Why should we help our competitors? – On giving and receiving constructive feedback

Why on earth should we help our competitors by giving them constructive feedback when we revise their translations? Will we not put up obstacles on our own road to success and the big bucks by helping the competition? In this webinar about the relationship between translator and reviser, you will learn how everyone involved can benefit from a collaborative approach.

In one hour, you will learn the advantages of helping your fellow translators out by pointing out areas of improvement, and how you can advance your own career in the process, for instance by becoming the go-to person at your favorite translation agency. You will get hands-on tips on how to revise translations in a way that helps you increase your own as well as the translator’s knowledge – for your own good, for the translator, and for the business as a whole.

After this session, you will have a set of strategies for giving constructive feedback when revising other people's translations, and for when you receive feedback from revisers on your own work.





A couple of voices on this presentation as it was given on ProZ.com 2016 International Conference in Stockholm:


"Robin's presentation about giving and taking feedback was one of my personal highlights during the ProZ conference. He mentioned several good points when it comes to reviewing and what kind of criticism can help a translator to develop and improve their work quality."

Erik Hansson, DE-SV translator and founder of the Facebook group Things Translators Never Say




"Many useful tips! My favorite was the practical example of how to give feedback to translators in a structured way. I put it to practical use within a few days and find it very helpful in my work."

Maria Drangel, EN-SV translator




"Death and taxes are not the only certain things in life. Irate reactions to criticism, be they deserved or not, also seem to be the norm. Robin shows how counterproductive this is, cheek in tongue, knife to jowl, and having been on the receiving end of his thoughtful critique and having reacted quicker to it than the Terminator, I found and still find true collaboration between translator and reviewer thoroughly disarming, although I still itch to raise an eyebrow and wheeze 'He’ll survive' after having dealt an unusually heavy blow to the impertinent truthsayer. Go and listen yourself to his philosophy. If nothing else, you will have learnt to save ammo for the truly hard nuts."

Roger Sjölander, EN/DE-SV translator


"Robin gave an entertaining talk about handling feedback and practically proved his experience in the field by professionally dealing with his audience. My feedback: Highly recommendable."

Thomas Brennecke, EN/FR-DE translator and interpreter

Everyone that at one time or another find themselves revising a substandard translation or that at one time or another get to hear that their translations are substandard.

To purchase your seat at this session please click on the "buy" button. Available slots are limited and will be assigned to registered and paid participants as soon as payment is reported. Early payment is advised in order to secure participation. Allow some time for payment processing if you are paying by wire transfer.

After your payment is received, your status will be changed to “registered and paid” and your spot for the session will be secured. An invoice and receipt of payment will be sent to you for your records.

How do I access the online platform?

72 hours before the webinar takes place, you will receive an invitation to join the session. Please, click the registration link or button provided in the invitation email and complete the registration form.

For PC-based Users:

• Required: Windows 7 – Windows 10
• Required: Google Chrome v39 or later; Mozilla Firefox v34 or later; Internet Explorer v8 or later (JavaScript™ and Java™ enabled)
• Required software: GoToWebinar desktop app; JavaScript enabled
• NOT required: Microphone - attendees can communicate with the trainer through incorporated chat.

• Internet Connection Required: 1 Mbps or better (broadband recommended)
• Recommended: 2GB or more of RAM (recommended)


For Mac®-based Users:

• Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) – 10.11 (El Capitan)
• Required: Microsoft Edge; Apple Safari v6 or later
• Required software: GoToWebinar desktop app; JavaScript enabled
• NOT required: Microphone - attendees can communicate with the trainer through incorporated chat.

• Internet Connection Required: 1 Mbps or better (broadband recommended)
• Recommended: 2GB or more of RAM (recommended)

Join from Android

• Operating system: Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or later
• Internet connection: 3G connection or better (WiFi recommended for VoIP audio)
• Software: Free GoToWebinar App from the Google Play Store



Recommendations

• For the visual section of the training course, we recommend that you have a 64kbps link. This means using an ISDN line or Broadband. Wireless connection is NOT recommended.
• For the audio section of the training course, we recommend that you have a headset or speakers.
• We recommend that you log in 30 minutes in advance of the start time to prepare for the training course.

Courses will be open half an hour before the start time. Please login before the start time to ensure that everything on your system is working correctly.

 Robin Joensuu    View feedback | View all courses

Bio: Robin Joensuu is an English into Swedish translator mainly working in the fields of IT, telecom, marketing, and engineering. He holds a Master of Arts in Literature, Culture and Media (Lund University), and has studied various additional university courses in different ways related to his line of work. As primary reviewer for a major virtualization software company, and later as an in-house vendor for a renowned American IT company, where he spent his days pointing out translators’ mistakes as diplomatically as possible, Robin has collected a set of strategies that he more than willingly shares. Web site: http://www.swedish-translator.com/