A Year in (P)review
A phrase I found myself saying throughout the latter half of 2025 was: wie schnell die Zeit vergeht, how time flies! Now, in what seems like a blink, the door has closed on 2025 and 2026’s has just opened.
I’ve been sitting on this post for a few weeks, reflecting on my wins from the past year. Watching everyone else check off their accomplishments and successes, post long recaps and highlight reels on LinkedIn and other social media, the feeling to do the same was almost contagious.
But instead of mulling about my work life during the witching hour of the year, I decided to spend the time off enjoying valuable moments of rest and connection, both alone and in the company of my loved ones, charging my creative batteries to prepare for great new things to come.
So this has become a hybrid post: what went right in 2025, and how I plan to continue the trajectory of those experiences in 2026.
In January 2025, I took a big step in my freelancing journey, finalizing and publishing my website. This was a project that had been in the works for a long time, one I wavered on before finally clicking “Publish”, and it felt like a huge but necessary hurdle in order to be more prosperous as a translator. Launching my website proved to me that I can actually do this. A year on, I’m so happy I made that choice when I did, as it’s helped me get noticed by more clients.
Another leap in March saw me signing up for Corinne McKay’s “March Marketing Madness” course. Corinne provided registrants with a variety of marketing materials to encourage regular marketing activities, which can be a sticking point for freelancers, especially ones with a regular clientele. Alongside planning and organizational documents, she recorded daily motivational videos, and set up a Slack channel for participants to discuss questions or share their own tips. The course was informative and I felt supported and encouraged in my outreach efforts. My main takeaways were that some marketing is always better than none at all, and segmenting your marketing tasks throughout the week can help make the process feel more manageable.
March Marketing Madness was the direct catalyst for my next accomplishment, which was honing my brand and engaging a creative I knew could bring it to life. I worked with a local Winnipeg photographer to create my first official headshots, which I then used to make branded business cards. I’m so happy with the photos Christina Kroeker shot with me. She was able to capture me authentically, which was so important, since much of my clientele have only connected with me virtually. First impressions are everything, and Christina helped me make the best one I possibly can. You’ll find her photos featured throughout my website and my LinkedIn profile.
My major professional development opportunity of the year came in September when I travelled to Freiburg im Breisgau for a C1 language course at Uni Freiburg. Alongside daily courses in language, literature and post-WWII history, I was able to explore this fairy-tale town and surrounding areas, and make some unforgettable memories with other participants in the course. If you want to read more about the course and my adventures, check out UWinnipeg’s German-Canadian Studies Blog here (aka my day job). Needless to say, any chance to throw myself into intensive study in my working language is always welcome, and doing so in the company of other professionals and learners from all backgrounds was well worth the trip.
Now that we see what went right in 2025, let’s chart the path ahead in 2026.
In August 2025 I started getting an influx of requests from clients in my preferred subject areas, literary and tourism translation, which was such a great feeling! My hope and intention for 2026 is that my content – my website, this blog, my portfolio translations – continue to reach these audiences. (And if these are the types of projects you need a hand with, I’m only a click away).
On the wave of my C1 course last September, I have approached my day-to-day language learning (which is always ongoing – see why in my previous post) with renewed vigor. One area I don’t attend to nearly enough is reading German literature. Sure, I’ll read the news or a short blurb on a website, but reading – and analyzing – German books is only going to strengthen my ability to translate them. Not to mention, there are a great many German authors I haven’t discovered yet, a problem which must be remedied. My next read in German will be Meral Kureyshi’s Im Meer Waren Wir Nie, which I picked up (and had her sign!) at her nomination ceremony for the Bern Literary Prize.
Alongside honing my critical reading skills in German, I intend to flex my writing skills in English. Whether that means taking a refresher on creative writing or simply having fun writing short bits of prose and poetry, experimenting with and getting reacquainted with English in new ways. Whatever I can do to better understand my native tongue, every bit counts towards my goal of consistent growth. All of these skills work together, allowing me to convey the content of German literature in a fluent and nuanced style suitable for the English-speaking audience.
Looking ahead to 2026, I’m excited to build on my tangible, front-facing accomplishments while also taking the time to further hone my creative skills in a way that reintroduces curiosity and play. After all, when you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work. And when it starts to feel like work, it might just be as simple as stepping back and saying, How can I find the fun in this again?
Here's to a 2026 that mixes creative passion, functional language learning and motivation to reach even more clients who can use my services. Wishing you well as we move into all that this year has to offer.
-Angela
