The Linguist

@CIOL_Linguists SUMMER 2024 The Linguist 9 FEATURES although it is often overlooked in favour of translation skills mentoring. In guiding my business mentees, the process begins with identifying specific career development goals that they aim to achieve. We go over business skill enhancement in various areas, for example efficient project management, as these skills are crucial for handling multiple assignments and meeting deadlines. In my experience, understanding the basics of marketing and branding is fundamental. This includes maintaining a professional online presence, showcasing expertise and effectively communicating our value to potential clients. I also teach that building good relationships with clients by responding promptly to inquiries and setting clear expectations can contribute to a steady workload in the long run. Sharing knowledge about pricing strategies, invoicing, insurance, contracts and continuous professional development helps me reinforce and expand my own understanding of these aspects of the work and keeps me updated on current trends. Things have changed a lot since I first started! Linguists new to the profession bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas, so it is a win-win situation for both of us. I use a fixed-term approach to business mentoring because it brings specific benefits. As mentees gain new skills, the structured learning timeline allows them to focus on acquiring targeted knowledge and skills within the defined time period. This motivates them to prioritise what they want to learn in the number of sessions agreed, contributing to a more manageable and organised mentoring journey. Reciprocal mentoring While sharing knowledge and expertise is rewarding, my career eventually reached a point where I sought more focused development. I have been logging my CPD for years, but I felt that I needed to reflect more on my development and give it direction. Active participation in various professional organisations and networks made me realise that colleagues often have similar business experiences, allowing us to share our goals and support each other. This realisation led to a mentoring partnership with my colleague Kate, an experienced translator working from Polish, German and Finnish into English. We meet quarterly online because she lives in Finland and I live in England. Our specialisms differ: Kate works with medical and literary texts, while I mainly work in business and legal sectors. We aim to give our CPD direction and boost our commitment to diversifying our skills, updating our knowledge and adapting to changes in the market. Through this reciprocal arrangement, I am exposed to more information and ideas, which helps me plan my CPD to enable career growth. It also enhances my confidence in what I am doing. There is a sense of friendly accountability for the set goals. Having regular catch-ups and knowing what each other is doing (e.g. our specialisms) increases the chance of referrals and expands our professional network. We use the opportunity to share our frustrations too, but the meetings are generally positive. Kate and I are both in a similar situation – neither of us lives in a country where our target language is spoken. This makes it challenging to maintain a native level of proficiency in the language. I was struggling with this a bit. Kate, on the other hand, reads a lot and attends various book clubs. As a busy mum running a translation practice, I found it difficult to commit to daily reading, which is necessary to maintain the required level of proficiency. Kate suggested trying audiobooks and it was a game-changer for me. Now, I listen to Polish books while travelling to interpreting assignments, accompanying my children to sports activities, doing school runs, tidying the house, folding laundry and cooking. I've even expanded my playlist to include true crime, news, current affairs and lifestyle podcasts. Thanks to this regular immersion, I have been able to remember words and phrases I had forgotten, or not used for a while, and I've also learnt new slang and COLLABORATION In a traditional mentoring set-up an experienced professional supports a mentee, but reciprocal arrangements can be equally valuable oring – a sort of supportive partnership – can help with nt, motivation and accountability. By Agata McCrindle to lean on

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