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When did you last read a translation-related blog post? Other than this one, that is!
Whether you have a casual interest in languages or spend your working life providing professional translation services, translation blogs have much to offer. They range from serious sites focused on the finer points of grammar to more whimsical musings and personal tales.
Whatever your motivations, if you have a passion for languages, it’s well worth checking out some of the many translation blogs that are out there. Here are Tomedes’ 20 top translation blogs, to get you started!
Where else could we start but with the Tomedes blog? Updated every week with articles covering translation, interpretation, localization, freelancing, popular culture and more, the Tomedes blog is here to provide your one-stop-shop for all things language-related!
"A lot of people can be busy bees sometimes. Here’s a short video for people like you that prefer to keep buzzing instead of reading."
The wide-ranging My Words for a Change blog from translator Nikki Graham is packed with useful information and covers a wide range of topics. Nikki writes about everything from translation qualifications (and how to get them) to working freelance. Some of her articles around freelancing are particularly useful to those based in the UK and those looking into graining translation-related qualifications. There’s also the occasional post in another language, which is a nice touch and entirely fitting with the focus of this interesting blog.
With a keen focus on all things Greek, the regularly updated Adventures in Technical Translation blog is a great place to catch up with all the latest translation news. Their weekly roundups of industry posts cover translation, localization, interpreting, languages, social media and business, so are a great way to keep up to speed with all things language related. There are also some lovely personal insights into life as a translator, with the new ‘translators on parenting’ series promising to be of particular interest to all those juggling translation work and young children.
If you’re looking to boost your skills, then Training for Translators is the ideal blog to keep you motivated and inspired! This US-focused site has posts that span a good range of subjects and which are particularly useful for those translating on a freelance basis. There’s a keen legal focus, so if legal translation is your thing then this is a site that’s well worth checking out.
The Identity Blog from Want Words is an interesting read. There’s a strong educational focus, with each post presented as a lesson. These range from a freelancing and business mindset to more personal reflections on life in the world of professional translation.
If you’re short of time but still wanting to enjoy a translation blog, then Translation Times may well be the ideal site for you. Posts are interesting, informative and varied in their subject matter. They’re also usually pretty brief – often bite-sized chunks of just a few paragraphs. A great site to fill a few spare minutes while you eat your lunch or for a bit of light relief at the end of a long day.
Another great blog for brightening up your day is the aptly named Translator Fun. The site provides a series of humours glossary cards, with entertaining definitions that the articles then expand on very briefly. Short, sassy and well worth a few minutes of your spare time.
Translation technology is a huge topic. This insightful site aims to get to its very core. eMpTy Pages takes an in-depth look at all things MT-related. Articles are long and informative – a great resource for those with a serious interest in machine translation.
Between Translations is a great site for those who are committed to lifelong learning. The site focuses on continuing professional development, with plenty of content around translation tech thrown in for good measure. Translation can sometimes feel like a pretty lonely career choice, so this blog is a great way to motivate yourself when you need a bit of encouragement in terms of your professional development.
Some bloggers are hesitant to put forward their personal opinions too strongly. That is not the case with the About Translation blog. The forthright posts are opinionated (in a good way!) and offer plenty to get you thinking. Posts are rather sporadic and there are rarely more than one or two per month, if that, but this is still a blog that’s well worth keeping an eye on.
There’s a distinct focus on German-English translation at Transblawg, but also plenty of content to appeal to those whose work encompasses other language pairings. Subjects are wide-ranging, covering everything from legal translation to politics and citizens’ rights. It’s heavier reading than a lot of our translation blog recommendations, so great to get stuck into if you’re in a serious frame of mind.
The long-established Unprofessional Translation blog is anything but. Professionally written, in depth posts cover a particularly interesting range of subjects, including the history of translation and interpretation. The blog has a scholarly feel, with sources provided for each post so that you can go off down a rabbit hole on each topic, should you have the time and inclination.
Thankfully the overworked translator behind this site still has time left to update her blog regularly – a fact for which we are most grateful! Musings from an Overworked Translator is a delightfully quirky site. If you’re in need of language-related humour, this is the place – it’s a blog to counteract those days when clients are irritable, deadlines loom menacingly and awkward paragraphs drain too much of your time. Read it and smile!
Another site to make you smile, Mox is the place to enjoy pictorial language humour. It’s one of the quirkiest blogs we’ve come across and one that always serves to brighten up our day!
Despite often going a long time between posts, The Translator’s Teacup is well worth keeping an eye on. The blog is a useful resource for freelancers and those in need of a bit of professional input. Content is varied, ranging from translation industry scams to marketing techniques. All in all, a handy read for all those providing translation services.
English to French translator Céline Graciet provides plenty of content to keep readers entertained with her Naked Translations site. This whimsical blog features posts on all manner of language-related themes, from the origins of obscure and little-used words to charming expressions and how they translate from French to English. A pretty, light-hearted site that’s ideal for a quick break from the daily grind. The site is also available in French, for those who prefer to read it in that language.
From the minds behind the Oxford English Dictionary, Lexico is a true celebration of the English language. Posts are focused on all things English, from word origins to different types of nouns. There’s also a word of the day feature and a list of trending words to keep you up to speed with the latest linguistic developments.
Marketing, parenting, freelancing, productivity, payment methods… this blog covers anything and everything with a connection to language. Speaking of Translation is also peppered with interviews and resources that you can listen to as well as read, so is ideal for those who like to enjoy their web content in multiple formats!
If you live and breathe medical translation, then look no further than Signs and Symptoms of Translation for the blog of your dreams! This medically focused site spans everything from clinical terms to technical tools and how to get the best from them. A great resource that’s both interesting and informative, albeit one that’s only updated on a monthly/bi-monthly basis.
The Diary of a Mad Patent Translator is a quirky site that airs the views of a well-travelled and opinionated patent translator (the clue’s in the name), interspersed with music videos. It’s certainly unique and a blog that you’ll either love or you’ll hate – we’ll leave it up to you to decide for yourself!
We hope you’ve enjoyed our round-up of the top 20 translation blogs. Feel free to add to our listing by sharing the details of your favourite translation blog in the comments section below!
Thank you! Your comment will be published as soon as possible.
Nikos
Hi there
Its possible to add the Speakt's Blog?
Check it https://speakt.com/blog
Thank you in advance
REPLY
19/12/2019
Tomedes
Hi Nikos,
Thanks for sharing! We will update this article very soon. Your blog will maybe be added :)
Or in the next article on the topic.
31/12/2019
Olivier Den Hartigh
Hello Ofer,
Thank you for sharing your list of blogs for translators by translators.
Do you think you'd be able to add my blog to your list, by any chance?
The ExtraSpeech Blog (https://extraspeech.com/blog/): Powered by Olivier Den Hartigh, an English to French translator, this blog provides advice to translators to optimize their careers and practices, and improve their productivity. Translation buyers will find advice on how to get the most out of their translation project and better sell their products and services in France and French-speaking countries through professional translation, and much more.
REPLY
27/12/2019
Tomedes
Hi Olivier,
We will maybe add your blog in the next article :)
Thanks for sharing.
31/12/2019
Braahmam
Hi Ofer, I really liked the list of top 20 translation blogs. We, Braahmam Net Solutions is one of the translation providers based in Dublin, Ireland (https://braahmam.net). Is there a possibility of publishing our blog post about the Importance of language translations in India by any chance. Please let us know.
REPLY
20/07/2020
Mati
Greetings, great translators. Would anyone direct me to a good active blog where one could ask questions as to how better translate this or that? Also, a refresher into how to use the .... CARS por sus siglas en ingles, etc. Or if you use it at the top of the document and add.... de aqui en adelante..... you won't have to spell out the entire sentence again in the document... not that you can't but you could just use the English acronym instead? How professionally accepted is paraphrasing? I recall having to use [brackets] to add something needed that was not there in the original, is that accurate? Not necessarily that was missing in the original but English speakers had dealt with the info so much longer that no explanation was needed.... example.. speaking of child development.... and the MT said.... del desarrollo.... I was tempted to write... de su desarrollo ,, since we were talking about school age children etc. etc... but I opted for .... del desarrollo infantil and no brackets. Someone is judging my translation skills.... Is this the time (during this "take home test" to "risk" anything? If I paraphrase and so it is to show I am versatile and I am keeping the registry of my audience and want the final product to flow more naturally and accessibly and pretty....
Am I doing NO NO's..... It is like a test to see if I am worth being hired.... so..... should I avoid things mentioned here or not? Thanks. Please, direct me to a place I could get answers to these concerns, in case this is not the correct venue. Thanks...
REPLY
30/07/2020
Mira
Hi Ofer,
Love your blog & appreciate the effort in providing the community with accurate information on the world of translators :)
In this spirit, I wanted to bring another translation blog to your attention: translations123.com (https://translations123.com/blog/).
I think it would fit beautifully on an updated version of this article.
Thanks for reading this!
REPLY
05/10/2020
Tomedes
Thank you for this Mira!
05/10/2020
Prithvi Jain
nice blog
REPLY
17/10/2020
Tomedes
Thank you for your support, Prithvi!
19/10/2020
James Norton
Thank you for sharing this an amazing article with us. I really like it. I appreciate your efforts.
REPLY
17/11/2020
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