Improve your written English: 50 of our favourite mother-tongue mistakes

This light-hearted, practical webinar gives attendees the opportunity to dedicate an hour to improving their English writing skills. The speaker will highlight and address 50 common mistakes that native-English translators make in their writing. The mistakes encompass different aspects of writing, including punctuation, grammar, style and usage, but all of them are ‘favourites’, in that native-English speakers love making them, again and again.

A professional translator is paid to write to a professional standard. Consequently, being a perfectionist as regards use of English is an essential quality for those wishing to reach the top of their game. It is not enough to be simply a native speaker; translators have to strive to be expert writers in their native languages. Far from coming naturally, writing is a skill that takes years to develop and a lifetime to perfect.

The objective of this webinar is to make you more alert to the types of errors that many translators overlook in their finished texts. Consequently, you will be more likely to spot and correct your own favourite mistakes when revising your work. Not only will this awareness improve the overall quality of your writing, but it will also make you a more effective proofreader of other people’s work. Further to this, being more aware of the mistakes you are likely to make when drafting your translation should allow you to produce quality work more quickly, leading to higher profitability.

Apart from a rare chance to enjoy the luxury of analysing some of the more complex aspects of written English, this webinar will also give you plenty of practical tips that you can apply to your work immediately.

The speaker is British, although she will endeavour to make the content as global as possible.

- The webinar is designed for translators whose native language is English and who feel they would like to refine their writing skills.

- The pace of the webinar is fast, but it may well be of interest to non-native English speakers with a very high level of English. Attendees requiring a little more time to read the questions are reminded that they can use the pause feature when they watch the session recording.

The speaker is British, although she endeavours to make the content as global as possible.

The objective of this webinar is to make you more alert to the types of errors that many native-English translators overlook in their finished texts. The webinar aims to have a direct impact on the quality of your written English. The speaker will touch on different aspects of writing, including punctuation, grammar, style and usage.

A native or very high level of English.

To purchase your seat at this session please click on the "buy" button. Available slots are limited and will be assigned to registered and paid participants as soon as payment is reported. Early payment is advised in order to secure participation. Allow some time for payment processing if you are paying by wire transfer.

After your payment is received, your status will be changed to “registered and paid” and your spot for the session will be secured. An invoice and receipt of payment will be sent to you for your records.

How do I access the online platform?

72 hours before the webinar takes place, you will receive an invitation to join the session. Please, click the registration link or button provided in the invitation email and complete the registration form.

For PC-based Users:

• Required: Windows® 8, 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
• Required: Internet Explorer® 7.0 or newer, Mozilla® Firefox® 3.0 or newer or Google™ Chrome™ 5.0 or newer (JavaScript™ and Java™ enabled)
• Internet Connection Required: Cable modem, DSL, or better Internet connection
• Recommended: Dual-core 2.4GHz CPU or faster with 2GB of RAM (recommended)

For Mac®-based Users:

• Required: Mac OS® X 10.6 – Leopard® or newer
• Required: Safari™ 3.0 or newer, Firefox® 3.0 or newer or Google™ Chrome™ 5.0 or newer (JavaScript™ and Java™ enabled)
• Internet Connection Required: Cable modem, DSL, or better Internet connection
• Required: Intel processor (1GB of RAM or better recommended)

To Use VoIP (microphone and speakers or headset):

• Required: Fast Internet connection (384 kbps or more recommended)
• Required: speakers or headset (USB headset recommended)
• NOT required: Microphone - attendees can communicate with the trainer through incorporated chat.

Recommendations

• For the visual section of the training course, we recommend that you have a 64kbps link. This means using an ISDN line or Broadband. Wireless connection is NOT recommended.
• For the audio section of the training course, we recommend that you have a headset or speakers.
• We recommend that you log in 30 minutes in advance of the start time to prepare for the training course.

Courses will be open half an hour before the start time. Please login before the start time to ensure that everything on your system is working correctly.

 Gwenydd Jones    View feedback | View all courses

Bio: Gwenydd Jones is a freelance Spanish-to-English translator and translator trainer. She has two MAs, the first in Translation Studies and the second in Legal Translation, and the DipTrans (CIOL). With 10 years’ experience, Gwenydd specialises in business, marketing and legal translation. She is also a copywriter. You can read her blog and discover her Spanish-to-English translation courses at translatorstudio.co.uk.