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The days when translation used to be a hassle are gone! Thanks to an increasingly connected world and technology innovations, translation has become hassle-free. Still, productivity can be further increased considering the following 5 tools for translators.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is one of the most popular social networks, which is almost exclusively used for business networking purposes. Especially in the translation industry, LinkedIn has become an important channel for socializing. Translators swap know-how in different groups and connect with potential customers. In this context LinkedIn profiles are likely to be used as a digital substitute for business cards and represent your personal digital CV. Hence an updated and meaningful LinkedIn profile is vital. Here are some hints to pimp your LinkedIn profile:

  • Customize your public profile URL Use a clean URL (http://www.linkedin.com/in/yourname) rather than a generic one consisting of confusing numbers and letters. This helps you to appear even more professional!
  • Add a background image Adding a background image can make your profile more personal. It’s great to use a picture which underlines your personality. Just bear in mind that LinkedIn is a professional network when selecting an image.
  • SEO Search engine optimize your profile by considering keywords you want to get found for when setting up your profile page. Simply add them to different sections, e.g. your personal summary.
  • Be personal It’s recommendable to permit others to see who you are when you’re browsing their profiles. Just enter your ‘Privacy and Settings’ page and hit ‘Select what others see when you've viewed their profile’ in your profile settings. Now you can allow others to view your name and headline.

For a complete guide to optimize your LinkedIn presence check out our beginner’s guide to LinkedIn for translators.

Buffer

It’s all about self marketing! There are many translators out there so make sure you’re the one catching the jobs. Social networks are an important channel to promote yourself in the digital world. Managing several social media accounts can be time-consuming. Buffer is a great tool that helps you to streamline self marketing. Here’s a short list of extremely useful Buffer features:

  • Pablo Images make your published articles even more appealing. Pablo is a great tool to create stunning images in less than 5 minutes. The browser extension helps to import images of any website to Pablo at the push of a button.
  • Feedly Via the Feedly browser extension articles you read on other websites can be added to your Buffer queue. The tool combination makes sharing extremely convenient!
  • Schedule retweets Use Buffer to retweet others’ tweets anytime you want to. Simply schedule them at your preferred time and Buffer will do the rest.

All the smartphone enthusiasts among us, I can totally recommend Adobe Post to pimp your images. The best about it - the app is free to download!

lingohub

Lingohub

Lingohub is a localization management hub both, translators and software providers, benefit from.

  • Powerful translation tools Translate more efficiently by using the online editor, translation memory, translation shortcuts and many more.
  • Never miss any translations Email notifications keep you up to date. You’ll never miss any translations. Lingohub is your personal reminder.
  • In-app communication Comments and screenshots make lots of communication needs surplus. Clients provide you with the ultimate context information so you can completely focus on translation.
  • Personal support Besides a comprehensive documentation, the support team helps you whenever needed.

Feedback from other translators shows that Lingohub is a joy to use. They ultimately speeded up the translation process and reduced average translation time by more than 60%. Maybe I’m a little biased, but Lingohub is definitely worth a try. So grab your 14 days free trial! :)

Trello

Busy people need to manage their tasks! Task management tools, like Trello, help you to overview your tasks. You can create unlimited boards, lists, cards and invite as many participants as you want to for free. Translators working on various projects of different size, company etc. can easily get lost in a flood of tasks. With Trello you won’t lose track of your activities and can schedule your timeline. Here are some hints to get the most out of Trello:

  • Plan your weeks with daily lists Trello can be the ideal weekly planner. You only need to set up lists for every day. Additionally use different colored labels for different tasks. Label your tasks for example by client or language they need to be translated to and you’ll always keep the overview. With the free mobile app on your smartphone Trello can become your weekly calendar.
  • Integrate the Kanban Method Another way to organize your Trello board is the Kanban system. Organize your workflow with lists, like “To Do”, “Current Tasks” and “Done”. This method can be helpful for a long term translation project/cooperation with a specific client.
  • Use keyboard shortcuts Try Trello’s keyboard shortcuts and you’ll see it’s even easier to use. Trello offers a comprehensive overview of all shortcuts.

Toggl

Working on different projects/translations is a translator’s daily life. It can be tricky to manage your tasks and keep track of the time you’ve spent working on a specific project for a specific company. Excel lists used for time recording are definitely out of date. Time tracking tools, like Toggl, are more convenient and boost your efficiency. Toggl is free for small teams up to 5 and offers unlimited projects. Here’s a short list of tips so you’ll get the most out of Toggl:

  • Connect time tracking and task management Integrate the Toggl timer into other tools via the Toggl Button Chrome Extension. That way you can integrate it for example into Trello and track the time you’re working on specific tasks.
  • Track time everywhere Download the Android or iOS app for free, so you’ll have your time tracking tool with you, no matter if you’re working at the office, at home or elsewhere.
 

Any tools missing that are already part of your everyday translation process? Let us know in the comments!
→ http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/23454/The-Ultimate-Cheat-Sheet-for-Mastering-LinkedIn.aspx
https://blog.bufferapp.com/the-10-most-useful-buffer-features-for-a-more-powerful-social-media-presence
https://trello.com/shortcuts

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