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Poll: Do you have a plan for your career development? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you have a plan for your career development?".
This poll was originally submitted by Karen Stokes
View the poll here
A forum topic will appear each time a new poll is run. For more informati... See more This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you have a plan for your career development?".
This poll was originally submitted by Karen Stokes
View the poll here
A forum topic will appear each time a new poll is run. For more information, see: http://proz.com/topic/33629 ▲ Collapse
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| Tons of plans! | Oct 1, 2007 |
I do have a lot of plans, both the marketing-specific aspects pertaining to the translation business as well as my continuous education and further languages I want to explore (not for translation purposes, though). My main problem is I'd like to do everything tomorrow (today!) and I must make the effort to go one step at a time.
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Angela Dickson (X) 
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:53
French to English
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| good question... | Oct 1, 2007 |
it's an interesting question - I would like to add a new language (German, which I already have to a reasonable level) but am unsure at what point I would consider myself ready to translate from it. I plan to do an intensive course with the Goethe-Institut in Germany (time and money permitting), and then try the DipTrans. Perhaps then I will be ready.
In the shorter term, I need to find the time for a bit of marketing of my existing skills!
[Edited at 2007-10-01 14:33]
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Tatty
Local time: 11:53
Spanish to English
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Signed, sealed and sent back to myself in writing? I was just slightly confused by this option. Or is it for those who keep a diary?
Yes, I have plans, all in my head though, nothing inked.
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Karen Stokes
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:53
Member (2003)
French to English
| Re. in writing | Oct 1, 2007 |
I was curious to know whether people set themselves some kind of formal objectives in terms of continuing professional development (CPD) and kept a record of what they had set out to achieve so that they could look back and review their progress. That's the framework for CPD adopted by the professional bodies in the UK, anyway, which was why I included it in the poll.
Best,
Karen
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 11:53
Spanish to English
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| Why should I? | Oct 1, 2007 |
I'm happy with my job as it is; having taught TEFL for years I now appreciate being my own boss and earning enough to get by without stressing out or having to get up early and travel anywhere.
The only "development" I'm currently considering is using new software and getting to know how to use the programs I already have more fully (Wordfast hasn't been much use to me so far, it looks as though it only works for highly repetitive texts like tech manuals).
Moreover, I don't believ... See more I'm happy with my job as it is; having taught TEFL for years I now appreciate being my own boss and earning enough to get by without stressing out or having to get up early and travel anywhere.
The only "development" I'm currently considering is using new software and getting to know how to use the programs I already have more fully (Wordfast hasn't been much use to me so far, it looks as though it only works for highly repetitive texts like tech manuals).
Moreover, I don't believe that doing a DipTrans will make you a better translator if you don't already have the flair - in my opinion the best way to learn is hands-on, from your experience and mistakes, your own as well as those of others.
Nor do I share the obsession with "marketing" my services - I more often than not have to turn down work, and almost never have to solicit it - but then maybe I'm just lucky, or easy to please. ▲ Collapse
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Tatty
Local time: 11:53
Spanish to English
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| Get your drift | Oct 1, 2007 |
Now I get ya. But I think that a large part of the CPD of the CIol could be covered by reading newspapers, and I reckon you could blagg that to a certain extent.
I guess the question really turns on whether you have a specialism, and if you do upon its nature. Let us compare medicine and law for one moment. Medicine must be very similar the world over, whereas law is different in each country, more legal gaps than medical gaps would therefore need plugging. Neither medicine nor law ... See more Now I get ya. But I think that a large part of the CPD of the CIol could be covered by reading newspapers, and I reckon you could blagg that to a certain extent.
I guess the question really turns on whether you have a specialism, and if you do upon its nature. Let us compare medicine and law for one moment. Medicine must be very similar the world over, whereas law is different in each country, more legal gaps than medical gaps would therefore need plugging. Neither medicine nor law can be "read about". You could only get away with just reading about them if you have already formally studied them. So where does that leave CPD? I think it means that you should try and keep up with any changes in your field, by reading the newspapers or specialised press every now and again.
If you tend not to work in a specialised area you should keep up with current affairs in general, I guess, answer some proz questions too. ▲ Collapse
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... because a simple "no" wasn't among the options! I'm perfectly happy as I am and have no plans to develop my career at the current time. This may change in the future, of course, but for now I'm just tickety-boo.
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Tatty
Local time: 11:53
Spanish to English
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| A clarification? | Oct 2, 2007 |
Does you question specifically refer to CPD or to a more general do you still think that you will be translating from you home office in 10 years time?
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Karen Stokes
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:53
Member (2003)
French to English
| Clarification | Oct 2, 2007 |
Tatty wrote:
Does you question specifically refer to CPD or to a more general do you still think that you will be translating from you home office in 10 years time?
I was thinking more about your career development as a translator - but I guess your plan could include getting out of translation altogether!
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Tatty
Local time: 11:53
Spanish to English
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| I like others like being my own boss | Oct 2, 2007 |
I like others like being my own boss, and while sometimes I would like someone to talk to, and I don't think, at least not at the moment, that I could be tempted back into an office, not even a prestigious one. I might set up my own one, one of these days though.
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| The financial side of things | Oct 2, 2007 |
What interests me is if you set yourselves monetary targets, e.g. with regards to your annual income or future business growth. Do you have a financial plan at all to monitor how well you're doing throughout the year? Or how to grow your business?
I don't, but I think I should...
Katharina
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Karen Stokes
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:53
Member (2003)
French to English
Katharina Wawrzon-Stewart wrote:
What interests me is if you set yourselves monetary targets, e.g. with regards to your annual income or future business growth. Do you have a financial plan at all to monitor how well you're doing throughout the year? Or how to grow your business?
I don't, but I think I should...
Katharina
Dear Katharina,
I do keep detailed financial records (and a record of volume too) and look at each month / quarter compared to the previous year. It's interesting to take a look at how the business has grown, and it means I have a good feel for how this year is going and what I might achieve going forward. It also gives me a bit of a sense of whether there's a seasonal trend, and helps me decide where I want to focus the business (what type of work, which clients etc.)
Mind you, my mother was a book-keeper so maybe it's in the genes!
Best,
Karen
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Craig Meulen
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:53
German to English
| Practical Ideas of what is meant by CPD | Oct 2, 2007 |
Your reference to the IoL got me curious, so I googled and found this page - very inspiring
http://www.iol.org.uk/membership/cpd.asp?r=3JEMQGXJAK&3pid=LNR5BQ68222
Some examples of CPD activities and events
* Attending language workshops and courses
* Reading foreign language newspapers and periodicals
* Reading foreign language literature
* Reading relevant professional publications
* Making overseas visits
* Listening to relevant foreign language radio and / or TV programmes
* Participating in conferences, workshops, seminars, and lectures
* Visiting trade fairs and exhibitions
* Reading publications related to professional specialism (e.g. education, business, or chosen specialist subject areas for translators and interpreters)
* Learning to use new software packages (through self-study or attending training courses)
* Developing administrative / office management skills (through self-study or attending training courses)
* Acting as a mentor
* Activity in local community and IoL committees, divisions and societies
* On-line distance learning
* Obtaining formal qualifications
* Training in specialist subject areas to gain technical knowledge
* At work - where, simply by day-to-day activities, relevant knowledge and skills are acquired by on-the-job learning and /or company provision
I guess that also includes my freetime activity with "Harry-auf-Deutsch" (a net-based Harry Potter fan group working on a private translation of the latest book into German) Since I'm gaining valuable insights into the field of literary translation by doing this - a field where I don't have much experience yet.
Seriously, for the last two years I've had a business coach - we talked for one hour every month. This has helped 'keep me on track'. Very useful and well worth the expenditure. I started working with him even though I thought "I can't afford that". He soon helped me get to the stage where I could afford it!!
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Tatty
Local time: 11:53
Spanish to English
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| Business coach - I'm curious | Oct 2, 2007 |
Would you tell us more about your business coach, what does this person advise you to do. Surely being based abroad you can work as much as you like. I hate being snowed under, I think I only really measure my happiness, but money is important to me, and I wouldn't really be happy if I wasn't earning enough.
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