Session

People choose where they live for many reasons: family, lifestyle, or simply the place they call home. Historically, these life decisions often came with a heavy career cost; if you weren't in a major industry hub, your opportunities were limited. But the landscape has shifted, and in this post-COVID world, the focus is now on how you show up for people as opposed to your physical location. This session is for newcomers who want to start their career on their own terms, as well as veterans who may be planning a move. It's also for agencies who want to see why hiring international talent is actually easier than they think. The goal of this presentation is to prove that a high-level translation career isn't built on physical proximity, but on the bedrock of reliability and proactive communication. Drawing on my own journey of building a successful J>E entertainment translation business based in Australia, I will share the personal anecdotes and hard-won lessons that helped me turn geographic distance into a professional edge. We will explore how to 'flip the script' on being abroad by challenging the limiting beliefs that keep us tethered to major hubs, and instead, identify the unique perspectives we bring by being in our target country. I will demonstrate how to pre-empt client fears and strip away logistical frictions, making you just as easy to work with as a local partner. Finally, I will share some modern research tools to help you find the digital neighbourhoods where your ideal clients are actually hiding. Participants will walk away with the tools to own their geographic freedom, and the knowledge that a successful career isn't about where you are in the world, but the value and reliability you bring to the table.