curve of business, Rebecca aims to promote her adopted home of La Rioja, Spain. She also wants reflect the ingenuity and insight of the Spanish voices around her in words that make the United-States-ian world stop and listen.

The freedom of freelancing: deciding on a digital nomad journey – Maaike Leenders

Ever dreamt of just leaving it all behind, packing a bag and simply working wherever you want to? I did. And I did. After working in-house and on the road, my three years as a freelancer have taught me there are pros and cons to both. Based on my personal experience, I will talk about what to consider when you are thinking of trying a digital nomad lifestyle. Is it possible to travel and build a business at the same time? How much freedom does it really offer? And do you actually need to upend your whole life to do it?


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About the presenter

PDD2021 maaike 300

Maaike Leenders is a translator and project manager with a travel bug that can’t be cured. After working in-house for nearly five years, she exchanged the office for the open road and has taken every opportunity to digital nomad her way through freelance life ever since.

CPD: Changing professional development – with Lloyd Bingham

As language professionals, we place immense value on continuing professional development (CPD) to evolve our knowledge and skills so we can best serve our clients. But as the world changes, so too do our clients’ requirements and the profession. It’s our job to keep up with these changes and adapt to them.

The number of in-house translator positions is falling, while enrolment on translation degree programmes is up. Will this produce a generation of new translators entering the market without honing their skills first?

The world is switching to hybrid working and we are doing more and more CPD online. Will in-person training become a thing of past?

I will discuss the trends I have observed in the training undertaken by translators in recent years and draw conclusions on what the landscape of education and professional development for linguists will look like in the near future.


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About the presenter

Lloyd Bingham

Lloyd Bingham MITI runs Capital Translations in Cardiff, Wales. He works from Dutch, German, French and Spanish into English, specialising in business, technology and education. Lloyd is a member of SENSE and ITI, a committee member of ITI Cymru Wales and a tutor on ITI’s Starting Up as a Freelance Translator course.

Working as collaborative translators in arts and culture – Danielle Carter

At the beginning of 2021, I started working together with Julia van Duijvenvoorde.

We offer a translation and copy editing package service for cultural organizations, publishers, exhibition designers, and beyond. What are the benefits of working together as a language duo? How does this work in practice? And why is this particularly beneficial when working in a niche? It’s a joy to share our passions, culture and language, and a boon to work together.


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About the presenter

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Danielle Carter is an academic copy editor and museum language services specialist. After working for several years in the arts and cultural sector, Danielle transitioned in the language industry, where she has found a niche copy editing academic books ranging from film studies to architecture to fashion, writing and editing coffee table books about arts and media, and revising translations and copy editing for cultural organizations.

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