Translation is My Valentine
If you love your profession, shout it out loud!
I am in love.
There is no doubt about it.
Yet it has not been easy to come to this conclusion. Many questions came to my mind: Was it a real feeling? Or was it just one of those fleeting moments? Is it really something you can fall in love with? Or is love a feeling that is exclusive to people?
No, it is not.
I am a translator, and I am in love with my profession. And no, that does not mean I am a workaholic.
I was born in Sabadell, a city close to Barcelona, in Spain. I grew up speaking Spanish and Catalan at home, and this probably made it easier for me to learn other languages. I learned English at Primary and Secondary school and started French when I took my first degree at University (Foreign Language Teaching for Primary School Children). After finishing this degree, I read Translation and Interpreting, where I expanded my language portfolio with a third foreign language: Portuguese.
Almost 16 years have passed since I graduated. During that time, I have worked for a couple of translation companies, where I have taken on different roles from translator, editor or proofreader to project manager and Business Development Manager. This gave me the chance to see the business from both sides, as part of the translation process and as a client, and enabled me to continue learning about different cultures and how language shapes them.
Last summer I felt it was time for me to work by my own rules, and I started my translation company, Prêt-à-translate. Many people ask me about this name, and the answer is very simple: a dress does not necessarily suit two different people, does it? Same happens with translation. The one-size-fits-all approach does not work if you want to reach your clients in their target language.
Jeans do not suit all body shapes. The one-size fits all approach does not work with translation neither. Gif by Giphy.
It brought me to start this blog, Words from the Wardrobe, which is intended to help your international strategy succeed by using translation and localization services, with a special focus on Spanish. Translation plays an important role in several areas of your company, from product development to marketing. If done properly, translation is an investment that will get you a good ROI in branding, revenue and engagement.
The title Words from the Wardrobe is a result of pure collaboration between translators. I am a member of a Facebook group, Standing Out Mastermind, where translators from all over the world help each other by sharing business tips. It is a fantastic way of feeling supported, as very often translators work alone from our offices, and our loved ones do not always understand why we get so mad about words, etymology, culture, punctuation rules and other stuff.
I asked colleagues in this group to help me brainstorm a name for my blog, and received many wonderful ideas. After whittling down the options to five, I finally decided that Words from the Wardrobe perfectly fitted with my idea of using fashion as a metaphor of the world of translation.
Would you like to meet the person behind this creative title? Let me introduce you to Helene Tammik.
Helene Tammik, the translator behind this blog title.
Helene Tammik translates French editorial texts into English and copywrites in English for major luxury brands – often for marketing or advertising purposes. Her rare combination of a nuanced understanding of French, great creative writing skills and good grasp of psychology enables her to produce compelling and readable English texts that don’t come across like translations. If you would like to learn more about her, visit her website, Besoin d’Anglais.
I hope this blog will help you understand the world of translation and why I love it so much. Would you like to contribute with a guest post? Or do you have any ideas for new posts? Use the contact form on my website and let me know how you would like to contribute.
See you for the next post!
Alicia