Well, the time has finally come. After being in Germany for almost 20 months, I have to go to the Ausländeramt / Ausländerbehörde to get my work and residency visa renewed. In case you need to go and get your Aufenthaltstitel (residency permit) or Arbeitsgenehmigung (work permit) renewed or you are applying for the first time, take a look at the following links to the Berliner Ausländerbehörde (LABO):

Visa FAQ (German)

Fixing an appointment (German)

More info about the LABO (German)

Happy new year, and all the best for 2008! I am very excited about what the coming year holds for my business, and I’ll tell you why:

First, globalization continues to march on, the Internet continues to grow, and English is still the world’s choice for a lingua franca. Even though the North American economy is in the dumps right now, I’m not too worried, since the bulk of my business actually comes from foreign (non-native English speaking) companies who are trying to reach other foreign companies in the world…

Second, the German economy may not be growing, but it is stable, and since Germany is the world’s largest exporter of goods, many of its companies require English translations.

Third, my network is continuing to expand because of great sites like proz.com, translatorsbase.com, etc. I have contacts all over the world and they are sending me work regularly!

Last of all, I have a special surprise planned for 2008 which I think will be a valuable resource for translators, agencies, and clients all over the world! Stay tuned….