Spinning a yarn: how I honed my craft and created my niche

This year’s event in Carcassonne was my third METM after Split (2019) and San Sebastian (2022); when I saw the programme, Sara Blackshire’s presentation was one of the sessions that really caught my eye and encouraged me to sign up again. As a keen knitter myself, ever since I needed something other than reading/writing to while away the evenings at university (no screens in those days!), the prospect of actually translating in this field too was truly tantalizing.

Sara’s talk fitted neatly with the conference theme: Crossroads: coming together, crafting the future. Sara has been knitting and crocheting for many years and has a strong social media presence in both Spanish and English crafting circles. Having been brought up in Spain to English parents, she also translates in both directions, a very useful attribute.

As you’d expect, a keen interest in the subject is essential for anyone wishing to specialize in such a niche area. Not only can you test patterns and pick up any mistakes, you usually know what’s meant by the most intricate instructions, or can work it out by experimenting yourself. Sara recommends using the Craft Yarn Council recommended abbreviations to ensure consistency – watching out for US/UK differences if translating into English, of course.

As to turning your passion into your niche, social media presence is key. Thanks to Instagram and sites like Ravelry, crafters already have links to a broad circle of fellow crafters. By tagging others in your posts and sharing others’ posts in turn, it’s possible to build up quite a following and become known for being a knitting translator. Sara also uses Instagram Highlights to add stories that might appeal to potential clients and remain permanently on show. Other tips: buy other people’s patterns and products, visit knitting fairs, festivals and exhibitions, then talk about your experiences. Be responsive when others ask questions and be meticulous in all that you do – reputation is everything.

From there the next step is to contact designers in your source languages and engage with them, perhaps offering to translate or proofread samples of their work for free to show them what you can do. Even if they don’t take you up straight away, they may remember your name further down the line or recommend you to others. By striking up personal relationships with designers, you can show them what benefits a professional translation by a native speaker can provide. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has given up on certain pattern designers as their (poorly translated) patterns just don’t make sense!

Crafting has changed gear since the pandemic, when we were all forced to stay at home and amuse ourselves. It has now become very professional and also appeals to younger generations, so there’s plenty of scope for translators wishing to make their mark in this field. Authenticity and passion are essential when engaging with prospective clients – your joy in your work is sure to come across if you’re good at what you do and can convey that to others (crafting and translating!).

Sara’s talk was short and sweet, ending far too soon due to the length of the allocated slot – I’m sure I’m not the only one who could have gone on listening and talking for hours. Which only goes to show that if you have a passion for something, others are bound to share it and who knows, you too could turn that side hustle into a translating niche.

This METM24 presentation was chronicled by Claire Cox.

Featured photo courtesy of MET.