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Training for Translators

Corinne McKay

Training for Translators: a podcast for freelance translators and interpreters. Do better work, earn more money, and enjoy your job! Hosted by Corinne McKay.

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  • 21 episodes
  • monthly
  • Avg 17 min
  • English

Episodes 21

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  • Friday · 20 min

    #29: How to take a vacation (when you're a freelancer with no paid vacation)

    When you pair the words "freelancer" and "vacation," there's good news and there's bad news, right? Yay, no boss to tell you if you can or can't go! Bummer, no paid vacation time! In this episode, I dig into three freelance vacation models, as well as an option if your budget is pretty much zero. This episode is based on this blog post, and there you can also find the links I mention in the episode. Thanks for listening!

  • August 14 · 16 min

    #28: "Help! I lost a major client with no warning!"

    There are two kinds of freelancers: those who've already lost a major client with no warning, and those who will in the future lose a major client with no warning! This episode is based on a blog post from July 21, 2026, and discusses what happens when a client that represents 25%, 50%, or even more of your income dumps you in an e-mail. Visit https://www.trainingfortranslators.com/ for classes and blog posts!

  • June 30 · 12 min

    #27: How to turn down work? Will the client come back?

    Welcome to Training for Translators, the podcast for translators, interpreters, and other multilingual word people, helping you do better work, earn more money, and enjoy your job. This episode is based on a LinkedIn post, which was based on a question from a student in my online course alumni group. How do we turn down work from clients, and are the clients likely to come back? It's a dilemma we all face, and it depends on how much you want or need the client's work, whether the client works with other freelancers, and how much you have to work in order to reach your target income. If you enjoy this podcast, you should subscribe to my mailing list for weekly free tips! You can do that in the sidebar of any blog post.

  • March 30 · 12 min

    #24: "Can't clients just do this themselves with AI??"

    Episode 24 of the Training for Translators podcast is based on this post on my blog. Lately, I've heard from a number of students and colleagues who have a hard time marketing right now, because they feel icky/dishonest/deceptive about marketing a service "that clients could get for free from an AI tool." Personally, I don't have this mental roadblock, and in this episode, I break it down! If you're not on the Training for Translators mailing list, sign up!

  • February 12 · 21 min

    #23: What now? Six options if your freelance business is struggling

    This episode is based on a webinar I taught today, "What now??" aimed mainly at mid-career freelance translators whose businesses are really struggling. I offered six options you might want to consider (from "keep doing what you're doing" to "re-train and change careers completely"), depending on your personal circumstances. Find out more about Training for Translators, including my upcoming March Marketing Madness challenge group, at https://www.trainingfortranslators.com/

  • January 21 · 23 min

    #22: 2025, the year in review

    It's time for my annual year in review post! I've been writing year-end review posts for a while. Here's 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021. I'll say that this year feels different. I had a great year, due to various factors including luck, experience, working hard, and being willing to try new things. And at the same time, I'm aware that a lot of people in the language professions had a truly terrible year. My goal here isn't to rub it in, it's to give some examples of what's working for me, a few fails, and what I'm looking forward to this year.

  • Dec 16, 2025 · 21 min

    #21: Six ways to branch out into a new specialization or service offering

    If you're thinking about shaking things up in your business in 2026 (a good idea in the current economic climate!), tune in for six ideas of how to do that, and three ways to market a portfolio business in which you do more than one thing. This podcast episode is based on this post on the Training for Translators blog. And if you're not on the Training for Translators mailing list, you should be! Join from the sidebar of that blog post. Happy 2026 and thanks for helping the T4T podcast get to 9,000+ downloads!

  • Nov 18, 2025 · 11 min

    #20: A beginner miles/points trick that got me a free ticket to London!

    Join the Training for Translators mailing list at https://www.trainingfortranslators.com/ ! In this episode, I describe a pretty basic miles and points trick (earning the Amex Blue Business Plus welcome bonus and transferring the Amex points to Virgin Atlantic) that got me a free ticket to London for my summer vacation. If you'd like to read this as a blog post or follow any of the links in it, here you go: https://www.trainingfortranslators.com/2025/11/13/ot-a-beginner-miles-points-trick-that-got-me-a-free-ticket-to-london/

  • #19
    Nov 9, 2025 · 21 min

    #19: Online profile mistakes we're all making

    I've now had about 60 people go through my direct client research lab course, and in looking at their online profiles, I've seen a bunch of common mistakes that most of us (including me) are making. Here's some information on how to fix up your own online presence! Visit the Training for Translators website (https://www.trainingfortranslators.com/) to join my mailing list or learn more about our upcoming classes and workshops If you'd rather read about this topic in a blog post, here you go! https://www.trainingfortranslators.com/2025/10/21/online-profile-mistakes-that-were-all-making/

  • Oct 13, 2025 · 16 min

    #18: Before you quit freelancing, try these strategies

    I feel like lots of translators are thinking about finding another career due to all of the AI/MT/Federal government/other challenges these days! If that's what you want, go for it! But if you'd like to stick with freelancing and you're simply frustrated with how things are going, here are some suggestions to try. If you're not on the Training for Translators mailing list and you enjoy this podcast, you should join!

  • Aug 29, 2025 · 18 min

    #17: Do you have a freelance business, or two clients and a Gmail address?

    This episode is based on a LinkedIn post I wrote this week, that generated a lively discussion. If you're finding the current freelance environment hard, you're not the crazy one: perhaps, all these years (or decades, or since the 1980s) you've been more of a fractional employee than a freelancer? If you enjoy this podcast, make sure to join the Training for Translators mailing list in the sidebar of my blog, and grab a copy of my new book, Getting Started as a Freelance Interpreter!

  • Jul 22, 2025 · 9 min

    #16: How to get back on the marketing wagon

    We've all been there! "I was in a great marketing routine, then something happened" (life event, huge project, etc.) "...and now it feels so overwhelming to get back in the groove!" Don't give up hope; in this episode, I offer a few tips on how to get back on the marketing wagon after you've fallen off.

  • Jun 2, 2025 · 22 min

    #15: Options for self-publishing your writing or translations

    In this episode, I talk about how to self-publish something that you wrote or translated, with options ranging from minimum viable product (instant-download PDFs) to creating a book that is indistinguishable from something produced by a traditional publisher. To visit any of the links mentioned in this episode, visit the blog post that it's based on! Visit the Training for Translators website to subscribe to my mailing list or to learn more about my classes and books!

  • Apr 29, 2025 · 14 min

    #14: Q1 of 2025...the best of times, the worst of times?

    Right now in the translation world, it seems like many people are doing great, or horribly, with very little in between. In this episode, I talk about how the first quarter of 2025 went for me, along with some observations about what I'm hearing from other people. If you enjoy the Training for Translators podcast, visit our website to learn more about our classes and challenge groups!

  • Apr 9, 2025 · 17 min

    #13: "I'm not making enough money!" Let's dig a little deeper!

    In this episode, I take a look at three ways to not earn enough money as a freelance translator or interpreter: You don't have enough work, period You have enough work, but it's low-paying You have well-paying work, but not enough of it ...and how to handle each of these situations! Links mentioned in this episode The Training for Translators website The 2022 American Translators Asociation compensation survey The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' outlook for translators and interpreters The MIT Living Wage Calculator

  • Feb 25, 2025 · 2 min

    #12.5: March Marketing Madness starts on March 3!

    A quick bonus episode to remind you that my March Marketing Madness challenge group starts on Monday, March 3! Back for year seven (!!), the challenge group costs $90 and gives you: 20 motivational videos to get the marketing motivation going 20 daily marketing challenges that will take you 15-30 minutes to complete An optional, but very fun Slack group Marketing resources (e-mail templates, goal-setting workbook) Six months of access to the course materials "Corinne's March Marketing Madness challenge group has transformed my approach to marketing forever! It was an intense and exciting month, during which I felt empowered to ramp up my marketing efforts in ways I hadn't considered before," says a past participant! Come join in!

  • Feb 12, 2025 · 27 min

    #12: 2024, the year in review

    In this episode, I discuss how 2024 went, and hopefully this will inspire you to conduct your own year-end business review, if you haven't done one already. I review my income, my enjoyment of the work I did, and my satisfaction with life in general! Join the Training for Translators mailing list in the sidebar of my blog Here's the blog post that this episode is based on I find it hard to quit projects I've committed to, because I'm an Upholder AIIC, the International Association of Conference Interpreters My business coach, Treasa Edmond

  • Jan 30, 2025 · 21 min

    #11: My ChatGPT use cases

    I used to be the ultimate ChatGPT hater, and I've now found a few really helpful use cases for it. In this episode, I describe how I don't find ChatGPT useful for actual translation or writing, but I do find it helpful for interpreting prep, jazzing up presentation titles, complicated research questions, and other tasks like complying with specific character counts and tone. Links mentioned in this episode: ChatGPT techforword Riccardo Schiaffino's presentation on Perplexity as a research tool Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies framework (I'm an Upholder) The Neuron AI newsletter The blog post that this episode is based on To get your free Nudge Kit, sign up for the Training for Translators blog in the sidebar of any blog post!

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