Interview with a Professional Translator

Interview with Gerda Stendell, a professional translator

1. What type of of translation work have you done professionally?

All kinds- we are a professional translation agency, we handle all languages, all fields

2. What is your translation method like? (How do you approach the task of translating?)
We look at the document, to determine the terminology and field, then we offer it to the translator who fits best. The translator immediately starts translating, sentence after sentence

3. How do you proofread for accuracy? What is the review process for the documents you translate?
Once translated, the document is sent to the proofreader who reads through it and checks for accuracy. The proofreader edits the document if needed.

4. Have you used any type of translation software to assist your translation work?
Our translators use Trados

5. Have you used any sites to aid your online translation work such as Google Translate or Babylon? (These are just some examples.)
No, we do not believe we can rely on machine translations, however, we do consult dictionaries.

6. What tips do you have for people working as professional translators?
Train yourself to be very thorough. Translate one sentence after another, be very methodical, to make sure you don't miss text. Make sure you have enough software programs for your computer, because documents come in word, excel, publisher, etc. Train yourself in all of these software programs, and be very computer-knowledgeable. Know how to make columns, boxes, in other words, you must know how to format so that your translation looks exactly like the incoming text.

7. Do you have any final thoughts or comments on translating professionally?
It is a somewhat dangerous field: we translate court documents, medical documents, accounting, and financial statements - if you make translation mistakes, you can be sued, since sometimes life, liberty, and finances are at stake.
Translating books that people read for pleasure is a fun job, but you must make sure you don't just translate word for word, you must preserve nuances and be familiar with slang and street language.

I'd like to thank Gerda Stendell for participating in this interview!