Missed the conference? Me too. Here's how I made it work.

The posts started rolling in, just as I knew they would.

“Great to see you at #ATA66!”

“Another fabulous presentation!”

And there I was… not there.

I’ve attended the American Translators Association conference almost every other year since 2019, but this year wasn’t one of them.

Sound familiar? That ugh feeling of watching everyone else post their conference selfies while you refresh LinkedIn?

Well, I decided to turn that FOMO into fuel.

While it seemed like everyone but me was networking in person, I got proactive online. I messaged a subtitling project manager I hadn’t worked with in a while. And guess what? A translation client who’d gone quiet for two years suddenly emailed me a proposal.

So this happened.

The translation client offered me a part-time remote editor role reviewing Canadian content for a global company. After paid training, I’ll be working 15–20 hours a week. Wait. Steady, remote positions are still a thing? Who knew?!

And that subtitling client? I told them I love telenovelas. So, bring on the drama. 

Now I’m re-onboarding with both of them. It takes a few days. If you work with agencies, you know the drill: back and forth with the PM, then IT, then login setups. Pro tip: download the Authenticator app on your phone for multi-factor authentication. It’ll save you time.

Last week, I reminded you that nothing beats being in the same room as your tribe. But if you can’t be there (and sometimes you just can’t), you can still show up. Send that message. Follow up. Reply to that email.

Because one small nudge can lead to a brand-new opportunity. And make your FOMO feel a lot more like momentum.

To your success,

Catharine