Season’s Greetings from KYW

Given the kind of year this one has been, you would be hard pressed to find someone not making a comment – or two – about it. Believe us, we tried. Which is why we have decided to break with what has become the typical 2020 modus operandi, and not delve too deeply.

Yes, this has been quite the year, one like no other. It has been hard on many, tragic for some. But we would hate to make our last post of the year all about that pain, and that hardship.

That would be too sad, and not our style.

Yes, it was anything but easy. We have had to learn to live and deal with a completely new reality, and to adapt our lives to it, both on a personal level, and on a professional one too. KYW here being a living example of that very process.

But there have also been good things. Positive changes. New opportunities.

And we would like to focus on that.

Our community has grown, more than we could have imagined, and we have welcomed new members from all corners of the world, including some that we were not yet even planning to visit. It has been an exciting transformation, and you have all contributed to making the Know Your Worth course richer, and more dynamic. We have had to compensate for taking so much of it online, and find new ways of doing many things, but we feel like we rose to the challenge, and – thanks to you – were able to succeed. Needless to say, none of this would have been possible without your help, your trust, and your support, and for that we are eternally grateful.

Thank you for trusting us with your time, and your energy – we all know that traditional laws of physics don’t apply online – and thank you for being with us every step of the way.

We have learned much, and worked hard, and now we have come to the time where we can all enjoy some well-deserved rest.

Raise a glass, have something sweet, and let us all meet again in the new year. And please remember, you have been there for us, and KYW will always be there for you.

Happy holidays,

The KYW Team

An Unexpected Christmas Gift in an Unprecedented Year!

This year, the Troublesome Terps invited me to be a guest on their podcast (tagline: The podcast about things that keep interpreters up at night) – and what fun we had!

The four Terps themselves come from all walks of life: three freelancers, one staff interpreter for an international organization, two researchers. All speak English, though not all are native speakers. And their podcast talks about all things interpreting.

This year, their episodes discussed starting out as an interpreter; how to deal with bullying; issues of mental health in interpreting; interpreting in conflict zones; new ways of working as interpreters; websites for interpreters; taking care of our voice, body and mind; tech for interpreters; and meeting the American Translators Association – as well as an episode on the Know Your Worth: Understanding Marketing and Negotiating for Interpreters seminar by yours truly.

Just to be chosen to be on the podcast is great! You can see from the non-exhaustive selection I just mentioned that the guests broaden our knowledge and topics of conversation. And the ability to get the Know Your Worth conversation out to a wider audience was fantastic.

But this year, they held their first ever Episode of the Year and Guest of the Year contest, based on votes from their listeners – and the Know Your Worth episode won both categories!

I knew the podcast was still being listened to – my interpreting students periodically ask me to explain an expression in English, or to write out the Big Mac jingle… But the episode obviously brought all the interpreter listeners information they could use, and that could help them – especially during this crazy year.

So I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Troublesome Terps for inviting me, and to the listeners for voting!

If you liked this article, please connect with me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliapoger/ – and we can continue the conversation!

To listen to the KYW episode of the podcast, please go here.

To listen to The Troublesome Terps, please go here.