Numerosos consejos muy lúcidos para avanzar profesionalmente, de la mano de R. Lozano:

http://www.rlozano.com/blog-8-claves-de-la-progresi%C3%B3n-profesional-del-traductor

Time management: the Pomodoro technique

Time management. The Pomodoro technique: 

http://lifehacker.com/productivity-101-a-primer-to-the-pomodoro-technique-1598992730

Underpromise and overdeliver

This article is about time management for freelancers, and I especially liked this tip about the right attitude in your dealings with clients. Underpromise but overdeliver.

http://lifehacker.com/the-freelancers-guide-to-time-management-1627697425?utm_content=buffer16417&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Cobrar de morosos

Consejos muy completos para cobrar de morosos, cortesía de @tradjurado (Twitter)

http://www.traduccion-jurada-oficial.com/blog/2014/9-consejos-para-conseguir-que-te-paguen-siendo-traductor/

Bad things interpreters shouldn't do to themselves

Toni Rosado has selected 10 bad things interpreters shouldn't do to themselves.

I would like to highlight "Lower your fee to keep the client" and "Be timid when negotiating work conditions".

These items harm you and they also hurt the profession, everyone else in the business, that is. Like he wisely says "I am in the business of working less and making more".

Another common bad habit is "Avoid interpreter conferences". These are indeed good opportunities to learn, network and expand business.

http://rpstranslations.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/the-ten-worst-things-that-interpreters-can-do-to-themselves/

Why are translation prices so different?

There are so many good points in this sound and balanced analysis! I especially liked the 2nd half.

http://www.localversion.com/en/localization/60-translationprices.html

Localization is not particularly expensive, but your favorite translation partner will probably not be the cheapest one.

Professional translators earn 30% below average salaries in Western countries. When clients put excessive pressure on rates, they are actually choosing to work with localizers who earn even less than that, which leads to high risks of wrong translations, poor style, miscommunication, or even legal issues. ...  Chances are high that those translations end up being assigned to cheap, junior translators who will rush to translate as many words as possible, with little care and very poor results.

Accurate, specialized translations demand much more time and expertise. If your English texts are clear, natural and carefully written, your foreign users expect exactly the same in their own language.

Cálculos para ser rentable

Este colega nos ha hecho un favor con unos cálculos sencillos. ¿Cuánto hay que cobrar para que salgan las cuentas?

http://tradugeek.com/2014/02/17/calculadora-freelance/

Practical things a freelance translator should do (right now)

by Corinne McKay
http://thoughtsontranslation.com/2014/02/21/basic-business-things-every-freelancer-should-do-right-now/

Practical guide for conference interpreters (AIIC)

Quite a comprehensive practical guide, covering the before and the after of every assignment. Lots of tips.

http://aiic.net/page/628/practical-guide-for-professional-conference-interpreters/lang/1

How and when to raise your rates

by Corinne McKay
http://thoughtsontranslation.com/2014/02/10/raising-your-translation-rates-how-and-when/

Short answer: with new clients, and when you’re already really busy.
...
If 100% of potential clients accept your rates without negotiating, you could be charging more. 

And here's a neat PROZ page that shows members' average reported rates for all language pairs.
http://search.proz.com/?sp=pfe/rates

The best investments for translators

According to a Proz poll.
Some of the top choices: Proz membership, networking, software/hardware, education.
I personally liked the option "hiring a proofreader", I'm sure it's an investment that pays.


http://www.proz.com/forum/poll_discussion/263461-poll%3A_what_is_the_best_investment_you_have_ever_made_for_your_business.html

Secciones que no deben faltar en la web de un traductor

Por Elena Fernández, de Trágora
http://marketingparatraductores.com/que-secciones-no-deben-faltar-en-la-web-de-un-traductor/

Resumiendo:

PÁGINA DE INICIO (escaparate)

QUIÉN ERES (trayectoria, actualidad, CV)

QUÉ HACES (servicios)

CÓMO LO HACES (cómo trabajas, muestras)

QUIÉN CONFÍA EN TI (clientes)

BLOG

CONTACTO

A basic overview of Consecutive Note-Taking

By a former European Commission trainer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddRk2pvzsVQ

And a former EU interpreter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D_-NPSB9NE&list=PLIreXuKKKiFdCRt7Pm-KmICJg4t202mlx

Un manual para hablar en público

He aquí un completo manual de oratoria (online y gratuito), de utilidad para quienes hablan en público, como los intérpretes. Destaco los apartados sobre el miedo escénico, la respiración y la fonación.
Ojalá estos manuales incluyeran un apartado especial, "oratoria específica para charlas con intérprete de por medio".

http://www.eumed.net/libros-gratis/2007b/302/indice.htm
Vencer el miedo: http://www.eumed.net/libros-gratis/2007b/302/vencer%20el%20miedo%20a%20hablar.htm
Respiración: http://www.eumed.net/libros-gratis/2007b/302/respiracion%20diafragmatica.htm

Performance anxiety? Don't calm down, but get excited

According to this study, if you feel anxiety before a public performance (e.g. an interpreting assignment), turning that feeling into EXCITEMENT (i.e. 'this is an opportunity' or 'a challenge') is more helpful than telling yourself to calm down. Excitement is a similar emotion, whereas calmness is the opposite.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/study-fight-performance-anxiety-by-getting-excited/282886/ 

Documentación aplicada a la traducción: hay vida más allá de Google

Javier Herrera repasa muy exhaustivamente alternativas a Google para ganar en precisión.
Yo empezaré probando DeeperWeb y WolframAlpha.

http://www.lalinternadeltraductor.org/n9/documentacion-traduccion.html 

El efecto de la crisis sobre el sector de la traducción en España

Oliver Carreira nos ofrece un análisis subjetivo pero revelador:

http://www.olivercarreira.net/es/como-ha-afectado-la-crisis-al-sector-de-la-traduccion-el-caso-espanol/

Extensiones para Google Chrome con las que mejorar las búsquedas

Aquí se repasan algunas extensiones para Google Chrome que hacen más efectiva la búsqueda de contenidos. Destacan WOT y Personal Blacklist

http://bitelia.com/2014/01/extensiones-google-chrome-mejorar-busquedas

Inversiones (baratas) de año nuevo frente a la inflación

Me hago eco de esta acertada reflexión y estos prácticos consejos, frente a la inflación de los precios, a cargo de Oliver Carreira.
http://www.olivercarreira.net/es/inversiones-de-ano-nuevo/

"Invertir de forma estratégica en nuestra actividad puede mejorar nuestra cuenta de resultados. Además, muchas inversiones no requieren dinero, sino tan solo algo de tiempo."

Some tips about selecting simultaneous interpreters for assignments

These are some useful tips for vetting simultaneous interpreters for assignments. Thanks to Nisar Nikzad:

http://translationexcellence.com/part-2-selecting-quality-simultaneous-interpreter/?goback=%2Egde_2417609_member_5831537736112168964#%21

• Referrals: Referrals are a great way to find quality simultaneous interpreters. The language service community is very tightly-knit and many people have partners that they work with often or know of other interpreters. Find a simultaneous interpreter that you trust, and ask them if they know of anyone.
• Resumes and Certifications: Always be sure to review the resume, certifications, and any other relevant documentation. How much experience do they have in simultaneous interpretation? If the presentations at your event are related to the healthcare industry, how much experience do they have in that industry? What is their educational history? These questions and others will help you determine if the individual is a good fit for the assignment.
• References: Check references! Resume fraud is a BIG issue in the language service industry today so be sure to request a couple creditable references. Also, check if you have mutual connections with the prospective interpreter through LinkedIn, other social media sites, or interpreters you currently work with. Follow up with these people as well; since interpreters handpick the references they send, they will not always reflect the interpreter’s true ability.
• Questions: What questions does the interpreter ask you about the assignment? Do they ask relevant questions such as the topic of the event, whether or not presentation slides/notes will be provided in advance, who they will be working with, or what equipment will be provided? The kinds of questions interpreters ask can tell you a lot about their experience.

Top Mistakes to Avoid If You Want to Make Money As a Translator

Excerpts from Patenttranslator's blog. Might be a bit too blunt, but has a few points.

ttp://patenttranslator.wordpress.com/2013/12/06/top-seven-mistakes-to-avoid-like-a-plague-if-you-want-to-make-any-money-as-a-translator/?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_campaign=hootsuite

TOP SEVEN WORST WAYS TO LOOK FOR WORK AS A TRANSLATOR

1. Contacting agencies listed in the List of Top 100 Translation Agencies prepared by the Common Sense Advisory. How do you think these agencies got so big and their owners so rich? By paying translators good money and fast? Or by paying the people who do the actual work as little as possible, they way KFC, McDonalds and Burger King have been doing it for decades? (...)

3. Looking for work on “Portals for Translators” such as Proz, GoTranslators, TranslatorsCafe, etc. (a new one pops up online every few months). When you have hordes of underemployed translators, some of them living in third world countries, competing on these “portals” among each other who will offer the lowest bid for 1 lousy job, what do you think the result will be? 

4. Accepting work from translation agencies in India or China.

5. Accepting work from translation agencies that are based in poor countries on any continent (...) especially if they prominently feature on their website the Manhattan skyline (...) with multiple addresses in respective countries.

The address is a mail box, and the purpose of the pretty pictures is to convince potential customers that the agency is a respected company that is based in a major Western city... The translators, however, will be obviously paid the equivalent of the minimum wage paid where the agency is in fact located.

6. Accepting work from translation agencies who are looking for “post-editors” of machine translation rather than for translators. This new occupation of “post-editor” was created in the first place to save money that would be otherwise paid to real translators for real translations. 

7. Soliciting work by sending thousands of junk e-mails to lists of translation agencies compiled by people who sell useless lists on CDs for hundreds of Euros to newbie translators. Every agency receives dozens or hundreds of resumes from these poor people every day.

Since these CDs also include an idiotic cover letter that all of these would-be translators simply copy and include with their resume ... these offensive e-mails will be promptly deleted within a split second.

Understanding booth manners

Mutual assistance, team cohesiveness and convivialité are essential for the smooth running of any conference. Here's a checklist of booth manners for beginners in simultaneous interpreting. By Vincent Buck.

http://aiic.net/page/1676/understanding-booth-manners/lang/1

And for advanced interpreters: 
http://aiic.net/page/1489

¿Cómo funciona la interpretación telefónica?

Empiezo 2014 con esta interesante entrevista a alguien de este sector (@tuitsdegabriel) (gracias a @traducirco).
http://www.traducirco.com/2013/12/como-funciona-la-interpretacion.html

Más info al respecto. Incluye reportajes en noticiarios:
http://www.marie-claire-palabras.com/2014/02/taller-de-interpretacion-telefonica-o.html?spref=tw
http://www.marie-claire-palabras.com/2014/02/taller-de-interpretacion-telefonica-o_19.html
http://www.marie-claire-palabras.com/2014/02/taller-de-interpretacion-telefonica-o_4559.html

Me ha venido estupendamente. Mucho había llovido desde mi (entonces pionera) tesina sobre el tema. Antigua ponencia mía al respecto: "Telephone Interpreting: Review of Pros and Cons"
http://www.a2hc.org/articles/Telephone_interpreting-pros_and_cons.pdf

Y antigua ponencia mía en ATA: "Telephone Interpreting: Everything you wanted to know"
http://www.atanet.org/conf/conf2002/i.htm#i10