Good morning, everyone!
Marleen/hamoen.m (translator), Natalia Manidis (Gengo community manager) and myself came up with the idea of creating a thread for every new translator to introduce him-/herself, see here: https://support.gengo.com/entries/23603485-Very-frustrating-
I guess it would be nice if some of those who have already been working for Gengo quite a longer time also use this opportunity only so that we all just have a slight idea of whom we are talking to when we're discussing translation issues.
So, I'll have a start:
After I began my “working life” as an editor for German language (mainly in fiction, but also concentrating on scientific texts and essays) I stumbled upon the idea of working as a translator, too, some seven years ago. What was originally intended to be a second job/a second income source, quickly turned out to be my main profession. (English to German only, in case anybody should worry about my not too elaborated English phrasing.)
As for Gengo, I already registered here about two years ago but then had other clients and, I am honest, forgot about Gengo and only remembered about two months ago. Since then I have worked on some quite different projects, including the TripAdvisor project and the Northern Tool project and, of course, loads of mini and micro jobs in the every day dashboard. I feel quite happy about the very good support here as well as the obviously good order situation so, I guess, I will spend quite some time at Gengo's in the near future and hopefully in the far future as well.
Last but not least: I did not have the opportunity yet to participate in the translators' discussions in this forum yet as I, I must admit, only discovered the forum some days ago, but I am quite enthusiastic about the quality of the discussions, they seem constructive.
Looking forward to your introductions!
Maria
145 comments
I am John Stolzenbach (Johann in my passport), and I'm getting involved in Japanese to English translation, something that I've done before for a number of years and wanted to take up again. My background with Japan goes back to my youth -- living five years in Japan when I was still in grade school, and getting my background in the language at that time. I would love to be part of some of the bigger projects that come down the pike. Minasan ni yoroshiku onegaishimasu!
Hi there, Maria.
First of all thank you for starting this thread! I think the idea of getting to know our peers here at gengo is great :)
My name is Lara and I am originally Spanish, but I have been living out of my country for 10+ years (2 years in the US and 7 years in Japan, with shorter stays in the UK and India, currently in Morocco since almost 3 years ago.) To tell the truth, given my background, I had always been interested in translation. However, it wasn't until April last year that I found gengo, registered, and started working.
I translate part-time only as I am a stay at home mom to a 17 month old crazy toddler, so I get to work only when she is entertained by herself, napping, or goes to sleep for the night, but this is a job that I truly enjoy, and I would definitely love to go further into it maybe after she (and her soon to be born sister) start going to school... haha ;)
I am also a yoga teacher and teach a few classes a week at home plus 1 class a week at a gym.
I can speak Spanish, English and Japanese more or less at the same level (when I used to work in Japan customers never believed that I was not Japanese when talking on the phone lol) but I work in the JA>EN pair only. I am waiting for the EN>ES or ES>EN pairs to open for testing as well.
My house is a language melting pot so even during my daily life I usually start a sentence in a language and finish it in another (or mix words, or make them up... ) I speak Spanish to my daughter, talk in English with my husband (and therefore when we are together we often speak English to her as well), and the local languages are Arabic and French ---- no wonder my 17 month old can't speak at all yet, I bet she's very confused lol.
That's pretty much about it ;)
Hi there, I'm Ashley (^-^)/
I've been living in japan for the last three years or so but I've been studying Japanese since I was 14. I used to do translation for fun but now that I'm an adult I don't really have that kind of luxury (except when something really catches my eye). Since I'm studying for the JLPT 1 test I figured this would be the best way to use my skills and get language practice at the same time (I hate studying from textbooks).
よろしくお願いしマウス。
Hi!
My name is May-Lin, I grew up bilingual (Danish-English) with a Chinese-Malaysian mother and a Danish father. Like many others in here, I've lived abroad (6-7 years in the German speaking part of Switzerland) and have an international circle of family and friends, plus I married Greek-Cypriot.
I do EN>DA translations and proofreading for Gengo and other companies (also the other way round DA>EN). Besides that I teach English and Danish to adults, write SEO texts, work as a freelance artist, and teach art.
My free time doesn't look much different; art and writing. I had a novel and a vignette accepted into pro markets last year, and hope this year will be the year I get published "for real"
I live in the middle of nowhere in an old farmhouse on 4,5 acres of land and of course have a dog and the obligatory number of cats. I'm a bit of a hermit, so working for Gengo suits me perfectly. ;)
Hello everyone!
My name is Andrew. I grew up in northern China but now live in America due to work. What I enjoy doing outside of work:
Calligraphy (hence my screen-name)
Travel to the middle of nowhere
Try bizarre foods
and Skiing.
I started doing CH>EN translation and proofreading for Gengo outside of my normal 8-5 job in late 2013. I see my involvement with this community a meaningful thing to do. Looking forward to growing with Gengo and everyone else.
Thanks and happy new year! :)
Andrew
Hi there!
My name is Kevin. I'm currently 17 years old. My first language is Indonesian and English is my second language. Both of my parents are Indonesian, but my mom already tried to educate me to be bilingual since I was like 3.
Later on this year I will be attending college, so I think getting a part time job would be great. I'm quite interested in learning foreign languages, right now I'm trying to study Japanese. I can intuitively understand some Romance language (even though I can't translate them) because I'm also quite familiar with Latin.
I look forward to improve my abilities in language with everyone here ^^
よろしくお願いします~ ^^
Bonjour!
My name is Marie-Pierre, I like doing several things in my life, so I've been a teacher for 12 years, in International Schools overseas, already doing translations for personal interest, then I added massage therapist as a job, because I really love anything to do with health and well-being, and finally, since I wanted to have jobs for which I can work from home and from anywhere in the world, I decided to go professional with translating too. I love languages, literature, puns on words, different philosophies, travelling and cooking, but also sciences and IT, so I hope I'll be able to translate this kind of documents!
Looking forward to getting to know you and working with you,
Have a great day,
MP
Hi everyone.
My name is Joel and I'm from England. I'm currently living in Japan and heard about this website from a friend.
I started translating for Gengo last Friday and I have to say that I think I'm addicted! I can't seem to stop clicking on new jobs!!
I've finally found something that I enjoy doing, is great experience and I actually get paid for doing it!
THANK YOU!!
I look forward to working with everyone. ^ ^ /
Regards,
Joel
Hi everybody,
I'm Lucia. I was born in France in a German family, which gave me the chance to grow up in a bilingual environment.
I learned English and Spanish at school and studied German Language (translation, grammar, linguistic), Literature and History at University Toulouse II (France) and spent one year at University Mannheim (Germany) to complete my Masters degree in 2007.
I also studied English Language, Literature and History and Russian for two semesters.
I am passionate about languages and literature and I am working as a writer since the age of 20.
I have worked as an IT and training consultant in the aeronautics area for more than 6 years in an international environment. I have therefore written, translated and checked a lot of documents, communication messages, softwares, etc. from and into the main languages which are German, English and French.
Since July 2013, I have started a new career as a freelance translator and tales and novels writer. Depending on the subject, I write either in French, German or English and translate most of the texts myself.
My most representative works are "The girl with the flowers" which is available in all three languages ("La jeune fille aux fleurs" in French and "Das Mädchen mit den Blumen" in German) and "At the end of nowhere", a novel written in French and translated into English recently.
I have had some translation assignments through other translation boards and I am new to Gengo. I am looking forward to knowing the community better.
みんなさん、こんにちは！私はシンディです！ Hello everyone! My name is Cynthia or Cindy for short. I'm from the US and have been living in South Korea for the past three years. I lived in Japan for two years before moving to South Korea. My major in college was Japanese and I passed JLPT level N1 last summer.
That said, I have needed a good way to keep up with my Japanese while living in South Korea. I have wanted to be a translator for a while now and I was recently given the opportunity to join the team here at Gengo after doing a little internet search for translation jobs. In the past I have translated a few things for myself or friends but after a bit of a break I'm glad to be translating again. I love working with languages and helping people at the same time!
I'm looking forward to working with everyone here as well as improving my skills! :)
Looking forward to getting to know everyone! ^^/
では、よろしくお願いします～ ^_^
Hi All,
My name is Yosuke. I recently came back to my home country, Japan after spending six years in the U.S. for graduate school and then a year in Germany for my first post-doctoral job. My experience at Gengo has been superb so far! I've been working here since February, and I love the wide variety of texts that need translating (from Japanese to English). By training I am a geographer, but it's amazing to see how my skills can be put to use in different areas of society. Nice to meet you all!
Best,
Yosuke
Hi everyone,
My name is Omar and I'm from Italy. I casually stumbled into Gengo some weeks ago and I'm very happy to be part of this team, especially now that I've been able to enter this group as translator. Maybe my linguistic pair is not so common internationally (English --> Italian), but I want to do my part and give my support as much as possible.
I have worked in the publishing field for quite some time, and after having worked only to a very few books and graphic novels, I want to try and transform this passion of mine in a real full time job.
So I think we will keep in touch a lot in the near future.
Ciao!
Omar
Hello everyone.
My name is Sarah and I've just been accepted as a translator here - so far there are no jobs available, so I have yet to actually translate anything!
I am English and have been living in Germany for the past seven years, so I translate from German to English. I have done a few translations to date; the largest was actually from English to German, a set of technical manuals for a large firm here, although I wouldn't normally translate into German. Living in East Germany, where the economy is not as good as it is in the West, I find work is not abundant, hence looking online for other translation opportunities. I work as an English teacher, but only part time as I do after school coaching. I hope to build up more translation work as it is something I really enjoy doing. In my spare time I write romantic novels which I have self-published on Kindle and I am working on a memoire of how and why I came to be in Germany and what I've been doing here. I hope to get this one published properly!
Here's hoping I manage to expand my translation work with Gengo!
Sarah
Hi everyone,
First of all I am more than happy to become a part of this community. Tons of thanks for creating such a nice, user-friendly and useful resource for both translators and our customers.
I am natively Russian with a degree in translation of English and French. I've been living in the USA for almost 2 years now so not only I speak 2 languages, but understand the realities of both countries and cultural difference. I am still learning and will learn till the end of my life :)
My French is going a bit worse than English, so I am going back to school here in the US to make my French strong enough to translate.
I've been freelancing since my 2 year at the University, which is over 5 years now, than I worked as an in-house translator back in Russia for a while. After moving to the USA I started working as a tax preparer and I'm still doing this. Right now I am expanding my client base to make translation job my full time job. I am also planning to become ATA certified this year or next year (since the exam takes place quite far from where I'm currently staying).
That is mostly all about myself,
Thank you,
Kate
By the way, in my previous comment a little mistake is hidden. Spell check will not notice it. So if you see it - you are a great proof-reader :)
Hello Everyone, my name is Dwight Sora. I have been working as a Japanese-English document translator for most of my adult life since graduating from college, the past ten years as a full-time freelancer. I started out working primarily in the manufacturing equipment field, as I previously worked full-time for both Matsushita Electric and Yaskawa Electric America. Over time, I have become familiar with such different industries as pharmaceuticals, consumer electronics and chemical manufacturing. I have worked with a large number of translation agencies over the years, both good and not-so-good. Gengo appears to be a very interesting new approach to the translation business. Outside of translation, you might catch me onscreen or onstage (if you happen to be in Chicago), as I also work as a professional actor. By the way, if you ever need any quick assistance with typing or data entry on a project, I'm your man: I have a recorded typing speed of 100 WPM error-free.
hello everyone..
Lemme introduce myself... I'm Ken Zuraida. I'm newbie here. I'm from Indonesia and here I'm a standard translator for English-Indonesia and vice versa. I'm a fresh graduate from one of private university in my town. please take care of me.. :)
Hello everyone!
My name is Emanuela and I'm Italian! I've been part of this wonderful community of translators for a couple of weeks! My language pair is English-Italian because I studied (and practiced) this kind of translation when I was at university, where I graduated in Foreign Languages (English and French) some years ago. I've already started working here on Gengo, it's very exciting when you find many new jobs ! Let's keep on translating and learning all together! All the best, everyone!
Thank you, Gengo! Ciao a tutti!
Hi everyone!
My name is Ana and I am Spanish, although I am living in Chile right now. My translation field is English - Spanish (Spain).
I have a bachelor in Classical Studies (Latin and Ancient Greek), which makes it much easier for me to learn new languages. I have been studying English since I was 3 years old; right now I am taking a master's degree in English for Specific Purposes, which is helping a lot when it comes to translating.
I love languages and have studied around 10, although I am only fluent in 6 of them. However, the Gengo experience is being awesome! I am happy to be in such an international environment :)
Regards,
Ana
Hello all,
Im David, native spanish speaker from Colombia, just joined the community and well, hoping to be part of a great experience. I am an International Business major and currently taking an MBA and a master in Digital Marketing in Madrid, Spain.
Have been translating for quite a while mostly with geology and health related documents and of course, have dealt with management, commerce, trade, and similar topics.
Anything I could help you with Id me more than glad.
Best of wishes to all
David
Hi everyone! はじめまして. My name is Mai and I have been working at Gengo for close to a year and half doing Japanese to English translation (level: standard) . I'm fully Japanese and currently living in Tokyo, but I spent my childhood in the United States and am a native English speaker. I graduated from University about a year ago, where I studied linguistics and academic writing, and am currently working as a freelance translator. Eventually I would like to pass the Pro test at Gengo as well as join an agency and become a professional translator in a specific field such as medical or patent or entertainment or something else. My hobbies include traveling ( I recently went to Hawaii for a week and LOVED it), singing, watching sitcoms, and eating! One of the best things about Japan is how delicious the food is. Sushi and sukiyaki are my favorites (*Drools*) . Anyways I'd love to meet other translators working in Japan and make friends so that we can exchange information and give each other advice. If anybody knows of such gatherings, I'd love some information!! Anyways nice to meet you all!
PS: I forgot to mention how much I love my job at Gengo although something it is very challenging. I have to admit that when I first entered Gengo I was very big-headed and did not think that translation would be so difficult since I understood both languages in my pair. But the job reviews I received from Gengo helped me to realize how little I knew about translation and how it is soooo much more than merely translating word for word. I have learned a lot and grown so much as a translator because of Gengo's solid support system, so thank you to the staff!!! これからもよろしくお願いします！
Hello everyone,
my name is Miika and I just got accepted yesterday into the language pair English-Finnish. I have a Bachelor's degree in German-Finnish translation studies and am currently working on a Master's degree in Intercultural Studies. A friend pointed out to me that Gengo was looking for translators from English to Finnish, and since I was in need of work, I did the test. I'm happy I did because there seems to be a fair amount of work available at the moment, especially TripAdvisor reviews. I already did a couple of them and I guess there will be enough of them for some time. So far I have a really good impression of this company and I'm looking forward to future opportunities.
Best wishes and keep it up,
Miika
Hi everyone,
My name is Siiri, and I'm a native Finnish-speaker currently living in Japan. I got my Bachelor's degree in Japanese Studies with minors in English and Translation Studies, and am now working on my Master's thesis also in Japanese Studies. I joined Gengo a few weeks ago. I would like to become a Japanese-Finnish translator in the future, but here at Gengo I am translating from English into Finnish as my main language pair is too rare. I also passed the test for Japanese-English translators, but found translating into English too time-consuming in the end and decided to just stick to Finnish even if it meant having less options. I hope this community will help me grow to become a fully fledged translator.
Regards,
Siiri
Hello Everyone! I am Shu, living in Tokyo.
I was born and grew up in Japan. 23 years old. When I was a high school student, I started studying English in order to talk with foreign pals through internet :) Though I studied English for fun, but I am an adult now and I must earn. So I am working for Gengo doing English to Japanese translation.
I am currently studying on a Master degree of Economics, but I will graduate from the school soon. Though I like Economics, but I like better studying languages and cultures. I hope I eventually get a job which is related to translation or foreign culture.
Kind regards,
Shu
Hello everybody,
My name is Andy Williams. I was born in the US and have lived in Japan for the last 20 years. I teach English at my own school, a local University, and various preschools in the area. I've been wanting to get into translation and have had a few jobs, but that stalled about 8 years ago, so I'm trying to get back on that track. I'm really excited about Gengo and hope that it can help me improve my translating skills. I've already done a few small jobs and am just starting a longer translation. I find myself really worrying about my word choice, which I hope, makes it a better translation, but also makes me work slowly. 頑張ります。
Andy Williams
Dear all,
I'm glad to see the diversity of translators within the Gengo community. I have been doing academic translations and I like freelance working schemes. I liked the Gengo concept of deciding when to work and I just passed the Pro level test for English-Spanish, so I am really excited about joining the translators community. At the moment there are very few jobs available in my language pair but I hope this will get better in the future. I look forward to learning from you and helping out when/if I can!
Ed Neve.