Reflections and resolutions

After my false start last year, I’ve decided it’s time to apply myself seriously to blogging, and what better time than at the end of a year... a time for reflection and resolution.

Reflecting on the past year, I ask myself what I have learned:


- Well, first and foremost, that it’s absolutely hopeless to start trying to blog at a time when you’ve barely got time to make yourself a cup of tea. Yes, my first blog post - To Tweet or not to Tweet - was written back in June 2011 (see archive) when I was in the process of project managing the Milngavie Book & Arts Festival and continuing to translate. Never one to shy away from a challenge, with the festival I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone for an amazing, if exhausting, experience.

- At the turn of the year I launched my new Alison Hughes Creative Translations website with a view to specialising in creative translation. I learnt that getting visitors to your website requires a lot of hard work and a good way is to comment on other blog posts and on-line articles, not to mention blogging yourself (#fail, to use Twitter terminology).

- Wearing my ITI Media Arts & Tourism Network Coordinator’s hat, I hosted an Art Translation workshop with Fiona Elliot at ICL in London in March. I learnt that, with support, it is possible to organise a workshop in London from nearly 400 miles away in my home town of Glasgow.

- I started using Facebook for business and, following the Scotnet’s Entrepreneurial Linguist workshop with Judy Jenner in June, I started tweeting (@AHcreatrans). I learnt that there is a great community of language professional tweeps out there in the Twittersphere.

- I attended the extremely useful ITI Strategic Governance workshop and GM, where I learned a lot about how ITI currently operates and the Council’s visions for the future.

- I learned that a subscription to a French magazine (Marie France) is not just an indulgence but can actually be very useful for a creative translator. What better, and more pleasant, way to stay in touch with French culture, fashion, beauty products and trends than sitting down with a magazine and a cuppa once a month?

How therapeutic to consolidate what was for me a rather hectic, at times very stressful, year into a few simple positive statements. These may have been positive moves but are in no way faits accomplis. There’s still a lot of work to be done, which takes me on to the resolutions.

I‘m not really one for personal resolutions at New Year but perhaps a few business-related ones might not be such a bad idea?




- As a result of local changes and, if I’m honest, burnout, I won’t be project managing this year’s festival so my first resolution has to be to focus on my core business. I am delighted to have had the opportunity to project manage the festival last year, and hope to be involved in some way this year, but my translation business did suffer. However, I did learn from the experience and hope to share what I learnt with you in future blogs.

- My second resolution can probably be summed up in two very important words: social media. A French version, plus a few additions, for my website, more Facebook likes, developing my Twitter activities and of course a regular blog. Perhaps I can be smug and say I’ve already made good progress on the last one but, as we all know, a resolution has to make it past the January pain barrier to be actually ticked off the list. I’m determined it’s going to happen this time. There, I’ve said it …. I can’t back out now.

Have you taken stock of your business in 2011? Have you made any business resolutions for 2012? If so, please share them with us.

All that remains is for me to wish you a very happy, prosperous and enjoyable 2012.

A très bientôt