{"id":46442,"date":"2018-01-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-01-15T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gengo.com\/uncategorized\/faces-of-gengo-emma\/"},"modified":"2019-10-23T17:07:36","modified_gmt":"2019-10-23T08:07:36","slug":"faces-of-gengo-emma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gengo.com\/community\/faces-of-gengo-emma\/","title":{"rendered":"Faces of Gengo: Emma"},"content":{"rendered":"A language specialist who translates from French and Italian, Emma enjoys giving constructive feedback and sharing useful resources with translators. In her interview, she recounts her most challenging translation experience and imparts some useful advice that would benefit newer translators.\r\n\r\nNationality:<\/strong> American\r\nLocation:<\/strong> New Jersey, U.S.\r\nOccupation:<\/strong> Translator\r\nGengo LS since:<\/strong> 2014\r\nLanguage pairs:<\/strong> French to English and French to English (GB)\r\n\r\nWhat languages do you speak? How do you maintain proficiency?<\/strong>\r\n\r\nEnglish is my native language and I translate from French and Italian. I work in these language pairs on a number of different subjects every week, so doing research for translation jobs definitely helps me maintain proficiency and also expand my vocabulary. When I\u2019m not working, I try to read and listen to music in both French and Italian and also have conversations with my French- and Italian-speaking friends.\r\n\r\nHow did you become a translator?<\/strong>\r\n\r\nI had been translating documents every so often while working as a hotel receptionist in France and as a French teacher in the Caribbean. It was a task that I really enjoyed because it challenged me to learn new terms and research different topics. When I came back to live in the U.S., I decided to get a Master\u2019s degree in translation at NYU to pursue it as a career.\r\n\r\n
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“My workspace and my lazy office assistant.”\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\nWhat have been your most challenging translation experience?<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe most challenging translation experience was the capstone project for my degree. It was a very long and technical financial document. It\u2019s one thing to work on a very complicated translation, but it\u2019s a whole other thing to defend its accuracy in front of three of your professors!\r\n\r\nWhat\u2019s your favorite thing about being a translator? How about as a language specialist?<\/strong>\r\n\r\nI love the idea of the flexible schedule, being able to work and travel at the same time and also choose the type of material I work on.\r\n\r\nAs a Language Specialist<\/a>, I really enjoy giving constructive feedback and recommendations to translators. I try to share resources that I use with translators when I check their work. It\u2019s important that translators share knowledge and resources with one another.\r\n\r\n

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“The view behind\u00a0<\/em>my parents\u2019 house where I grew up on Long Island, NY.”<\/em><\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\nBased on your specific cultural expertise, what are the best books or movies would you recommend to others?<\/strong>\r\n\r\nI studied French and Italian film in college and there are some movies that I could watch over and over again. Especially any film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, such as \u201cA Very Long Engagement\u201d (\u201cUn long dimanche de fian\u00e7ailles\u201d), and anything by Federico Fellini.\r\n\r\nIn terms of translation material, I highly recommend Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and Applications<\/em> by Jeremy Munday for any linguists interested in the theory behind translation.\r\n\r\nWhat are your preferred translation tools?<\/strong>\r\n\r\nI mainly use online resources<\/a> but I also recommend that if you are translating technical material that you purchase dictionaries or glossaries for specialized fields.\r\n\r\nComputer-assisted translation software is really wonderful for speeding up productivity and accuracy. I currently use Wordfast Pro and MemoQ.\r\n\r\nWhat\u2019s your favorite productivity tool or service?<\/strong>\r\n\r\nGoogle Drive is great for sharing files between my computers and devices. I can switch computers and pick up right where I left off on a translation.\r\n\r\nI also recently bought a dictation software program called Dragon NaturallySpeaking<\/a> and it has really helped for translations that don\u2019t require a lot of formatting. Translators do a lot of typing so it\u2019s nice to give my fingers a break once and awhile.\r\n\r\n

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“I love travelling. This is a picture from a recent trip to Philadelphia.”<\/em><\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\nWhat are your top tips for those translators who are just starting out?<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe best advice I got when I first started was: Never miss a deadline. Deadlines are key in the translation industry. Concise and frequent communication with project managers and clients is also very important so that everyone is on the same page.\r\n\r\nHowever, the best advice that I personally can give is to find a subject or language pair that you are passionate about. Your passion will show in your productivity and the quality of your work. Plus, you will have more fun at work!\r\n\r\nWant to become a Gengo translator?<\/strong>\r\n\r\n