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ProZ/TV The interpreter's journey: Building resilience, finding renewal
A virtual conference dedicated to the evolving world of interpreting in 2026.
At its heart, the event is about interpreters finding fresh strength, refining their path, staying on the loop of AI advances, and reconnecting with purpose.
Why don't translators and interpreters know how to run businesses?
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Schedule:
This session ended at 12:45
Description:
Interpreters and translators aren't naturally business people and yet we have to set up businesses to sell our services to clients. Then we have to make our businesses actually pay and more than that we need to make a profit year on year to survive. Many translators and interpreters may be competent language professionals but lack business know - how. Why is this? Mainly because we emerge from our colleges and universities with great qualifications in our various languages but without much of an idea how to sell our language skills to best effect. Why? Because no one has ever sat us down and taught us any business skills. This presentation will help both new starters and more experienced colleagues swim - not sink. How? By focusing on how business people create and then sustain viable businesses and the sort of skills that they use to do this.
Sue Leschen is a lawyer – linguist, the Director of Avocate a niche market legal and commercial French language services company and also an independent trainer for language professionals in the areas of professional conduct, legal terminology. She is also a mentor for everything you need to know and do to set up and run a successful business.
Sue is a member of the Professional Conduct Committees of:
Institute of Translation and Interpreting
National Register of Public Service Interpreters
Regulatory Body for Sign Language Interpreters and Translators
National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deaf - Blind people.
She is also member of:
Chartered Institute of Linguists – Council (governing body)
Association of Police and Court Interpreters
International Association of Interpreters and Translators
Sue supports the need for qualified, experienced, security vetted , insured and professional interpreters and translators.
Discussion for ProZ.com 2016 virtual conference for International Translation Day session (2016): Why don't translators and interpreters know how to run businesses?