On 11 October, UniSIG was treated to the online talk ‘Making footnotes and bibliographies plain – decoding, readability, Zotero/AI, consistency’ by former SENSE member (and past convener of FINLEGSIG) Dr Stephen Machon, who is a highly experienced legal English editor/reviewer and trainer. He spoke on a necessary part of the scholarly and academic machinery of publications: footnotes and bibliographies. Having clarified that the information provided under the headings ‘Bibliography’ and ‘References’ is essentially the same, as both refer to a list of sources, Stephen pointed out that footnotes (and endnotes) may also indicate the sources substantiating an assertion in the main text as well as provide additional information or opinions not central to the narrative. Bibliographies and footnotes are both important because they contribute to an author’s academic standing.

There is no one agreed footnote or bibliographical entry style, which leaves editors, proofreaders and reviewers prey to the vagaries of publishers’ editorial staff and their style guidelines. Our job as editors is to ensure consistency and readability not only in the narrative but also in the footnotes and bibliography. Being aware of where we can make the coded language of footnotes and bibliographies plain can contribute significantly to the readability of a scholarly publication, whether an article, monograph, or PhD thesis.

One noteworthy difference between the Dutch and English footnote conventions that Stephen drew our attention to relates to footnote numbering: the Anglo convention is for the numbering to begin afresh for each chapter, but the Dutch convention is to continue numbering consecutively throughout the thesis or book. This can result in very unwieldy footnote numbers and vastly complicates any renumbering needed after removing or adding a footnote, so Stephen recommends advising Dutch authors to follow the Anglo convention.

Stephen showed examples of reference styles, explaining that he’s punctilious about ensuring consistency in the bibliographies and footnotes of the law PhD theses he edits, and is paid well for doing so. Lively discussion ensued about whether when dealing with a monograph thesis or an article intended to be part of a compilation thesis a language professional should rigorously copy-edit the bibliography or reference list and the citations. Alice Lehtinen’s comment in the meeting chat summarizes the feelings of many of the 17 attendees: ‘I think it depends on what your role is, on what you’ve agreed to do. In my case, I avoid checking bibliographies etc. like the plague, but I make this clear to the client. I consider myself the language expert, and that these things are down to the client to check.’

Stephen has kindly agreed to allow his PowerPoint® presentation to be sent to interested SENSE members, so if you missed this lively and informative meeting or would like to be reminded of what Stephen covered in his talk, please email Joy (the UniSIG convener).

Mysterious? You must be joking. Examples of copywriting are all around you, clamouring for your attention, demanding your approval, prising open your wallet, changing your mind and appealing to your basest instincts. The bombardment of commercial – and increasingly political – messages starts as soon as you open your eyes and ears in the morning, continues on billboards and bus sides as you wander down the street, and even unashamedly follows you into the loo. (Do remember to disinfect your phone on a regular basis.)

Yet members of this esteemed organization are often mystified as to what copywriting actually entails, let alone how to actually do it. (Preferably in exchange for more money than is generally available for translating or editing other people’s texts.) So here’s a quick overview of a vast and changing landscape.

What copywriting is

The term for text on an advertisement is ‘copy’, and the way it originates is by someone writing it. (Remove the silent ‘w’, and you’re in legal territory instead.) In general, copywriting simply involves coming up with words to persuade a target group to buy the goods or services of a particular client. It’s the advertising industry’s expression of the latest exhaustively determined marketing position. Unlike proper journalists, whose job is to tell a story objectively, copywriters are happy to present only one side of the argument while conveniently forgetting the rest. At one advertising agency I worked for, I was so utterly convinced by the studies presenting the superior benefits of medicated talc X versus cream Y for treating nappy rash that I wrote an entire consumer leaflet singing its praises. Imagine my surprise when, a few years and ad agencies later, I had to do the same thing again – only this time for cream Y, which came complete with equally compelling scientific reports drawing precisely the opposite conclusion.

Where you can find it

One reason for the confusion surrounding copywriting is its sheer variety and ubiquity. At the start of my glorious career 40 years ago, one would be briefed to write encouraging words for a finite group of media types: TV commercials (on a lucky day), radio spots, printed products (newspapers, magazines and direct mail) or posters. Since then, the number of possible channels has exploded, although the bread-and-butter work consists largely of websites, social media posts, emails, intranet updates, e-brochures and print-on-demand magazines. You can’t deny that many trees have breathed a sigh of relief.

The short and sweet of it

Yet one aspect hasn’t changed in the slightest: all of these diverse communications are expected to hold true to the key brand concept, which is usually summarized in what outsiders call a slogan (a term that makes insiders wince) or what we professionals knowingly refer to as a strapline, endline or tagline. The most successful of these tend to be short and sweet: ‘Beanz Meanz Heinz’ (remember that one?); ‘Reassuringly Expensive’ (Stella Artois); ‘Just Do It’ (Nike); or ‘Think different’ (Apple). You may also come across some hilariously optimistic ones, such as ‘Let’s make your home special’ (IKEA) or less innocent examples, such as ‘Take Back Control’.

Concepts and copy

Such deceptively simple phrases usually form part of the core advertising concept for which several ad agencies eagerly pitch every few years. Creative teams (each consisting of a copywriter and art director) battle it out to distil hundreds of pages of indigestible marketing bumph into a tasty little snack. Sometimes all these efforts boil down to a typical Holy Trinity consisting of headline + visual + strapline; sometimes the headline’s merely the product name; and sometimes the concept is further condensed into merely a picture of the product (or logo) with the genius new brand line.

From concept to campaign

Once that rather fun conceptual part is over, it’s time to craft the rest of the communication campaign. This can roughly be divided into B2B (business-to-business), B2C (business-to-consumer) and even C2C (consumer-to-consumer) items. Some of these, such as brochures and websites, will need long, descriptive explanatory copy that needs to be carefully structured. Others, such as Twitter (now X) posts and the more minimalist kind of press ads, will focus on conveying a key message or brand value in just a few words. But wherever you’re replacing grey lines (the ones drawn by the designer to indicate where you’re allowed to play) with actual text, you need to ensure that your words either complement, explain or add an extra dimension to the visuals that accompany them. This applies throughout the customer journey, which is the term used to describe all the interactions that a member of the target audience has with the product before, during and even after the purchase itself. No communication channel, no matter how small, should go to waste.

Welcome to your world

As a copywriter, your job will be to peek under the surface of an astounding array of different organizations in order to glean just enough knowledge to write about their business, products, services or aims without frying your brain. Once in a while, having found your niche, you may spend your time exploring a much-loved specialism in nerdy depth with a favourite client. You’ll learn a lot about social trends, innovations, economics and people along the way. Hopefully, you’ll also gain useful skills such as keeping a straight face upon being informed by market researchers that the persona epitomising the core user of Brand Fab is Julie, a mid-thirties career woman who lives in an untidy semi-detached house in a working-class area with a slightly incontinent, elderly Labradoodle called Muffin.

Write here. Write now.

If you’re interested in getting into this game, you need to be more than a wordsmith. You should also be able to create visual concepts, understand commercial goals, adapt your writing style to the agreed tone of voice, and ensure that everything you write is fit for purpose. Some clients may be impressed by a CV featuring a Bachelor of Arts from a famous alma mater, but what they’re really looking for is a portfolio of copywriting examples (which, in the beginning, will be private masterpieces that you would have written if anyone had been discerning enough to hire you). Meanwhile, look around you at the myriad of existing examples, study it all to work out how it’s done, and challenge yourself to learn how to do it better. For instance, you’ll probably notice that lots of long-copy items finish off with a Call To Action. So start today!

Freelance translator Mahala Mathiassen (LinkedIn: mahala) joined SENSE in September. She is currently based in Mandal, on the south coast of Norway, and has been translating from Norwegian to English for the past 15 years. I invited her to share some of her story and she accepted with enthusiasm. Here’s what she had to tell.

Were you born in Mandal? Can you tell us a bit about where you are from?

I’m a British citizen and a permanent resident of Norway. I was born in Colne in Lancashire, but moved around quite a bit in the UK. I obtained an Honours Diploma in French, Spanish and Business Studies from Mid-Essex Technical College & School of Art in Chelmsford (now Anglia Ruskin University), and subsequently held administrative positions in the UK before mainly working overseas in Libya, Zambia and Spain. After some years in Norway, we relocated as a family to the US in 1982 when I was employed on a four-year contract with the US subsidiary of a Norwegian-owned company. After returning to Norway, I established a company offering tourist information, coordination of patient transport and translation services, and subsequently decided to concentrate on translation services and established my current company in 2008.

How did you arrive at translation as a profession?

I have always had an interest in languages. I gained translation experience at college, and I was able to practice my Spanish working for a British property company. I arrived in Norway with no knowledge of Norwegian and, without a work permit and with two small children, I had to learn by doing. Eventually, I obtained a position in the international marketing department of a consultancy firm, where my language skills proved useful. I have since passed the Chartered Institute of Linguists exam and obtained their Postgraduate Diploma in Translation. I took short courses in translation to and from Norwegian at the University of Bergen and passed their Advanced Test in Norwegian at the level of a native speaker. Additionally, I qualified as a member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting in the UK and I regularly attend CPD courses and webinars arranged by various translation associations.

What kind of projects have you worked on?

The first Norwegian to English project I worked on was as in-house translator for a consultancy firm and involved translating a university textbook on geographical information systems published by John Wiley & Sons in collaboration with the author, Tor Bernhardsen. I was not credited as the translator, but the translation received positive reviews. My first project as a freelance translator involved translating a series of articles related to causes of kidney poisoning for a medical researcher at a Brazilian medical centre. This was a pro-bono project, with a nominal payment of $5; however, I was credited as the Norwegian translator on the final report. One of my earlier paid projects was a scientific article for publication relating to fisheries for a senior research scientist at SINTEF, Trondheim. Projects for agencies have covered a wide range of subjects, but I eventually specialized in financial, legal and business documents, including annual reports and accounts, contracts and agreements. I can credit my past and present business experience and background for leading me in this direction. I have also translated and certified personal documents, birth certificates, university transcripts and the like.

How did you learn about SENSE and why did you decide to join?

I first became aware of SENSE on Facebook and was at the time considering moving on from translation to proofreading and editing, and I was also motivated by the fact that I did not feel any sense of belonging to larger international translation associations. I also hoped to be able to contribute in some way.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I am working at keeping my green plants alive, I enjoy cooking and am interested in Scandinavian vintage furniture and interior design. I tend to enjoy more intimate social gatherings, art and photography exhibitions, and regularly tune in to English language news channels, and enjoy listening to classical music and some pop music.

Do you read a lot? Can you recommend some books?

I used to read a lot of English and Norwegian literature, especially during my period of employment as the manager of a public library but have lapsed somewhat. Some Scandi Noir but also a variety of other authors – some in translation, such as Elena Ferrante. Nowadays, I tend to read more specialized publications, for example The Economist, and articles and blog posts on LinkedIn, as well as articles in Norwegian and English newspapers and magazines, and I listen to podcasts on various topics of interest.

The University of Amsterdam specifies what a special interest group (SIG) is for, stating that ‘Within a SIG, interested parties come together to exchange, develop and apply knowledge and experience. In doing so, a SIG focuses on expertise and networking around a specific theme.’ 

Currently, SENSE has ten SIGs that meet a few times a year in person or online. SIG meetings are open to SENSE members and non-members alike, and are announced on our SENSE events calendar.

This week I invite you to meet the Starters SIG and its conveners, Anne Oosthuizen (left in the photo) and Becky Tomas (right), who define this SIG as ‘a community of newcomers to SENSE and to the industry as a whole’.

I believe the Starters SIG began in 2020. Is this correct? How did it all start?

It all started during the SENSE Conference in 2020. I (Anne) had joined SENSE the year before and in 2020 I joined the Executive Committee as SIG and Social Events Coordinator. At the time I was approached via Zoom by Danielle Carter, who was equally fresh-faced and looking for other newcomers to the industry to bond with. As it turned out, we lived very close together in Amsterdam Oost and decided to meet up for drinks. We also invited Martina Abagnale, who was also new to SENSE and was being mentored by Jenny Zonneveld. The three of us really hit it off and decided, right there during that first meeting, to propose a new SIG. Being SIG coordinator, I had been toying with the idea of a SIG specifically for those starting out – mainly because I felt that some of the knowledge about the industry was sometimes a little dated and didn’t always benefit newcomers. Together, we came up with the concept of the Starters SIG as a platform for peer-to-peer learning and a safe space for horizontal knowledge sharing.

Can you describe your backgrounds and what made you volunteer as conveners?

Anne: In 2020, I had just finished my MA Linguistics: Translation in Theory and Practice at Leiden University. I was working as an in-house translator at AzTech, a technical translation agency, under the guidance of Ellen Singer. Martina was just starting out as a legal translator, and Danielle was coming at the language industry from a completely different angle: museum studies. All three of us were new to freelancing and to the industry as a whole, and found it extremely helpful talking about our respective obstacles with people who were going through the same thing – but sometimes ran into very different problems. So, we decided to expand our platform and formalize our collaboration. We had a good run, but when Danielle and Martina took a step back from the SIG’s activities, I found it hard to continue the Starters SIG on my own. However, I was reluctant to just let it go. The Starters SIG was kind of my baby. That’s why I was overjoyed when the current SIG and Social Events Coordinator, Becky Tomas, volunteered as co-convener at last year’s Professional Development Day (PDD). It’s been really lovely running the SIG together – I think we make a great team!

Becky: My story is quite different! Since immigrating to the Netherlands in 2012, I’ve been a freelance dance instructor (Lindy Hop, specifically), and I’ve been busy running a dance school in Rotterdam.

I had graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours degree in English Literature back in 1999, and although I had dabbled in editing and proofreading over the years, other work opportunities always seemed to come along. So, for quite a long time I did not pursue this avenue of interest.

Sitting at home during the Covid pandemic, with the dance school closed and not a lot to do, I decided this was the perfect time! I stumbled upon SENSE online, attended the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in 2023 and jumped into the role of SIG & Social Events Coordinator.

Anne and I met at the 2023 PDD, and the rest is history; the Starters SIG is going swimmingly!

What’s the main purpose of the Starters SIG?

The slogan of the SIG is ‘run by starters, for starters’. This SIG provides a safe space where members can network, share their experiences, and ask for tips and advice from their peers, who are all in the same boat (or may have just managed to clamber ashore). In addition to serving SENSE’s newer members, its aim is to support existing members who might be branching out into new territory. We also hope to attract potential new members to SENSE with our starter-geared topics and low-key vibe.

What kind of discussions or events are on the table?

In the past, we have organized meetings on finding clients, pricing your work, web design, and LinkedIn marketing. This year, Becky and I decided to approach the revival of the Starters SIG from a starting-point perspective: what would you want or need to know when you’re just getting started or have recently made a career switch? In upcoming meetings, we’ll cover money management, branding and rebranding, taxes, and more!

Can you walk us through some Starters SIG meetings?

The Starters SIG likes to organize meetings that aren’t strictly top-down, meaning that they are either guided group discussions or group discussions following a short, often interactive, presentation. During our meeting in February, business coach Miranda Apeldoorn spoke about finding your business focus. We had many fantastic contributions from the group and I think many of us came away feeling quite inspired.

In April, Martina Abagnale gave the talk ‘Money management with Martina’, on how freelancers like us can manage the money that comes in our bank account and what to do with it once we’ve earned it.

In our last meeting in July, Anne presented her talk ‘Personal branding: Lessons learnt through trial and (t)error’. For those who missed the talk about branding and marketing, you can read Linda Jayne Turner’s blog post about it.

Do you have plans for the future of the SIG?

Anne: We plan to keep up our regular meetings every two to three months.

Becky: We had our first meeting as conveners in Bagels & Beans in Leiden, and between mouthfuls of hummus we managed to plan events for an entire year. We’re really excited about our meetings and speakers. We can’t say too much, lest we ruin the surprise!

Are you good readers? What are you currently reading?

Anne: I am a terrible reader! As a book translator and editor, I do almost nothing but read all day and so I find it very hard to sit myself down with a book at the end of a long day. But I do want to, so I keep trying. Right now, I am simultaneously reading ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ by Bonnie Garmus, Johan Fretz’s ‘Met Vriendelijke Groet’, and ‘Wizard of the Crow’ by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o – and have been for ages.

Becky: I like to keep a fiction book and a non-fiction book on the go at the same time. I’m currently reading Jonathan Franzen’s ‘Purity’ (I’m a huge fan) and ‘Black and White Styles in Conflict’ by Thomas Kochman.

Written by: Claire Niven
Published: 23-09-2024

• Be precise when talking about identities.
• Replace harmful terms with more neutral language.
• Listen to how people describe themselves and if in doubt, ask.
• Keep learning!

On 6 July, I attended the SENSE Summer Social, which this year was held at the Hortus botanicus in Leiden, followed by lunch at Loetje Leiden. The event, organized by Becky Tomas, was a well-attended and enjoyable day exploring the multi-faceted gardens.

I was very excited to have an official tour of this historic garden, and to meet new colleagues. Though I joined SENSE several years ago, this was my first in-person event. I am a relatively new copy editor, and participating in a professional community where I can learn and grow is important to me.

On the rainy and windy Saturday morning, the sound of SENSE members and their partners greeting one another filled the glass house entrance hall of the Hortus botanicus. From the way people asked after each other’s families, it was clear that SENSE has facilitated many lasting friendships. This struck me particularly, as working for one’s self, as I do, is potentially isolating and lonely.

More than 40 people attended; I had never before been in the presence of so many language professionals at once. As a dedicated introvert, I found the noise and number of people to be a bit overwhelming. But my social anxiety was quickly put to rest by how welcoming and friendly people were. Throughout the day, multiple SENSE members approached me to introduce themselves and welcome me to the event and to the group.

Once everyone had arrived, we split into three groups and took guided tours of the gardens. The tour was very interesting and informative, and being in a smaller group allowed me to learn a little about some of the other members. I was impressed by the breadth of knowledge represented in our small group; many thought-provoking questions were asked of our guide, and some SENSE members were even able to provide additional information and context about the plants and the history of Leiden.

The Hortus botanicus, our guide explained, was established by the University of Leiden in 1590, less than 50 years after the world’s first botanical garden at the University of Padua in Italy. The garden’s layout have understandably changed as the garden has grown and evolved over 400+ years, reflecting the history of the Netherlands and Europe.

It seemed appropriate that a society of language professionals, hailing from different countries and with different backgrounds, would meet there, in a place that has represented since its founding the Dutch engagement with the rest of the world.

A relatively recent effort, completed in 2009, has restored the original garden as it would have been in 1590 under the prefecture of botanist Carolus Clusius. The original collection, intended to benefit the university’s medical students, housed both medicinal plants and those plants gathered from abroad by the Dutch East India Company – including the infamous tulip.

As we walked through the somewhat wild reconstructed garden, a few SENSE members commented that many of the plants grown there also grow in their own gardens across the North Sea in the UK. Dutch-speakers and English-speakers shared the plants’ respective common names, often finding similarities.

My reminder of home came in the form of the swamp cypress (Taxodium distichum); though not particularly notable, the tree is native to the southern United States, where I lived for a year (from my native California) before I moved to the Netherlands.

As it was a particularly windy day, we spent the largest part of our time in the glass house with the tropical plant collections. Though we’d sadly missed the smelly bloom of the Amorphophallus gigas (native to Sumatra), we were impressed by carnivorous pitcher plants, a giant elephant ear (Colocasia gigantea from Thailand), and the soft pink bloom of a giant water lily (Victoria amazonica from the Amazon rainforest).

As I looked around at the international group of SENSE members, I couldn't help but feel a kinship to the plants so lovingly cultivated and cared for by the botanists of the Hortus botanicus: we are most of us transplants ourselves, and have made the Netherlands our home and the source of our professional community.

The tour could have easily gone on all day, as we’d only viewed a fraction of the gardens. But as our bodies were tiring and our stomachs were hungry, I was happy to start the trek to Loetje Leiden, where three large banquet tables were waiting for us in a private room.

Over lunch, I had the opportunity to get to know my table mates as we chatted over cheese croquettes, a tasty goat cheese salad, and generous plates of sandwiches. The conversation was stimulating, ranging from the language profession to our personal life histories, to the best activities to do with children in the Netherlands.

Though I did not have the opportunity to visit with everyone, I was impressed by the obvious depth of knowledge of those SENSE members with whom I did visit. As a new editor, it was inspiring to meet so many who have not only made successful, longstanding careers in the language profession, but have also made the Netherlands their true home. I look forward to growing my own connections with this dynamic and welcoming group of people.

I made my very first subtitle in 1993 and I fell in love on the spot. Subtitle translation is such a wonderful mix of skills! After more than 30 years I still get a kick out of getting it exactly right. And that’s a lot more complicated than you might think…

I wrote my master’s thesis on subtitling, analysing the translation of humorous content in episodes of ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’ and ‘The Young Ones’. But even so I had only the faintest grasp of the ins and outs of subtitling before I started working as a subtitle translator. So what are all these skills you need in order to be good at this? Allow me to share the four most important ones.

First of all, you need to be able to condense because subtitles must be short. If you translate everything that’s said in the video, either your whole screen will be covered in words or you’d have to make titles that flash by too fast for viewers to read them. Reading will always be a slower brain process than listening; it’s almost a law of physics. So you condense, and you learn to put in the essence of the meaning.

Condensing sometimes involves tough choices. Here’s an example. A detective arrives at a crime scene and is told by his sergeant: ‘63-year-old male victim, died of multiple stab wounds, time of death approximately 11 o’clock, SOCO will be here in 20 minutes. Coffee?’ That took eight seconds. You could make two four-second subtitles here. That would give you four lines of about 30 characters each. The software indicates how many you can put in to stay within the reading speed. That’s not enough to translate everything, so what do you leave out? You could leave out the coffee because it comes last and all the viewers will hear it clearly, but that might have an annoying effect. You’ll need space to explain what SOCO is. With luck the image will show something useful, perhaps the stab wounds, so you might skip those. You’ll have to find out if the age of the victim is relevant; if not, you might skip that. And so on. If the speech is slow, you’re lucky, but fast speech means lots of condensing without losing the essence in translation.

This need to condense, incidentally, is why I soon learnt not to tell people I’m a subtitler. I got tired of defending my work and explaining the reading speed thing. So at parties, or when meeting old acquaintances, I would avoid the subject of my profession to keep them from going off on the usual tangent: ‘Oh, TV subtitles are awful! They never translate what is said! Even I could do a better job!’ Sure, sure. One time this strategy bit me in the ass because I lied and said I was a pastry cook. Turns out, so was the person I was talking to.

A second skill you need as a subtitle translator – perhaps obviously – is an absolute mastery of the two languages you work with. Having an extensive vocabulary at your fingertips means you can pick the shortest word or phrase for your subtitle translation. You rebuild sentences, cut them into bits to accommodate reading speed, and do it fast because there’s always a deadline!

Third, being able to work with the software because subtitling is quite technical. Learning to work with the software takes time. One second of footage has 25 frames and your job is to time each subtitle to synchronize with the spoken word, down to the frame: 1/25th of a second. The software helps you pinpoint when your subtitle pops up and when it disappears. It also tells you when you put too many characters into a title (so viewers won’t have enough time to read it), or if the line is too long to fit the screen.

When you work for a range of clients, you need to be aware of their different styles. For example, some clients want three-frame intervals between subtitles so the eye will perceive the change. Other clients absolutely forbid subtitles staying on across a shot change. Some allow two speakers in one subtitle with a hyphen to separate them, some don’t. Things like that.

And the fourth skill, while you do all this, is remembering the underlying principle of subtitles: they should be like glasses. They help you watch a movie, but you shouldn’t be aware of them all the time. Subtitles should be unprovocative and so easy to read that you almost forget they’re there.

Studies show that subtitles are a terrific language-learning tool, especially for people whose native tongue is a minority language. In the Netherlands, TV subtitles are more widely read than newspapers. Vast quantities of video material become accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing thanks to subtitling.

Sadly, a lot of subtitle translators need other work on the side, or some other source of income (like rich parents or a partner with a good job) to make ends meet. This is not a well-paid profession. Most video content producers put subtitling way at the bottom of their budgets – often less than 1%. Most viewers will accept shoddy subtitles as a fact of life – they’ll complain, but not to the network or the studio. I was lucky enough to be in permanent employment with a media company for the first 13 years of my subtitling career, but most subtitle translators I know are freelancers. On top of all this, I suspect there will be plenty of AI software and apps in the very near future that will replace human subtitlers.

So there you have it! A fantastic profession, important even, but sadly undervalued. Long may it live.

In October 2022, the translators and interpreters’ coach Simone van de Wijdeven published an article on peer coaching (Intervisie: verrijkend, humoristisch, verbindend) on the website of the Dutch Association of Interpreters and Translators (NGTV). Simone is a sworn French interpreter and translator who, after a 30-year-long career, realized that there was no Dutch platform where interpreters and translators could go to freely discuss the professional and personal circumstances of their work. This is why she created the platform Itsyou, where she offers training, individual coaching and peer coaching. In the following interview she focuses on those concepts and on what the Harvard Business Review calls ‘The Surprising Power of Peer Coaching’.

In Dutch, the term for peer coaching is intervisie, which is not a literal translation. Is there a difference between the two terms in your view? What is peer coaching?

Certainly. I think that the word ‘coaching’ is inappropriate where it concerns intervisie (intervision). Intervision is a way of sharing dilemmas you encounter in your work with colleagues. You support and advise each other to create insight into a particular problem and to find a solution together. Imagine that you are struggling with translating a word because the meanings in the source and target languages are not exact equivalents. This happens quite often in legal terminology. Assistant district attorneys have different responsibilities in the Netherlands than they have in France. How would you deal with this? Intervision is an excellent way of dealing with such an issue together with others. Intervision participants have something in common and try to find a solution together.

A coach focuses on helping the coachee, the person who has a request, with gaining insight into certain issues. Let’s say that you’re a translator, and you’re very much a perfectionist. That perfectionism has come from somewhere. Together with a coach, you explore the origins of this perfectionism and how you can deal with this. Like in the article ‘The surprising power of peer coaching’, the coach helps an individual. The coach always sees the coachee on a one-to-one basis and never as part of a group. In contrast, intervision takes place in groups.

When and why did you start offering peer coaching services?

I founded Itsyou Coaching two years ago. This stemmed from an intense desire to provide interpreters and translators with a platform where they can go to with questions about their work. What issues am I running into? What caused them? And especially: how can I deal with them? In our jobs, we’re continuously having to be self-reliant. Interpreters in particular must respond ad hoc when they are interpreting and find solutions for dilemmas they encounter. I believe collaboration means power. Why should all of us continue to struggle with questions on our own if there is an opportunity to learn from each other? My starting point is everyone’s inner resilience and drive to do the right thing. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable, being open-minded, listening to what others can teach you and, at the same time, being mindful of your own limits make you a stronger person. And someone who is strong is also able to cope better with challenges at work and in their private life. By organizing intervision sessions, I try to reach this goal.

Why is it important for translators and interpreters?

I think that it’s especially important for interpreters and translators because we work on our own. We have no immediate colleagues who we can turn to with questions that are bothering us. The strength of intervision is getting to know each other and hearing from each other how to also deal with issues that are not related to translation. Following a demanding interpreting session at a psychologist’s or at a police interview that really got to me, I took the emotions home with me. I had nobody to share those with. You are bound by your duty of confidentiality. And it is difficult for those at home to understand how those interpreting sessions affect you. In that case, it can be very helpful if you can let off steam to others in the same position. You feel that others hear what you are saying. And that alone reduces your stress.

I imagine that sessions might be different for translators than for interpreters. What can each expect?

Intervision of translators often focuses on language-specific issues. Intervision can be organized for language-specific groups or it can focus on cross-language issues. However, you notice that those translating into the same language are drawn to each other. There already is a certain relationship of trust. That is undoubtedly the case for certain languages, but then again not for all. The language-specific element is less important to interpreters. The issues here are more about dealing with a certain situation. Many situations give rise to stress. Sharing this in a group where members understand what you mean reduces stress.

What is your role as a coach and a trainer? Is there a difference between the two?

As a coach, I work with one coachee, a person with a coaching request. The request varies. One person may want to find out how they can deal with perfectionism or fear of failure, while someone else may want to prepare for an exam and learn interpreting skills. There are also many requests related to stress. Thus, I work just with the coachee. I support the coachee with gaining an understanding of where the issues stem from and, subsequently, provide tools to deal with them.

As a trainer, I don’t concentrate on the individual aspect, but stand in front of a group of 10 to 12 participants. And I have even had a group of 35 colleagues. I organize a workshop about a topic like stress, for example. During this workshop, I talk about what stress is, where it stems from and what the consequences are for the mind and body and about some of the possible solutions. After each bit of theory, I get the participants to complete a task that relates to themselves. The participants will then discuss the tasks in pairs. Where stress is concerned, these are often sensitive topics. People must allow themselves to be vulnerable. That is difficult in a large group; however, it is a safe environment when working in pairs. Afterwards, there is always the opportunity to reflect as a group.

Has your coaching experience been rewarding?

Yes, because each coaching programme or training course provides insights and offers the coachee or the training participant opportunities. In any case, you become aware of the things you do, often on autopilot. The training or coaching programme forces you to take a moment, to reflect. That allows you to do something with it. I had a coachee who wanted to change jobs. But he wasn’t sure what job he did want. Over the course of the coaching programme, he found out what he wanted to do. In the end, he managed to land his dream job.

Are you still working as a translator and interpreter? If so, what is your view on the current use of artificial intelligence in the world of translations?

I still work as an interpreter, but no longer as a translator. I want to stay in touch with interpreting to keep up with developments in the field. One of those developments is AI. I recently interviewed Marina Snoek. She is a Russian and Ukrainian interpreter. And she is a literary translator. In the podcast (see my Itsyou podcast De Tolk) she talks about how she uses AI for her translations. When she can’t find the right word, she uses AI to find synonyms. Each word has a subtle difference in meaning. She turned a threat, as many translators consider AI, into an opportunity. That is very clever. And I think that is how you should use AI.

I often hear translators say that they have less work. Translators now often receive texts that have already been translated and the client is asking them to post-edit these texts. That is not much fun, I am told, because it is no longer your translation. You are expected to improve a computer-generated translation. These translations are often of very poor quality and require many corrections. Whereas translators charge per word for their translations, they charge per hour for post-editing. These rates are much higher than the word rate, for example €90 per hour. If you work on a text that requires a lot of editing, you will soon have earned €2000. That is a positive side of it. I understand that it is difficult for translators to embrace AI, but when you are an entrepreneur, you must always try to convert threats into opportunities. Ask yourself the following questions: What else could you do using AI? How can you use it to your advantage? Perhaps you could even work within the AI sector to take care of the translations.

As far as interpreters are concerned, I think that AI may also play a role in the longer term. Using AI, the speaker can hear the translation of a question from the audience through an earpiece, for example, and vice versa. But I don’t think that it will have a negative effect in the very near future. Interpreting truly is a job best done by people. There are many more aspects to it than just translating. How do you deal with your emotions and with those of your clients? AI won’t be able to solve that for you. Interpreting involves feelings and understanding of the emotions. And we have not yet reached the stage where a robot can do all those things. People will continue to attract people. A robot will never be able to offer the literal and figurative warmth that a person has to offer.

I always like to know what people are reading. Have you read something interesting recently?

I love historical novels. I recently read ‘Grand Hotel Europa’ by Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer. It is a wonderful book about the European identity. ‘Het achtste leven: (voor Brilka)’ by Nino Haratischwili is another fantastic book. It tells the story of a Georgian family over the years. I really enjoyed this book. However, you must exercise some patience when reading it because the book has close to a thousand pages!

..............................................................................................

Acknowledgement

With thanks to editor and translator Monique Oude Luttikhuis (website: www.tuitionandtranslationservicesspalding.com; LinkedIn: monique-oude-luttikhuis), who translated the original text in Dutch into English.

Freelance editor, proofreader and translator Tyler Langendorfer (website: www.aegistranslations.com; LinkedIn: tlangendorfer) joined SENSE a few months ago. He is a native English speaker based in Berlin, Germany, but works in an astonishing number of languages including Dutch, French, German, Russian, Spanish, and Ukrainian. I reached out to him to know more about his background and about the key to mastering so many languages. Here’s what he said. 

Can you tell us a bit about where you are from and why you decided to settle in Germany?

I’m originally from New Hampshire in the US. I had long wanted to move to Berlin since I first visited the city in 2005 (this became my main motive for learning German), and around 2016 I finally managed to find a career that would eventually enable me to do so. When I first visited Berlin, I was really impressed by the urban landscape and the great views you could get from the above-ground train (S-Bahn) and became fascinated with its history – sombre in some respects, inspiring in others. In subsequent visits I was able to get a strong sense of what made the cultural scene and nightlife I had heard and read so much about so appealing. Since I moved to Berlin, one thing that has really stood out for me (and is perhaps its most underrated aspect) is the natural environment – there’s an abundance of lakes and parks within the city limits, and Berlin is notable for its biodiversity – not only when compared with other German cities, but with the entire country.

You have an MA in culture, policy and management, and a BA in English literature and in Spanish. Were these achievements conducive to permanent employment or were you willing to become a freelancer?

I’ve applied to some permanent positions in the past, but freelance work has always been my main focus. I’m sure every one of my degrees has helped me to some extent.

Can you describe the kind of projects you are working on?

Right now, I’m translating a non-fiction book for adolescents about robotics and current trends in science. I’m also editing a colleague’s translation of a novel before he sends it off to a publisher and I have been commissioned to translate a couple of poems by a Ukrainian poet.

Have you been to the Netherlands? How did you learn Dutch?

Yes, I spent a life-changing exchange semester abroad in Utrecht in 2005. I’ve been back to the Netherlands several times since then, including a one-month stay in 2021. I started learning to read Dutch about eight years ago (I only took a very basic course when I studied in Utrecht) using flashcards and a grammar book. As with most of my language combinations, my strength with Dutch lies in reading comprehension rather than in other areas, though I am working on improving my conversation skills.

Of all the languages that you master, which are your preferred ones? Why?

To be honest, that’s a difficult question to answer. A few years ago, I might have said German, French, and Russian, but over the past couple of years (during which I learnt to read Ukrainian) my preferences seem to have often been in flux. In general, there is a lot of parity among them. My appreciation for Dutch has continued to grow, and since there are a lot of Ukraine-related events happening in Berlin these days, Ukrainian (along with German) gets the most attention outside of work.

How did you learn about SENSE and why did you decide to join?

I first heard about SENSE when I saw online that another Dutch to English translator was a member. I hope to spend more time in the Netherlands in the future, and joining SENSE seemed like a good way to increase my connections with the country without having to relocate from Berlin.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I try to make time every day for reading books and studying languages, either improving the ones I can already read or learning new ones. Both hobbies are essential for my well-being. Learning languages is difficult, but I don’t consider it a chore. I also like to travel (preferably by train), attend talks, concerts and film showings, and I try to explore different parts of Berlin whenever I can.

I have a feeling that you are a good reader. Have you read something interesting recently?

That’s what I’ve been told. I just finished a book that I feel obligated to recommend despite its grim subject matter: ‘My Fourth Time, We Drowned’ by the journalist Sally Hayden. It’s about the gross human rights violations and tragedies that refugees (mostly African) have to endure as they attempt to make their way to Libya and across the Mediterranean, and how the immigration policies of the EU and its member states have only made the situation far worse. It’s a very brave book that draws attention to the plight of people who are increasingly the focus of demonizing rhetoric.