Episode 45: Smart Habits for Specializing and Keeping Up with Your Specialization

We’ve all heard how important it is to specialize as professional translators and interpreters. But not everyone agrees with this. There are many who believe that specializing is not necessary and that you can get enough work as a generalist to make a good living.

We’re not here to argue that you can’t, of course, but we do feel that specializing is an excellent way to stand out as a professional, gain better clients, and open more doors for future opportunities in an area you already know well.

Choosing a specialization can feel daunting when you’re just starting out as a translator or interpreter, and even years into your career, it can be easy to overlook the importance of diving deeper into your subject area.

So, in this episode, we’re sharing some smart habits for specializing and keeping up with your specialization!

Here’s what you’ll hear in this episode:

• What our specializations are and why we picked them

• How to get started in a specific specialization

• Why it’s important to choose a specialization that you feel good about

• How to continue growing in your subject area and keep up with your specialization

• How to not let professional development fall by the wayside when you get busy

• How we plan professional development in our areas of specialization

Resources we mentioned in this episode:

• Madalena’s website, courses, and blog

• Episode 44: Smart Habits for Diversifying Your Translation Business

• American Translators Association

• American Medical Writers Association

• ACES: The Society for Editing

• ATA’s webinar on back-translation

• IPIECA: the global oil and gas industry association for advancing environmental and social performance

• SHRM: The Society for Human Resource Management

• ATA’s Back to Business Basics webinar on choosing and building a specialization

• Inside Specialization series on the ATA Podcast

• Eve Bodeux’s Global Reads Book Club

• Bright by Duanwad Pimwana

• Persuasive Copywriting: Cut Through the Noise and Communicate With Impact by Andy Maslen

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