Translation management

The Best Translation Blogs Every Translator Should Follow

We searched the internet for the best translation blogs every translator should follow, and here are our ultimate favorites.
Translation management blog category featured image | Phrase

What are the core requirements for a successful translation career? Undoubtedly, command of the source and the target language. Furthermore, good style and familiarity with both the culture of the language you translate from as well as the pitfalls of our own culture.

Nevertheless, translation is about more than just rendering the meaning of text from one language to another. There are many difficulties that lie in waiting for a fresh translator—as this job is business like many others. Every translator should be aware of what to expect.

What are the benefits of CAT tools? How does a software localization tool work? How do you make the most of networking in the language service industry? To get answers to all questions you may have and boost your career as a translator, we've compiled a list of the best translation blogs to follow now.

ProZ.com Blog

Proz.com is the world’s largest community of language professionals. Counting over 1M users, the platform aims to support translators through networking, job opening boards, and discussion forums. Their blog is a great resource for experienced translators who want to further their skills and grow their careers as freelancers. It provides insight into questions such as how to make the best of CAT tools or topics such as rare or endangered languages across the world. Readers can also find a lot of handy business tips around freelancing, collaborating with translation agencies, and finding new clients.

Slator

Co-founded by Florian Faes and Andrew Smart, seasoned translation and media professionals, Slator is a treasure trove of the latest news in machine translation, language industry trends, translation studies, and the rising stars in translation services. The blog is ideal for any language professional who wants to gain a well-rounded understanding of how the industry works and what innovations new language service providers (LSPs) bring to the table. Readers can also find information on the latest research, policies, and language regulations across the world.

Translators without Borders

Translators without Borders is a US-based, not-for-profit organization that aims to remove language barriers from critical humanitarian and international development efforts. Their blog puts great emphasis on the humanitarian aspect of translation, for example, how translation chatbots can help people in the Democratic Republic of Congo obtain information on Covid-19 or how translation can help prevent sexual exploitation. The website is a great resource for anyone looking to enter the world of international development or get a better understanding of how language services can support humanitarian efforts worldwide.

Comtec Translation Blog

The Comtec Translation Blog centers on the use of translation as a marketing tool for business growth. Its B2B content is primarily aimed at business leaders who are looking to solve real-life problems through improved communications and marketing strategies. Their contributions may also be interesting for translators who want to understand the needs, challenges, and behaviors of customers. Some of the commonly covered topics revolve around developing effective internal communications strategies for employee engagement, building sound international marketing strategies, or increasing customer engagement through marketing translation.

Training for Translators

Founded in 2006 by Corinne McKay, translator and author of the book “How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator,” Training for Translators is a great resource for beginner translators who are looking to break into translation and hone their business skills as a freelancer. The blog promotes courses and masterclasses on different translation and interpretation niches while also sharing insider tips on marketing yourself and finding clients. Courses and webinars on legal and medical translations sit alongside tips on networking and diversifying your freelance business (for example, through copywriting).

Lingualinx

A translation and localization service provider, Lingualinx’s blog is primarily aimed at businesses and language enthusiasts who want to learn the nuances between different language translations. Readers can find interesting facts about the influence the Arabic language has had on other languages across the world and then read about how to localize global digital marketing campaigns. Anyone who wants to go beyond the technicalities of translation and learn more about how language impacts business performance will find this blog to be a valuable resource.

The DayBlog

DayTranslations is a professional translation agency, and its blog addresses a range of topics, from the importance of subtitling and transcreation to destination highlights and local cultural curiosities across the world. The blog is suitable for established translation professionals who want to keep up with the latest trends in the industry as well as business leaders who are contemplating expansion and want to adjust their brand messaging. Visitors can find sections on medical and courtroom interpretation, video game and mobile app localization, as well as general insights on art and history.

eMpTy Pages

The personal reflection space of Kirti Vashee, a seasoned language and IT industry professional, eMpTy Pages is a great resource for translators interested in technology. The author and other commenters share detailed opinions on localization management, translation management systems, and machine translation. They also present different points of view on the state of the translation market as well as its challenges and opportunities. For example, they call on a better use of machine translation to improve business outcomes and a smarter implementation of new technologies to make the most of translation and localization projects.

Tomedes Translator's Blog

Tomedes is a global language service provider. Its translator hub deals with a variety of topics that would interest individuals and businesses alike. From articles on individual language curiosities to detailed guides on developing a localization strategy or building a multilingual website, the Tomedes Translator’s Blog is a well-rounded resource for everything language-related. The LSP provides other adjacent services such as proofreading, transcription, and content writing, so readers can also come across content addressing SEO, video acting, and transcription tips.

About Translation

About Translation was founded by Riccardo Schiaffino, translator and lecturer at University of Denver University College. The author discusses the latest updates in CAT tools, reviews tools that may be of use to translators, and brings forward interesting discussions around machine translation, interpreting, and business challenges for translators. Schiaffino also doesn’t shy away from exposing spam emails or dodgy offers he receives in an effort to educate other translators and protect the profession. Since the articles are Schiaffino’s personal reflections, readers will benefit from his authentic and honest voice throughout.

My Words for a Change

My Words for a Change is the personal blog of Nikki Graham MA, veteran translator and localization professional. As a member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting, she often provides insight into different types of qualifications for translators to further their  career. Other practical advice on purchase orders for freelancers, grammar, punctuation, and academic translation makes this blog stand out from others. Regardless of whether you’re just joining the party or have been in the translation business for a while, Graham’s voice is always refreshing and inspiring.

Cultures Connection

Cultures Connection is a translation and localization agency whose blog is focused on topics related to learning foreign languages, different forms of interpreting, as well as translation studies. The blog is dedicated to translators and interpreters, although there’s a lot of valuable content for localization professionals and anyone else simply interested in learning another language. Interpreting in conflict zones, video game localization, and SEO are just some of the topics discussed, so you’re guaranteed to learn something new each week. The agency caters to students and beginner translators as well as offering practical career and translation tips.

PoliLingua

PoliLingua has a wide scope of services, from translation and localization to voiceovers, transcriptions, and multilingual SEO. These topic clusters are also reflected in their blog that will appeal to language professionals as well as businesses trying to decide on their translation service provider. Apart from highlighting their own successes and updates, they publish content on localization, challenges with translating specific language pairs, and building multilingual social marketing campaigns. Readers can stay abreast of upcoming translation events or the latest localization blunders they should avoid in their own work.

Welocalize

Welocalize is a US-based global localization and content transformation agency. Their blog tackles topics such as how to localize multimedia content, the use of AI in localization and translation services, business expansion, and natural language processing in digital content. The blog could also be of interest to localization and translation professionals who want to learn more about the industry itself and the challenges that business clients are looking to solve. Some of the gems you can uncover there are the future of translation technology, the latest trends in digital marketing, as well as diverse data protection laws and regulations.

Trusted Translations

The Translation Blog by Trusted Translations aims to help businesses define the right translation and localization strategy for their products or services. Business leaders and executives who are looking to expand into new markets will find contributions on topics such as choosing the right translation agency, the challenges and opportunities of machine translation, translating a website, or making the most of transcription services. The blog also looks at questions relevant to language professionals such as how to avoid translation inconsistencies and how to ace legal translations.

Gengo

Gengo is a crowdsourced translation service with a presence in the US, UK, and Japan. Their blog addresses both translators who want to hone their skills and business leaders looking for industry insights. Topics for translators include common translation mistakes across different language pairs, the best collaboration and networking platforms, and tips on how to improve speed and accuracy in translation projects. When it comes to businesses, readers can learn about best practices in global ecommerce, developing a globalization strategy, and things to look out for when choosing a translation vendor.

The Acolad blog

Acolad is a language service provider striving to help businesses accelerate their international development by erasing borders and limitations. Their blog offers many interesting notes on translation management and technology, tips and tricks for translators, as well as interviews and guest articles on topics that translators deal with on a daily basis: how to reduce costs in the translation process, use cases for machine translation, what affects translation quality, how to localize elearning content, etc.

Speakt

Speakt is a great all-rounder resource, bringing you insightful information from top industry professionals on all things translation. It addresses the interests of both translators and those who want to up their translation game or just stay up to date on the latest technology in the industry. The blog also offers well-researched, deep-dive articles on various topics from the business world, most notably entrepreneurship, and SaaS innovation.

Crisol Translations

Crisol Translation Services writes content for SaaS companies, SEO enthusiasts, marketing translators, and lovers of Linguistics. Their blog encompasses a collection of insightful articles—the most popular ones touch on topics like transcreation, multilingual SEO, marketing localization, skills worth developing as a translator, and curious linguistic facts like the “voseo” phenomenon in Latin America. Crisol's blog offers academic insights, practical tips, industry developments, interviews, and guest articles from various experts.