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2021 Work Goals

As the year is drawing to a close, I thought it was high time to set my goals for next year. I do this every year to give myself an idea of what I want to achieve in the next year, but these goals are not rigid and can be changed. So without any further ado, here are my business goals for 2021!

Homestretch Business Goals

As we are hurtling towards the final month of 2020 (where did all the time go? Does anyone else feel like 2020 has gone by in the blink of an eye?), I thought now would be a good time to look at some homestretch goals for the last four weeks of the year. By ‘homestretch goals’, I mean goals that I can do in the homestretch of this year. I find that planning for the last little bit of the year enables me to keep on track and as I have been unwell this year and my motivation has dipped in the last couple of months, this feels even more important. So, without further ado, here are my homestretch goals for 2020!

Tips for going into lockdown 2

This week the UK has entered into a month-long lockdown again. With a few key exceptions (i.e. schools and universities being kept open), it will be a very similar experience to March to May of this year. This may be very daunting to a lot of us, as we’d just got used to life being a bit more normal again. I think there are some things we can learn from last time around and, as a freelancer and someone with mental health issues, these are the tips that I will be following myself this time around, both professionally and personally.

French series on Netflix

Thanks to the weird situation that is the world during a pandemic in 2020, a lot of us are spending a lot more time at home and watching a lot more television. I can confirm that this is the same for me and I have been desperately searching for new things to watch on Netflix. I was delighted to discover there is a myriad of foreign language drama on Netflix, including loads of French TV shows. As I said in my post on how to learn a language, one of the best ways to learn a language is to up your exposure by watching TV and films, listening to podcasts, etc. So if you’re looking to learn French or just fancy a change from your usual viewing, here are four French Netflix series, available on UK Netflix, that you can stream now.

How to Learn Vocabulary

This week, I’m tackling the tricky topic of how to learn vocabulary. For a lot of language learners, memorising vocabulary is one of the most difficult and least fun aspects of learning a new language. It’s time consuming, dull and repetitive. That being said, if you do it right, you can lessen the amount of time you need to spend on it. So in this post, I would like to share some of my top tips for language learning!

Best Way to Learn Arabic Online

As you may know, I am a tutor of French and an Arabic and French to English translator. So, it can definitely be said that I know a lot about learning languages and especially about learning Arabic. My Arabic learning journey began in 2013, when I started my BA at Cambridge University and I continue to practise my Arabic to this day. Language learning is a lifelong process and you never stop learning!

Especially during these uncertain times, you may not be in a position to pay for language lessons, access them in person or online or find a tutor. As such, I would like to share the best way to learn Arabic online for free! I have found some free resources that you can utilise for your Arabic learning journey.

Translation FAQs

As you will probably already know, I am a translator of Arabic and French into English. You may have come across this page because you are looking for someone who can perform this service. However, you might have a few questions before you embark on your translation journey and I want to help!

Honeymoon

Last weekend, my husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary and it made me start reminiscing about our honeymoon (especially as I looked through all the photos from our relationship to make a photobook for him). I thought it would be nice to share with you an overview of our honeymoon; what we did, where we went and how much French I spoke!

Best French youtubers

As a millenial, I grew up with Youtube during my teenage years and still watch it to do this day. While my tastes have varied as I aged, I discovered early on that watching Youtubers who talk in French can be really beneficial for practicing my listening skills. If you are interested in improving your French while listening to native speakers, here are some of the top French youtubers that I like to watch.

Books in Translation

As a literary translator, I of course absolutely love reading. I even have a blog and an instagram page dedicated to books (among other things). I have worked on translating a non-fiction book and an epic poem/novella in the past and am excited to translate more books. But in this blogpost, inspired by Abbie of @Ab_read‘s fantastic post on Women in Translation, I will talk about some of my favourite books in translation that I’ve read. Admittedly, I haven’t read widely enough in translation, especially as I now read French and Arabic books in their original version, so if you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments!