Twitter is now one among many social networks, but, with some exceptions, it has remained a useful tool for professionals. It certainly offers great benefits to translators.
First of all, it allows us to obtain information quickly. Its short messages provide the information required, with no surplus, in some cases with the option of clicking on a link to expand the information. In this way, we can update data immediately. We can find in fewer than 140 characters whether the Spanish RAE has accepted a new word, for example.
It is important to know how to use this tool well. If you understand it as a way to wish a happy day to our friends every morning, you will spend a good time reading their best wishes over and over, and, from the point of view of production, wasting valuable time. There are other networks that meet these social needs. It is important to follow professionals or institutions that provide interesting data on a regular basis, such as:
- Scheherezade Surià
- Xosé Castro
- Leon Hunter
- Pablo Muñoz Sánchez
- Rafael López Sánchez
- Olga Jeno
- Ildefonso Muñoz
- Merche García Lledó
- Carlos la Orden
- Gabriel Cabrera
Scheherezade Surià (@Scheherezade_SL)
A literary and audiovisual translator, perhaps one of the translators that best deals with social media. We have read and listened to her in the press and on the radio, and never miss the updates in her blog, En la luna de Babel; and we love her timeline, which is full of information, humour, and irony.
Xosé Castro (@XoseCastro). Like Scheherezade, his voice may sound familiar to you, since he works on the National Radio programme No es un día cualquiera and on Deslenguados programme on the La 2 TV channel. He has done so many things that it would be hard to find a summary, but basically he is the Spanish-speaking translator with the most followers.
Leon Hunter (@LeonHunterSL)
With more than 13,000 followers, he’s one of the most popular and most active translators. He also gives plenty of visibility to other colleagues’ contents.
Pablo Muñoz Sánchez (@pmstrad)
An expert in software, app, and video game localisation – and he also multitasks! In addition to his Twitter account, you can also follow his blog, Mucho más que traducir, and his Traduversia project (a platform of online courses for translators), which he has created with the next tweeting translator.
Rafael López Sánchez (@raflosa)
The other half of Traduversia is a translator who specialises in technology, audiovisual translation, localisation, and layout. Of course, he also has his own blog, Jugando a traducir, in which he provides tips, tools, and training.
Olga Jeno (@OlgaJeNo)
Starting to follow Olga on Twitter is a good way to discover her contents so as to, as she says in her blog, 20.000 lenguages, “better understand the world of languages”.
Ildefonso Muñoz (@IldefonsoMA)
An excellent reference if you are a translation student. A large part of the posts in his blog, La Granja de San Traductor, are written from the student’s point of view: he gives tips for those who want to study translation or apply for an Erasmus grant, talks about study techniques, and much more. You will also find this in his Twitter profile.
Merche García Lledó (@traducirco)
Another great Twitter account for translators. We love reading her blog, Traducir&Co, which she often updates with very interesting posts.
Carlos la Orden (@insideloc). If you are more interested in localisation, you must look on Twitter for this metalhead based in Italy. He shares lots of IT tricks that will improve your productivity and discuss cultural factors that you probably haven’t considered.
Gabriel Cabrera (@tuitsdegabriel). We cannot finish this entry without recommending at least one account dedicated to interpreting, so here it is. Gabriel Cabrera is a certified translator-interpreter and author of the book Mamá, quiero ser intérprete (Mum, I want to be an interpreter).
In addition to all these greats, we recommend following translation agencies such as @okodia or other language-related organisations such as @termcat.
Through the tweets sent by these professionals, translation agencies, and institutions, you can learn about courses and conferences that might be of interest and even, in some cases, that you can follow on Twitter if you can’t attend them. Finally, you can also share your contributions to obtain followers, in order to enrich your professional activity and exchange useful information. The key lies in selecting well whom to follow, and, on an individual level, in making interesting contributions on a regular basis.
