What’s the recipe for a good book (about creativity)?

 

Ask a publisher and they’ll probably say you need a fascinating topic, an original angle and an attractive layout. Plus, it must be well written and inspiring to read. And these are the very ingredients for Volume 2 of my book 'La créativité liée au vélo – Bike-inspired creativity' (out now!).

How do you create great content? Each day, for more than 20 years, my job has been to provide an answer to this question for my clients. And I’ve applied the same formula to a pet project of mine: velosophy.

Nine years ago my love of cycling and creativity led me to launch my blog https://velosophe.be/. Week after week I publish posts about incredibly creative bikes and it’s proved to be a winning formula. To date, I’ve published over 250 posts, given talks on the subject, put together exhibitions of extraordinary bikes and just published my second book.

An adventure in creative publishing

 “I believe a title is first and foremost a promise of what’s to come”

Naturally, mention creativity and people understandably expect something quite special. To meet these expectations, every detail counts, from the writing to the choice of paper, the translation and the layout. And it’s vital they all come together as a coherent whole.

Creative translation

As in Volume 1, the articles in the second book are all bilingual (French and English), which was quite the challenge considering my reputation for wordplay and the odd touch of humour. Two amazing translators – Moira Bluer (technical) and Alison Hughes (creative) – joined forces to make it happen.

“This project was completely different from the kind of jobs I usually take on because of the freedom Pascal gave us to ‘play’ with his source texts in order to make the English version as lively and creative as the French, and even introduce wordplay where possible. You’re entering the realms of ‘transcreation’, which is a long way from a translation that stays as close as possible to the original. Here you need to convey the message while retaining the flavour (or spirit) of the original. You can give free rein to your imagination,” Moira says

“Pascal is the master of wordplay. Unlike some authors, his plays on words are not just there to show off, they’re really clever in the context. Sometimes they can’t be replicated in the English and we’re lucky that he lets us create our own if we see the opportunity to use English ones elsewhere. The titles are a great example. Sometimes they take a bit of thinking out and I need to use a thesaurus in both languages and other Google searches to find synonyms and rhyming words,” Alison adds.

There was a huge amount of communication between the two translators, resulting in some great flashes of inspiration, such as the one below (see the title):

 

“It takes time to do this kind of job well. Inspiration can strike immediately or it can take days. The highlight of this project? That sweet ‘oh, yes’ moment when you finally figure out a nice solution to a linguistic problem,” Moira concludes.

"Working on a project like this gives you the confidence to be more creative in other jobs"

(Moira Bluer)

Creative layout

For the layout I worked with a friend (a distant relative, in fact). “It’s not every day you get the opportunity to create the layout for a 180-page book from start to finish,” Brigitte Foissac tells me. “The challenge was to try to use my creativity on every double-page spread to ensure the layout echoed (and did justice to) the ingenuity of each of the bike inventors. I had to think long and hard about it and try to highlight one specific feature of each creation, without having the luxury (unfortunately) of being able to spend three hours on every page.”

Brigitte very much enjoyed the process but did mention the intricate nature of the task. “You need to pay attention to every single detail. I’d very much like to repeat the experience and continue to work with all types of media, moving away from the digital world from time to time.”

What was particularly motivating and enjoyable about this project was the creative input from all sides – the subject matter of course, but also the content and translations. It’s really stimulating to find yourself in an environment where the ideas are flowing freely and you can pick up on lots of details. For inspiration, I always begin a creative graphic project by reading and looking for ideas and concepts everywhere I can. With this one, I had (almost) everything right in front of me!

Print to impress

The final stage is printing the book. Not every paper grade is equal and the weight you choose can have a huge impact on the underlying costs, such as shipping charges.

“The paper chosen must set off the quality of the photos and illustrations while ensuring the book is easy to read,” says Fabienne Naumann-de Morteuil, sales manager at Graphius. “Nowadays, we have less and less paper in our daily lives. So, when it comes to printing books, our primary concern is that the reader must want to touch the paper and enjoy it as something special!”

As you can see, this project was very much about teamwork. In addition to the contributors mentioned above, I would also like to thank the photographers Kévin Zoso and Michel Evrard, and my friend Jacques Bodard for his invaluable help in filming the video for the crowdfunding campaign.

 

Looking for an unusual Christmas gift?

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COPING WITH COVID

We saw it coming but it was still a shock. 

After watching other countries succumb to the novel coronavirus, the UK finally went into lockdown on 23 March. I still had some work to finish so was kept busy for the first two weeks. Suddenly it seemed as though the country had shut down, everyone was putting their feet up and I wasn’t getting a chance to join the party.

Then my work run out and I had permission to press the stop button, which I did and promptly went into a deep coma. I was exhausted.

I’m normally pretty motivated. I’m not a procrastinator. And yet suddenly I found myself sitting on the sofa in my PJs at 10am staring out at our beautiful view with some programme spewing Corona facts at me from the TV.

                                                                  Sunshine at last

This was not some deep depression. I was enjoying every minute of it. As a bonus, the sun was shining after many weeks of rain. I could have been on holiday in the Med (well, technically speaking I couldn’t but that was how it felt).

Now,  I’m not someone who has to be constantly busy, takes on too much work and too many other things and is permanently exhausted. I don’t deal with stress very well so I keep my activities to a minimum, enjoy a glass of wine after a long day and lose myself in home improvement programmes on the TV.  So why was I so tired?

Quite apart from the emotional stress of the situation that was unfolding worldwide, I realised that even with keeping everything to a minimum, my life had still been pretty busy. I wasn’t in a high-powered job with constant travelling or setting myself ambitious mental of physical challenges but I had reached the limit of my own mental and physical load.

When running a business you don’t often switch off. I was still checking my emails and reading social media posts in the evenings. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram don’t close at 5pm and there were interesting opportunities to be found, information to read and, after a day at the computer, it was nice to interact with colleagues. I may even have posted the occasional photo of my grandchildren.

Speaking of which, we were responsible for their childcare on a Wednesday, though sometimes with a sleepover which meant a full 24 hours. Then there was the 20-mile round trips to do a nursery drop off and pick up, trips to the beach or park with lots of physical activity, not to mention the three flights of stairs we all had to climb back up to the flat.

My grandson was two and my granddaughter four although, as she recently reminded her grandad on a FaceTime session, she has since turned five (Don’t call me sweetie, Grandad, I’m five now). While they are adorable, childcare was physically demanding.

After I dropped them off I would pour myself a glass of wine, settle down to watch the TV and promptly fall asleep. The next morning I would drag myself from my bed to attend a yoga class before launching myself back into work. 

On Saturdays I went to Glasgow to visit my mum. Although I took the train and didn’t do much when I got there, I still didn’t get home till nearly 7pm.

Sunday was my day of rest, unless I was catching up with some work to allow me to take the following Wednesday off for childcare.

So my weeks were pretty busy (for me) and, on reflection, I was only really taking about two weeks holiday a year, including bank holidays. One week was sacrosanct; my solo trip to visit friends in France during which we did very little apart from visiting a few local places and eating and drinking plenty of wine and champagne.

But what about all those lovely places I travelled to for conferences and workshops? After all, I sometimes tagged on a day for sightseeing. But they often involved two days travel and, much as I enjoyed them, the mental load was quite considerable and the noise of 200+ people in one place after a silent office was sometimes deafening.

If you think that for a positive person this all sounds very negative, you’d be right. Truth be told, I felt as though I had entered a new phase of my life and the one I had just left behind didn’t sound very appealing any more.

Add to this the fact I turned 60 during lockdown and I simply longed for retirement. I imagined being able to switch off and stop worrying about where my next month’s money, next translation and next client were going to come from. And waking up in the morning with the full day ahead of me to do everything I had been longing to do for years.

Apart from the fact I had to cancel a holiday and lots of subsequent birthday celebrations, the day itself was lovely with messages, nice food and drink and a virtual Zoom party with some friends.

                                                                Birthday bubbles

The next day it was back down to earth. By now I was not feeling so much tired but overwhelmed.

Everywhere I was being reminded we might not get this time again so I needed to make the most of it. There was

•          cleaning to be done,
•           so much free CPD material online and reading I needed to catch up on,
•           so many online exercise options,
•           so many films and TV programmes to watch,
•           so much cooking I wanted to do (not least to work my way through all the exotic ingredients        I’d filled my cupboards with over the years) 

So many options available to stop us getting bored and make sure our business survived the crisis. But I wasn’t bored and wasn’t quite sure how my business was going to survive in all the uncertainty. 

n    

      On the first day of lockdown I read a useful article on Twitter posted by an academic who had lived in war-torn countries warning people to stop. To give up the idea of writing that article you’ve been meaning to write, of becoming the best home-school teacher in the country, of throwing yourself headlong into marketing as soon as work dries up. To simply stop and give yourself time to adjust. I took these wise words on board.

Fast forward a month and I’m pretty glad I did. I now feel as though I’m waking up from my coma, picking up a few books from the bedside table, watching webinars and starting to think about what I’ll actually do when I do get out of bed, metaphorically-speaking of course.

But there’s still that nagging uncertainty. How can I possibly plan ahead?

I’ve accepted that I might not be able to make big plans but that doesn’t mean I should sit back and do nothing. I’ve had my rest and recuperation so it’s time to pick up speed again but I won’t be going from 0 to 60 anytime soon. We’re in this for the long haul so I want to take it slowly and follow my instincts.

The one challenge I did set myself was to do one meaningful thing each day. During the week this can be watching a webinar, answering emails, writing something or sorting out files which should have been thrown out years ago. At weekends this is cooking something, cleaning something I haven’t cleaned for a while, tidying cupboards and – coming soon – I’m going to paint my office. I’m not 100% strict with this. Yesterday (a Thursday) I didn’t feel like doing anything work-related so I rearranged my kitchen.

This is how I’ve been structuring my days and, although I feel I’m still pretty much in holiday/retirement mode, a Twitter conversation this morning led me to reflect on what I have actually done and I was quite surprised. I’ve done a lot without realising it because the reality is that my work has ground to a halt and I’ve more time than I’ve ever had at my disposal.

So what have I done?

• I’ve attended a 5-day virtual conference (BP20) and add-on event
• I’ve finally put the finishing touches to my website revamp
• I’ve watched weekly French wine webinars
• I’ve written an article
• I’ve worked on a committee handover
• I’ve finished reading my backlog of Decanter magazines
• I’ve renewed my subscription to Marie France magazine
• I’ve sorted out my finances and pension
• I’ve read as much as I can about the Covid situation in my specialist areas
• I’ve cleaned cupboards
• I've switched energy supplier 
• I’ve totally rearranged my kitchen
• I’ve made a face mask
• And finally I’ve done a lot of thinking.

Some of these are small achievements and not all are business-related but they’re still very important to me. After I rearranged my kitchen yesterday it felt like I was cooking in a brand-new kitchen with so much space. And the bonus? I realised I’d not only cleared space in my cupboards, I’d cleared space in my head.

                                                          Clear kitchen, clear head

If you look back on the past few weeks you too will probably realise that you’ve achieved more than you realised. Even if it is keeping a sourdough starter alive or not murdering your children or partner.

I took a similar step back about ten years ago when I was feeling totally overwhelmed by agency work, increasingly tight deadlines and falling rates. When I did, I realised I had done quite a bit to form the basis of a move into a specialisation and towards better clients. Writing this has taken me back to the presentation I gave at the ITI conference in Newcastle, the message of which was that you can always do small things to move your business forward if the time’s not right for big investment.

Last on my list was thinking. I’m not one to jump into things with two feet at the best of times so, true to form, I’ve decided to take a step back, analyse the situation and think about how I might move forward. I’m lucky that the UK government is providing the self-employed with some financial support that will give me breathing space to think about the future.

There are so many uncertainties, especially because I work for a lot of small direct clients. Will my clients survive the crisis? If they do survive will they continue to export? For some of them their income will have taken a hit and perhaps even stopped completely. How long will it be before they have a budget for translation again?

I’ve made it my mission to find out as much as I can about how Covid has affected their industries and think about how I can fit into their future. If theatre companies can’t perform live, will they go online and find themselves in front of international audiences? If they do, will they require translations? The food and drink industry has benefited hugely from off-trade sales (takeaways and deliveries) but that has mainly been local. Now they’ve tested the water locally will they be tempted to ship to new English-speaking markets?

Attending the virtual BP20 conference also played its part. For half a day for four days I was ‘thinking business’ again. There were sessions by Chris Durban, Tony Parr and Ros Schwartz about things we could do during a lull in business. And Sarah Silva’s talk on fearless follow-up was a useful reminder that we really do need to follow-up quotes and contacts, sometimes up to six times. Most of us would feel uncomfortable doing this but Sarah gave us compelling reasons for why, if done properly, it didn’t constitute harassment.

Everyone’s situation is different and none of us have experienced anything like Covid-19 before. It’s stressful in many ways but if you do find yourself with more time on your hands just now maybe a few baby steps will help keep your business on track for when the economic situation becomes clearer?  Or – the opposite extreme – if your normally silent house is packed with kids and partners trying to work and home school, it might be reassuring to know that not everyone is making sourdough, doing five exercise classes a day and marketing like mad to snare new clients.

Life happens

It's been a while...

Where have I been? As some of you will know, we moved to the beautiful west coast of Scotland in May and I've been busy doing up our new flat which just happens to have a stunning view over the Firth of Clyde.

When you wake up to this every morning, it's hard to get into work mode but, a few weeks ago, I realised it was time to get real. But how was I going to get myself motivated?

A trip to Paris maybe? 

Sounded like a good idea. And imagine my excitement when I discovered I could combine it with a trip to the world-famous Salon du Chocolat. A few clicks of the mouse later I was booked on a flight and had sorted out my hotels (including one night at my absolute favourite, Citizen M at Charles de Gaulle airport).

I moved to central Paris the next morning and set off for the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre. It was a complicated journey due to a bomb scare so this photo celebrated my eventual arrival.

A feast for the eyes and tastebuds

There was chocolate from every corner of the world, talks by chocolate experts and - la piece de résistance - the chocolate fashion show. I can't pretend this wasn't the real pull. I read about it in the press and social media last year and couldn't believe I was actually there to see it with my own eyes.

The photo isn't great (it was very busy) but will give you some idea of the fabulous chocolate creations which graced the runway. Apparently it can take up to 100 hours to create one outfit. I wonder how much chocolate they eat in the process.

Was it worthwhile?

Apart from eating my way through my own body weight in samples, it was great to chat to exhibitors and get a feel for what's new in the industry. Raw chocolate is big. I listened to a talk by an eccentric raw chocolate maker and sampled raw cacao beans, one totally unadorned and the other coated in a chocolate powder. If I'm honest, it's obviously an acquired taste, but quite possibly the biggest future trend.

Takeaways

Well I couldn't leave without making a few purchases, purely for research you understand. A beautifully-packaged 75% Venezuelan, dark chocolate 'fish' made with olive oil and almonds and - my ultimate favourite - these gorgeous Paris Perles (crunchy caramel balls coated in milk and dark chocolate) by Paris Chocolat.

However, for me, the biggest takeaway was a boost to my confidence. When you don't live in your source language country it is not always easy to find opportunities to test your fluency in the spoken language. I thoroughly recommend you 'go solo' as lots of people will speak to you, although next year I don't think I'll be able to sneak away on my own. I've already had a few offers to keep me company. I wonder why?

Continuous Professional Development

A professional translator will have many years of study and/or experience behind them and also many years of learning ahead of them. In the industry we call the latter Continuous Professional Development (CPD).

Why?

Like many other professions, it is actively encouraged by our professional associations and is in fact a requirement of some of them.

But that's not the only reason.

It makes our work more interesting and our job easier. It also helps us to understand  our clients' business and the language they use.

How?

Methods vary from the simplest (reading) to the most demanding (but arguably most rewarding) in terms of time and money: going to client events and conferences.

Reading:

The first of the month is always a special day for me. This is when all my magazines drop through the letterbox.

I specialise in fashion and cosmetics, food and drink and the arts so I subscribe to a variety of magazines. Each and every one of them is a pleasure to read. And I don't just read them. I take notes and write down the latest buzz words for future reference.

Webinars

eCPD is a specialist webinar provider for the translation and interpreting industry. In April 2016, I presented a webinar for eCPD: Translating for the creative industries: fashion, beauty and wine.

We also tune in to the many non-translation webinars we find on social media.

Another great way to improve our skills from the comfort of our own homes.

But I also like to get out of the house regularly to keep my business brain switched on. 

Local events

Some translators belong to local associations such as the Chamber of Commerce, a BNI chapter or similar. Others find local events which help them learn more about their specialist area.

In November 2015, I learnt how to improve my sense of smell at a Perfume Society event in Glasgow.

Translation industry events and conferences

In my first post I said that we like to speak to each other. Translation events and conferences are the perfect opportunity to meet up with colleagues and learn the tools of our trade.

What's more, we build networks and refer work to each other. So if you have a specific translation request I can't handle I will most likely know - or be able to find - a colleague who can.

Specialist industry conferences

Have you ever met a translator at an event? I suspect many of you will shake your heads in answer to this question but it may not be long before you do.

More and more translators are working in specialist areas and joining associations and attending conferences in their specialist industries.

And so...

I'll be writing about some of my CPD events and courses in future posts. But so it's not all about me - and the creative industries - I'll be asking colleagues to write about how they keep up to date with their particular specialisms.

Would you like to talk to a translator?

If you'd be interested in talking to a translator about your current or future language requirements, then write a comment and I'll do my utmost to find you the person you need.

How do you know you've received a top notch translation?

Your translation has just arrived back on your desk.

Can you assess it?

The big problem with many translations is that the finished product will be in a language you don't understand. How do you know if it's good or bad?

• Trust: if you've chosen your translator carefully or used a translator who was recommended to you, perhaps you can simply trust the translator to do a good job? 
• Four eyes:  many translators will work in pairs, with a second translator checking the work of the first. This will be an additional cost but is highly recommended. Even great translators can make the odd typo or misunderstand something.
• In house review: maybe you could have a native speaker in your company check the translation? 

Problems? 

Suspect your translation is simply not up to scratch? 

What not to do

• Don't ask a non-native speaker who 'speaks' or 'understands' the language of the translation to review your document. They will often be looking for exact equivalents in both documents and good translation is not about word-for-word replacement. This is especially important with creative texts where the finished article can be quite different but still convey the same message. 

So what do you do?

• Perhaps you could ask an in-house native speaker of the language to review the translation? If you do this, don't let them simply cover it in red pen. Ask for specific examples. And remember that your native speaker may be out of touch with their own language if they have been living abroad for many years. 
• Contact the translator to express your concerns. Be constructive, provide concrete examples and ask them to respond. If justified, a good translator will take the comments on board and help you find a solution.
• Request or arrange an independent third party review. How this happens will vary with each individual case.                                                                      

Prevention is better than cure

As I said in my previous post, the best way to avoid any problems occurring in the first place is to:

• take the time to select the best translator for your job,
• plan ahead to avoid a last minute rush job,
• involve the translator as early as possible in the process,
• provide as much relevant information as you can...

Better still, use a translator who has been recommended to you. 

Contact me and I'll do my utmost to find you a suitable translator.

Working with a translator - what to expect

Found your translator? What happens next?

I have described a typical scenario below. Not all translators will operate in the same way but it may give you an idea of what to expect.

Quote

The first step will usually be to ask for an estimate (a non-binding idea of the cost involved) or a firm quote. To deliver either, the translator will:

• ask to see the document/website/copy to be translated, The format of the files provided will influence the cost: 
• Word is ideal,
• PDF, PowerPoint and Excel will normally incur a surcharge,
• not all translators will be able to work direct in HTML. 
• ask how quickly you need the translation. Two things to bear in mind here:
• to avoid a last-minute panic and an urgency surcharge, it's best to plan ahead. 
• involving the translator early on in the process can iron out translation and/or cultural issues later on.

NB: It is not easy for the translator to quote accurately direct from a website unless it is a simple series of pages,

Price: Translators operate in different ways. Some will base the quote/estimate on wordcount, some charge an hourly rate and others will quote an all-inclusive project price.

Happy with the quote? 

Time for work to begin. 

At this stage it is really helpful if you can provide the translator with as much information about your company and/or project as possible. The more they know, the better they can tailor your translation.

The translator may request:

• a glossary or style guide, if available,
• images where appropriate,
• the name of a contact person for resolving queries,
• and for large projects for first-time clients, advance payment of part (or all) of the fee.

Questions

Don't be alarmed if a translator asks questions: 

• even specialist translators can't be expected to know everything in their chosen field,
• company-specific terms or abbreviations will need to be clarified,
• not everything that is clear to the author is necessarily clear to the reader,
• translators often pick up inconsistencies and errors in the source text which can be corrected before the text goes to print.
   

ADDED VALUE

£££$$$€€€

Notice I used capitals here? It may mess with the synergy of the document (neat freaks look away now) but let's face it, ADDED VALUE is what you're looking for, isn't it?

So, because you have:

• taken the time to select the best translator for your job
• planned ahead to avoid a last minute rush job
• involved the translator as early as possible in the process
• provided as much relevant information as you can...

... the least we can do is offer you something in return. How about?

• a fabulous translation that:
• is true to your corporate style
• says exactly what you want it to say
• flows naturally in the second language
• and won't go viral for all the wrong reasons
• PLUS all the added benefits this brings your company:
• increased sales
• visibility in new markets
• your message in the language of your prospects
• new export opportunities 
• ...

You know what they are because you set the objectives!

Next time I'll be talking about feedback. In the meantime, feel free to ask any questions in the comments.

Finding the right (wo)man for the job

Where to begin?

Your text is ready and you're pretty pleased. All that extra time and effort devoted to getting every detail right and conveying the right message has really paid off. Now you need it in one or more foreign languages but where to begin?

Your options

Free translation tool:

Let's keep this nice and simple: it's free and it's instant.

BUT - be honest - have you ever laughed heartily at a translation error/gaffe/disaster (take your pick) online? We all have. Just imagine if you or your company was the butt of the joke.

Unless you really just want to get the gist of a very informal conversation, then steer clear. In every likelihood you won't understand the translation produced and have to assume it's fine. If it isn't, you might not find out until it goes viral on social media... for all the wrong reasons!

Translation agency:

A good agency will have the skills and tools to handle large multi-lingual projects that most individual translators can't take on. But not all agencies are equal.Bear in mind:

• if an agency is promising you the earth (20,000 words overnight?) it is obvious the job will be split among several translators (in terms of output, most translators give a guideline of 2,000 to 2,500 words a day depending on the text). 
• if the agency is cheap, it can't possibly be paying its translators a decent rate and good translators don't operate in the low end of the market.

Finally, if your text is highly specialised you will probably want an agency that works with translators who specialise in your field.

Freelance translator:

There are many advantages of going direct to a good freelance translator:

• you get the same translator every time. If your project is ongoing, this is the best way to ensure consistency of style
• the translator can contact you direct for clarification and becomes familiar with your business, preferred terms and house style
• you can build a relationship of trust which is satisfying to both parties

Be aware, however, that good translators are busy translators. The best way to avoid disappointment is to plan ahead.

And not all translators are equal so here are a few pointers:

• professional translators work into their mother tongue. With a very few exceptions, translations produced by a non-native will have some giveaway signs, however minor, which spoil the overall effect 
• like other professionals, translators specialise. Specialist translators may have a background in the particular field or, at the very least, will have spent considerable time learning the ropes and keeping abreast of developments. 
• if you're looking for a nifty piece of creative copy, you need a creative translator or transcreation specialist. 

Looking for a professional translator? You have several options:

• the online directories of translation associations such as the Institute of Translation & Interpreting in the UK. Many countries have their own associations.
• most translators now have LinkedIn profiles.
• and many translators have websites

As I mentioned in a previous post, translators network and can often refer you to a colleague if they can't do the job themselves. Feel free to contact me if you need any help.

Hopefully, you now know where and how to look for a translator. Next time I'll give you an idea of what to expect when working with a translator.

If you have any questions in the meantime, fire away in the comments.