Resolutions for small-business owners

If you haven’t got round to making any business resolutions yet for 2011, or are stuck or ideas, here are some belated suggestions.

Resolution 1

Raise your fees, if you haven’t already, especially if you live in the UK. See my own Resolution no. 1. If you’re a translator, check out Kevin Lossner’s post on the latest BDÜ rate survey and 3-year trend. It focuses on Kevin’s German to English language combination but makes interesting reading for all of us. If you’re not a translator, check it out and be bemused by the complexity of our fee systems!

Resolution 2

If your work involves writing, editing or translating, print off and read your work in hard copy before delivering to your client. It’s a surefire way to improve quality — you’ll notice mistakes and clunkiness you just don’t see on the screen. If you’re worried about ink consumption, use Century Gothic or Ecofont (which apparently use less ink than other fonts) and print in draft mode if available. To minimise paper consumption, buy recycled or otherwise “green” paper to start with and either print on both sides or re-use the paper by printing other drafts on the blank sides.

Resolution 3

Get involved in educational outreach. Schools and local authorities who organise employability and careers days are always on the look-out for people from the world of work to take part. If you work with languages, contact the language department at your local school. The teachers will probably welcome you with open arms: you’re evidence that language-learning can be relevant (even if it doesn’t involve Chinese!).

Resolution 4

Go to see The King’s Speech. It’s a marvellous film on so many counts. For small-business owners it also provides, in the form of Lionel Logue, the speech therapist, an object lesson on how to handle clients — on your terms. A bit extreme for most of us, maybe, but food for thought.

Resolution 5

Learn a new skill. Your business will benefit, and so will you.

By Marian Dougan

New Year’s Resolutions. Better late, or not at all?

Twitter sent me a “Happy New Year” message the other day. In it they described their New Year’s resolution, which is to help me (and all the other 200 million — and rising — accounts) get the most of out of Twitter in 2011. So I reckon if Twitter can be late with their New Year’s resolutions, I can too.

I’ve had a busy January and ideas for business-related resolutions have been percolating around in my head without ever making on to the Definitive List. On the way to the gym, in the bath, on the train — plenty of ideas but so far not committed to paper (or to the computer screen). But here they are now. Some for me to start with, then in the next couple of posts some for my clients (please, clients, read and act on them!) and a couple of suggestions for other business owners — especially, but not only, translators and editors.

Resolution 1

Raise my fees. Inflation is rising in the UK and the VAT rate has gone up from 17.5% to 20%. That means prices and business costs will rise. So will my fees. In fact, they already have.

Resolution 2

Make better use of of my time by making better use of productivity software.

Resolution 3

Spring-clean my beautiful Mac and keep it running at peak performance. I’ll start with Maria Langer’s advice in her Peachpit Press article on What to Do When Your Mac’s Hard Disk Runs Out of Space. Mine hasn’t — quite — but it’s getting there.

Resolution 4

Deal with obnoxious tax and admin issues as and when they arise. Get on top of the filing. Find an admin assistant, but not a virtual one. Someone like the wonderful Louise (Jennifer Hudson) in the Sex and the City film so that I never have to think about these things again. Ever.

Resolution 5

Learn something new. A new language? Singing? Car maintenance? I don’t know, but something.

What about you? Did you make resolutions this year? Have you stuck to them so far? Or don’t you believe in them…

By Marian Dougan

Grapes, lentils, black bun and first foots

One of the nice things about being married to someone from another country (Vito, my husband, is from Puglia, in Italy) is that you get to share each other’s national traditions. That goes for New Year’s Eve too (Hogmanay, here in Scotland).

Our Italian tradition is to eat lentils and grapes (not together!) as midnight strikes, as they represent money and prosperity for the coming year.

Our Scottish tradition is that Vito gets bundled out of the house just before midnight to be our first foot (the first person over the threshold) once the bells have rung in the New Year. Quick reminiscence: when I was a wee girl we used to listen out for the ships on the Clyde blowing in the New Year on their foghorns — such a melancholy sound. And a melancholy memory now, as the ships have long gone (the ones being built under the disputed defence contract, welcome as they are, don’t really count).

The first foot is supposed to be tall, dark-haired and male (oh well, one out of three, Vito) and should bear a gift (food (shortbread or black bun), whisky, coal or the like) to ensure that the house will have food and drink, warmth and prosperity in the year to come. We observed this tradition when we lived in Italy too — poor old Vito always ended up waiting outside on the landing as the bubbly was poured and the glasses clinked.

This year my wonderful sister-in-law, Ada, sent us a parcel that included home-made sannachiudere — little pieces of sweet short pastry fried in olive oil, coated with honey, heaped up into sticky pyramids and sprinkled with hundreds and thousands for colour. Sannachiudere is the Pugliese name, elsewhere in Italy they’re called strufoli. My in-laws always have sannachiudere at New Year, and this year we did too as we welcomed in 2011 here in Glasgow. Here’s the recipe, where they’re also called Italian honey balls and where I discovered a new name (for me) for hundreds and thousands: non-pareils. Is that the US version?

For more Lucky Foods for the New Year, check out this article in Epicurious, which has just rocketed in my esteem as they include chocolate as a New Year hangover remedy.

Have you got any national or family New Year traditions? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

By Marian Dougan

For a clear New Year: a musical style guide from the EU Commission.

If one of your New Year resolutions is to improve your writing style (are you reading this, clients? you know who you are) this musical style guide might help you.

Good news: clarity’s a-coming!

It was produced by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Translation (DGT):

We are leading a campaign to encourage Commission officials to write more clearly. “Good news: clarity’s a-coming!”, by David Monkcom, is the Clear Writing campaign song. It summarizes the advice contained in our campaign booklet “How to write clearly” [pdf] and sets it to a traditional gospel melody. It’s sung here by the Hot Air Vocal Ensemble – a Brussels-based choir of which David is a member. For further information about the Clear Writing campaign e-mail: DGT-CLEAR-WRITING@ec.europa.eu .

I’m tickled pink that it’s the DG for Translation that felt driven to produce the booklet and the video. I’m grappling right now with an Italian text just like the ones they work with and it’s e-x-c-r-u-c-i-a-t-i-n-g.

We feel your pain, DGT!

I found this video through Writing Matters, a great blog by Leslie O’Flahavan and Marilynne Rudick that’s packed with writing tips, links, comments and opinion.

By Marian Dougan

Styling your style guide: Christmas gifts for stylish writing

 

Chicago Manual of Style, University of Chicago Press

The 16th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS) was published this year. There are of course many wonderful style guides: some are listed here. But The CMoS is the one I’m after — just look at the lovely colours on that cover! (I’ve still got the orange 15th edition; I think this new one’s so much nicer). It’s available in book form or through online subscription.

The Chicago Manual of Style is the authoritative, trusted source that writers, editors, and publishers turn to for guidance on style and process.

With state-of-the-art recommendations on editorial style and publishing practices in the digital age, The Chicago Manual of Style is the must-have reference for everyone who works with words

A style-guide might not seem the most obvious choice for a Christmas present. But, as every fashionista knows, accessories are all. Here are a few gift suggestions that will complement the CMoS beautifully and inspire stylish lovers of language to wear their Manuals to gorgeous effect.

The items featured above are available from BoticcaCaradiazMatches, Net-a-PorterSleeks by Arosha and Essie. They range from eye-wateringly expensive to sigh-of-relief reasonable.

If even the reasonable ones are out of your price range, you can download a Chicago Manual of Style mini-ornament for free (make sure you read the poem too).

Chicago Manual of Style, Minibook tree decoration
Chicago Manual of Style, Minibook tree decoration

The photo of the Tiffany box is courtesy of minxlj / Leanne Johnson. The Tiffany pouch was photographed by Olivia Dougan Naio. The CMoS photos were supplied by staff at The University of Chicago Press.

 By Marian Dougan

Competition for book-lovers: clue no. 7

Here’s clue number 7 to our competition for book-lovers:

Boy, he had such style in his heyday!

By Marian Dougan

Competition for book-lovers: clue no. 6 (and deadline extended)

We’ve decided to extend the deadline to our competition until mid-day, Wednesday 15 December. Here’s another clue:

Not quite Manolos, but just as stylish

The clue refers to question 1; the answer to question 2 is in the blog (November posts).

Answers (correct ones, naturally!) must be submitted no later than mid-day of Wednesday 15 December 2010 (UK time) via the comments or by email. I won’t be publishing the comments, to these posts, so you won’t be giving the answer away.

By Marian Dougan

Competition for book-lovers: clue no. 5

Our competition ends at midnight tonight (UK time), so get thinking. You could win some lovely books.

Here’s another clue:

Mayors Richard M Daley and Richard J Daley.

The clue refers to question 1; the answer to question 2 is in the blog (November posts).

Answers (correct ones, naturally!) must be submitted no later than midnight of Tuesday 14 December 2010 (UK time) via the comments or by email.

The comments won’t be published, so you won’t be giving the answer away if you send in your answer that way. However, if you prefer email, the address is on the “About” page.

By Marian Dougan

Competition for book-lovers: clue no. 4

Get thinking, people, it’s good for your brain.

Here’s another clue for our competition:

Mrs. O

The clue refers to question 1; the answer to question 2 is in the blog (November posts).

Answers (correct ones, naturally!) must be submitted no later than midnight of Tuesday 14 December 2010 (UK time) via the comments or by email.

Note to subscribers: apologies for the email bombardment, it’ll end soon!

By Marian Dougan

Competition for book-lovers: clue no. 3

Here’s another clue for our competition:

Wrigley’s Chewing Gum

The clue refers to question 1; the answer to question 2 is in the blog (November posts).

Answers (correct ones, naturally!) must be submitted no later than midnight of Tuesday 14 December 2010 (UK time) via the comments or by email.

By Marian Dougan