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Here is a tip for those of you who love reading in English and know that it is even better when it is free. I am talking about Free eBooks.net, a website maintained by a group of bibliophiles.

The goal of the site is to offer everyone the benefits of good reading. Since we all know that good reading can be invaluable, this is the exact goal of the website organizers: to provide good reading and free access to all.

The books can be downloaded for free from the http://www.free-ebooks.net website The only drawback is that you need to register, but it is really worth this little effort, is it not? In case you prefer to buy, there are books available for purchase too.

For those who have difficulty understanding spoken English, this is a good opportunity to practice your language skills.

You can download the books in several formats.

If you could not find a book of your interest, unfortunately you will have to wait until the author or copyright owner sends it to them the file and authorization to publish. You can also contact the author directly and suggest that he or she makes the eBook available on the website.

Or perhaps you could be the author… In this case, go there and talk to them! You might be even published.

Enjoy!

Remember that a few weeks ago, we talked about the 7th Language and Technology Conference organized by IMTT in Córdoba? Here is a special invite from me:

There will be four of us there: myself, Wandrianne, Iván and Cassius, whose Project Management workshop is filling up quickly.

There will be plenty of opportunities to meet people during the GALA speed networking session, coffee breaks, and the welcome reception cocktail. If you want to be part of this exciting event, make sure you register right now as it starts this Saturday.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Remember how last year the IMTT Conference rocked? Well, they are back in 2011 with yet another edition. This time I will be part of the closing panel on “The Future of the Industry,” while Ccaps Production Director, Cassius Figueiredo, will be teaching the “Fundamentals of Global Project Management with Real-Life Case Studies” in a pre-conference workshop. Check out the full three-day program (Aug 20-22) by clicking here.

Because the IMTT girls certainly “Think Latin America,” for the first time at IMTT Conferences the program will have two simultaneous tracks, featuring sessions in English, Spanish and Portuguese. According to the organizers, “the main objective of IMTT Language & Technology Conferences is to reflect the global reality of the industry, help deal with the changes at a local level and leave attendees with a positive message.” Having been there once, I can assure you that they will reach their goals!

Areas of interest include most everything that matters to our industry and players today: machine translation and post editing, vendor management, social media, collaborative translation, life sciences, quality, the future of the industry in Latin America, and more. Because they understand the importance of exchanging ideas at every level of the supply chain, IMTT has taken on the challenge of creating a program that will cater for both, the freelancers and the translation companies that hire them.

If you are a translator, apart from all the learning opportunities, the 7th Language & Technology Conference has been approved by the ATA for 10 continuing education points (Category A). If you run a company, you should not miss the networking opportunities and the possibility of learning from peers the best practices for the localization market in Latin America.

You have until next week to enjoy the early bird fee, so hurry up and register today!

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Nuns at a Dominican Literacy Center in Aurora, Illinois, have taught immigrant women to read, write and speak English for more than 16 years. The Literacy Center hopes to improve the lives of immigrant women by making it easier for them to communicate with their doctor, or their child’s teacher, or to even understand what their English-speaking children are saying to each other at home.

One advantage that the center offers are 90-minute personal classes given once per week. The women have one on one time to overcome their fear of speaking English. And the only cost is a $25 annual fee for the workbook. The classes last three years and afterwards the women can join a conversational group as long as they please.

More than 180 women received tutoring this year at the center on Chicago’s near east side. More than 100 remain on a registration waiting list, while another 90 are waiting for tutors to become available. About 80 percent of the women come from Mexico, and others hail from Russia, Pakistan, Peru, Haiti and elsewhere.

Run by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, the literacy center is one of numerous organizations in the Chicago region supported by Chicago Tribune Holiday Giving, a campaign of Chicago Tribune Charities, a McCormick Foundation Fund. Here is the link in case you feel like making a donation:

https://donate.mccormickfoundation.org/NetCommunity/SSLPage.aspx?pid=205

 The first step to great achievements is to dream. But what are we doing to make this dream become true?

Every year we make the same resolutions: To go back to school, to find our soul mate, have kids, quit smoking, go on a diet, travel more, stress less; all in all, to be happy.

Dreams are what make the world move. The large companies that we know today started as a dream of people just like us. Yet man cannot live on dreams alone. The biggest challenge is to turn these dreams into reality.

I dreamt of seeing my little prince (Pedro, my son) being chosen to attend the school Colégio Pedro II and I achieved that dream! Fight for your dreams and don’t simply take the supporting role in helping others achieve their dreams. But remember that you must always act on these dreams, otherwise, you could end up falling out of bed or stay daydreaming forever.