Podcasts for Translation and Localisation Professionals

Podcasts about translation and linguistic that will improve your career

Being able to navigate your way in an industry as vast as the translation and localisation industry in the beginning stages of your career can feel overwhelming. After all, having impeccable language skills is only half the battle in being successful in the profession. With the rising demand for languages in many fields, the translation and localisation industry has now become a $38 billion dollar industry, and is growing at a fast rate. Having a grasp on the business side of the industry can have a powerful impact on the way language professionals advance in their careers.

Luckily, there are resources available to translation and localisation professionals to shed light on the industry’s sea of opportunities and challenges that aren’t limited to articles, books and blogs. Globally Speaking and Way With Words are two recommended podcasts whose programs I hold in high regard.

Globally Speaking

Renato Beninatto and M.W. Stevens, two localisation experts that have many years working in translation and localisation, host Globally Speaking. The program is designed to help language professionals market themselves in the international market and spread awareness on tactics that can be of use in the industry.

Episodes typically have featured guests and experts from all walks of the translation industry, varying from literary translation to more technical translation. A range of topics are covered such as global branding, yearly job projections, and localisation beyond borders.

Programming is usually scheduled twice a month in segments between 15 and 30 minutes.

Way With Words

When assigned tasks or projects, translators are typically asked to translate into the language they are most proficient, preferably their mother tongue. As a translator that translates into English as the target language, I would come across the myth that having a good grasp on grammar, vocabulary and self-study in my second language would serve as adequate to be a successful professional in the industry. With this myth in mind, failure to keep myself sharp in my mother tongue was a trap I could easily be lured into.  I would argue that you can never be too prepared in your own language, which is what attracted me to the podcast, Way With Words.

If you are a translator that translates into English as the target or source language, Way with Words, could be a podcast of interest. The program is co-hosted by Martha Barnette, a former reporter and editorial writer, and Grant Barrett, a linguist and lexicographer with years of experience in the writing and editing industry. The one-hour show mainly consists of callers from all around the United States that inquire about words or phrases and their origins. Martha and Grant respond to these inquiries with concise, detailed information on the history and evolution of these adages. Other conversations on the show include political jargon, slang, word puzzles, games and trivia questions, books on linguistics, information on grammar, syntax and dialects, along with new words and phrases in pop culture and other professional industries.

Translation is not exactly the focus of this podcast, but linguistic connections found through language families other than English are discussed from time to time. With over half-million listeners, it can be heard weekly via podcast around the globe. Way With Words is a great way to stay fresh in English if you’re on the go, and can be useful to translators and their practice.

Concluding Thoughts

Both podcasts have been instrumental in helping navigate the business and technical side of my career. Taking just a couple hours out of the week to listen and apply the information given in both programs may be the ingredient to launching your translation career in the right direction.