6 translation communities you may have never heard of

While many well-known platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter provide networking, job opportunities, and knowledge sharing, there's a fascinating world of translation communities that might have slipped under your radar. 

These communities offer unique, niche experiences tailored to the needs of translators, interpreters, and language professionals.

In this blog post, we'll introduce you to six remarkable translation communities that you may have never heard of.

From exclusive Slack channels to specialized Discord groups and Telegram chats, these communities provide a space for language service professionals to connect, learn, and thrive. 

Whether you're a seasoned veteran or just starting your journey in the world of translation, these hidden gems might hold the key to unlocking new opportunities and connections. 

Table of contents

 Slack

1. Translators' Community

2. #TeamTranslator

Discord

3. The Translators' Network

4. Le Tradiscord

5. Les Jolies Traductrices

Telegram

6. ¡Bendito contexto!

Slack

1. Translators’ Community

“After securing a strong online presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter, we thought it would be great to offer our community an exclusive channel to network, interact and discover new job opportunities”, explains Alfonso González Bartolessis, TranslaStars’ CEO and founder.

“The result is a niche Slack channel where hundreds of language service professionals can connect with each other, network,  browse between job offers and get early access to our promotions”, adds González Bartolessis.

“Last, but not least, our channel is also the perfect place for companies or agencies to post their offers and reach the best talents in the translation industry”, concludes.

To access the Translators’ Community, register for free on TranslaStars.com and enter the Slack channel through your user start page!

2. #TeamTranslator

“The idea for #TeamTranslator started when Anikó Pető-Mordovski and I realised there was a severe lack of positive spaces for freelance translation professionals to hang out online. It went through several iterations and months of planning before we arrived at the #TeamTranslator that we launched in November 2022”, says Kelsey Frick, Freelance Translation Account Manager, Subtitler, Social Media Consultant, and #TeamTranslator’s co-founder. 

There is a central premise to the project: "Everyone has something to teach and everyone has something to learn, so you bring something valuable to the table whether you have 10 years of experience or 10 months”, explains Frick.

In this group, you can find a variety of channels covering a wide range of topics, including business advice, marketing and sales, and tech. “But we also have channels for celebrating those wins and letting your frustrations out as a freelancer”, adds the channel's co-founder.

At the moment, the co-founders are registering #TeamTranslator as a Community Interest Company in the UK. “The community has grown so much and this is a necessary next step to be able to do more for them”, explains Frick.

Check out the official website of #TeamTranslator to access the Slack channel, as well as their free business resources. 

Discord

3. The Translators’ Network

“Before being a translator, I worked as a mental health specialist, both for public facilities and private practice, and I know how toxic an aggressive (or passive-aggressive) environment can be to people, possibly leading them along the path of dejection. This is why I decided to try and curb this trend”, says Federica Gaeta, Freelance Translator and founder of The Translators’ Network.

“My intention was to create a better place for translators, interpreters, and language experts, in general, to safely share their doubts and questions about the job as well as their knowledge and expertise. I saw that some of the existing platforms were more of a jungle than a place where you could easily approach people”, adds Gaeta, who started the Discord group in April 2023.

With already more than 20 channels and 65 members, Gaeta pictures The Translators’ Network as “a group of affectionate colleagues meeting up at a café for an unexpected break during a tiring working day...or a place where you can turn to gather your thoughts or get some friendly advice without fearing to be shouted at, reprimanded, judged or made fun of”.

“We like thinking of ourselves as a little nest in the jungle of freelancing, agencies, and loss of professional identity. All we can do is work together to create a better place for us all”, concludes Gaeta.

Join The Translators’ Network here. 

4. Le Tradiscord

Created in November 2020 as a place to host virtual coffee events and discussions during the second lockdown in France, Le Tradiscord is dedicated to the French-speaking community of translators, both professional freelancers and aspiring translators currently in training, working with French as a source or target language.

 “With my team of moderators, we’ve drawn up a code of conduct to encourage kindness, promote non-judgemental experience-sharing and, above all, unite around shared values. And we are very committed to this policy”, explains  Dorine Parmentier, Translator, Reviewer and Le Tradiscord’s founder.

With more than 1,200 members, the Discord channel hosts virtual coworking sessions every day, beer o’clock events at least once a month, and revision clubs for legal and medical translation. Parmentier and her team have also partnered with several companies, such as memoQ, TranslaStars, and LSP.Expert, to provide their members with discounts and client support for the tools they use every day.

“While national translator’s unions, such as SFT (Société Française des Traducteurs) and ATAA (Association des traducteurs/adaptateurs de l’audiovisuel) do a pretty good job at defending our craft and providing guidance, our main goal is to ensure that information flows well, and that everyone has access to what they need to make the most of their trade: away from isolation, well supported, well advised, so that they can make informed choices”, explains the group’s founder. 

The most valuable content for Le Tradiscord’s members? “Professional advice, terminology and software resources, and cat pics”, jokes Parmentier. 

Connect with Dorine Parmentier on LinkedIn to access to Le Tradiscord.

Pro tip: At TranslaStars we reach agreements with the best industry and translators' associations, groups, and entities in the world to provide benefits to their members such as free courses, discounts, and special promotions. 

For example, all Tradiscord members benefit from a 50% discount on all our courses and subscription plans. 

Visit our dedicated page and get in touch with us for more information!

5. Les Jolies Traductrices

“I'm a big fan of cosmetics, and I wanted to specialise in this field as a translator. I had a lot of questions and I searched for answers for a long time... Then I realised that the truth is that you never stop specialising, it’s a continuous process, so you’ll always have questions. That’s why I decided to launch the Jolies Traductrices community in September 2022 -  a place for translators specialising in cosmetics to share and exchange ideas, whether you're a beginner or an expert!”, explains Floriane François, Freelance Translator and Copywriter Specialized in Beauty and Cosmetics.

“We share very different types of information, but I would say that terminology questions or requests for translation advice are the most valued content as they involve the participation of all the members - there’s a real conversation going on, not a unique answer given”, adds François.

Almost a year after its official launch, Les Jolies Traductrices is going through a transformation. “After taking several training courses to develop the brand, I've just launched a beta test to offer online training. I can't give you a launch date yet, but stay tuned!”, says the founder.

If you would like to join Les Jolies Traductrices, visit its official website.

Telegram

6. ¡Bendito contexto!

For translators, context is everything. Freelance literary translator Scheherezade Surià López is so familiar with this idea that she named her Telegram group after it.

“Seeing the interest generated by the Q&A sessions on my Instagram profile, I thought that creating a channel on Telegram to share information related to translation would be a great idea. We could have all this data, links, and job offers, in just one place and it would be much more enriching for everybody. So, in 2022, I decided to open the channel and later on, the chat, because I saw that it would be more interesting if everyone could participate, not just me as the administrator”, says Surià López.

“I post job offers for translators and interpreters and share useful resources for colleagues. From time to time, there are also memes, doubts and questions about translation software, translation agencies, how to navigate the professional world, etc.”, explains the founder.

To her, the best part about ¡Bendito contexto! is its collaborative nature. “There is a very enriching atmosphere of collaboration and communication is much more direct”, she concludes.

Follow this link to join ¡Bendito contexto! onTelegram.

If you liked this article, read also:

• 10 positions in the translation industry to boost your career

• The 5 best platforms to find work for translators and interpreters

• 10 best translation professionals to follow to boost your career (2022-2023 edition)

• The 10 best terminology and glossary management tools for translators and interpreters

By Roberta Cavaglià