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Translation isn’t just language
Translation hit the news in Suffolk recently, as the newly appointed Reform administration reported £283,000 is spent on “translation services for those who refuse to integrate.” In response to this uproar, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to go back to...
To prompt or not to prompt?
Like many medical translators, much of my work comes from clinical trials. This is a complex specialty with a lot of regulated terminology, yet in research it has traditionally received less attention than medical translation. Another challenge commonly encountered...
Avellana does Bristol Translates 2025
This year I attended Bristol Translates Summer School (BTSS). I had previously attended the Spanish to English workshops with Rosalind Harvey in 2022 and so, like many, I was a returning student. The first thing I noticed was the increased number of professional...
Coming to Terms…
I am pleased to announce that my first article Coming to Terms has been published in the July-August 2025 issue of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) Bulletin (pp. 24-25). This article describes my experiences of setting up a Catalan-English-Spanish...
AI Does Diabetes…
Last week, I attended an interesting session on AI prompting. We were set the task of asking our virtual assistant to write a blog about any subject. In line with my latest project, my chosen subject was diabetes. The first output was generic and run of the mill....
AT celebrates 5 years!
AT celebrates its 5th birthdayIt’s official, Avellana Translations is five years old! How did that happen? One day you are a volunteer translator dreaming of owning your own business and suddenly you’ve passed the five-year milestone. Where did the time go? Setting up...
Out with the old……
I’ve decided, it’s time!For the last 4½ years I’ve been collating all my Spanish medical terms and research in an A4 notebook. I only have one page left and I’ve realised I can’t carry on like this. I’m finally creating the all singing, all dancing medical TermBase...
KFC Catalan Translation Failure
My current stay in Barcelona is great. I've been enjoying the sunshine, mixing with the locals, and working hard to improve my knowledge of the local language: Catalan. Catalan is the co-official language in the Catalan (North-East region of Spain, covering the...
Associate ITI
I am very pleased to announce I have been awarded associate membership of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI), the professional body governing translators and interpreters in the UK. This is the result of 3 years of hard work in the industry that I am...
ITI East Anglia: Meet our Member Hazel Hayman
Every word is like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. Individually it may not mean much, but the right words, fitting together in the right way, have the ability to paint a powerful image.
Machine Translation Literacy
Isn’t it great how computers are making the world smaller and bringing people together? 20 years ago, when I first learnt how to translate, none of the technology was around that we have now. I remember (as will other translators over a certain age) sitting with a...
Update – May 2022
So, I have been very quiet over the last few months. Where have I been? What have I been doing? In addition to providing my normal client-focussed translation services, I’ve been completing my 2nd MA Translation Studies module: Computer-Assisted Translation, the range...
Coffee Shop Travelling
As someone who loves meeting people from other countries, learning foreign languages and experiencing other cultures, one of the things I’ve missed most during the Covid-19 pandemic is travelling. Like everyone I have been subject to local lockdowns and stay at home...
Translating acronyms and abbreviations
One of the interesting challenges I’ve come across in my life as a translator is translating acronyms and abbreviations. What do I mean by these? Well, an abbreviation literally means short as it comes from the Latin word brevis meaning short. Abbreviations could...
Idioms
For my first blog I thought I would explore the world of idioms as they appeal to my sense of humour, yet I find them intellectually fascinating at the same time. Idioms are linguistic customs characteristic of a country or region. Even without knowledge of a foreign...