20 (or so) questions on how Charles Ek works
This series of posts was inspired by Lifehacker’s How I Work series, which I’ve been reading for quite some time and thoroughly enjoy. It’s about time we discover how our colleagues work and get to know them a little better.
If you want to participate in this fun series, send us an email at info@linguagreca.com so we can send you the Word template where you can fill in your answers and your bio (incl. your site/blog/social media links) and then send it back to us as an attachment along with your photo (optional but preferred). If you don’t like any of the questions, just delete them and add your own. You can read the previous interviews here.
Location: Brest, Brittany, France
Desired location: A seaside town in the UK (big move scheduled next year!)
Current work title: English to French Freelance translator, LSP Translation
Languages you have studied or currently speak: French (native), English, Spanish (studied from age 14 to 20, but I can’t speak it anymore), Italian (a few very basic phrases self-taught as I love to travel in Italy), Japanese (I took evening lessons last year. I look forward to having more spare time to get back to learning it!). I also learned some Welsh thanks to my partner.
The project you’re most proud of: I can think of two projects: I was very proud to translate interviews for an art exhibition at the start of my career and I am currently working on a brochure explaining to people how they can save energy. It’s an immense pleasure to contribute to a greener world!
Your current computer setup: An Asus laptop with Windows 7. I am planning to buy a desktop with two screens next year.
Do you own a smartphone? Yes, it is very handy when I need to run errands or go out for fresh air while still being able to reply to e-mails. However, I am not a fan of the “always connected” mentality and I think it’s important to switch off outside of business hours.
Favorite time of the day: Late morning/early afternoon (say, 10 am till 1.30pm). This is my favourite time in terms of productivity, after a slow start (that I spend replying to e-mails and proofreading) and before the post-lunch slump when I can’t focus as much.
Favorite gadget (apart from computer & smartphone): My MP3 player! An essential for someone who loves travelling and music.
Next conference/event you’re planning to attend: Nothing planned this year – I wanted to attend the last two SFT (French association of professional translators) meetings in my area but was not available on those dates.
How many hours per day do you usually work: About 10 hours on average, including breaks.
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? An introvert (but a chatty one).
Are you an early-riser or a night-owl? Neither, I thrive in the day when the sun is out!
What do you listen to while you work? Nothing – I need silence to work and wear earplugs whenever there is a little noise around me.
And a few non-work related questions to get more personal 🙂
Your babies or pets, incl. names and ages: None, but my other half has wanted a cat for a while. I’m allergic to them so we are considering adopting a Siberian cat someday (which are supposedly less likely to cause allergy symptoms) once we are settled.
Next city/country you want to visit: Prague in December, and New Orleans & Memphis next April to celebrate my birthday (I can’t wait!)
Favorite vacation place: Other than Italy, I fell in love with Japan last year. Wonderful people, delicious food, beautiful temples!
Favorite book: The Tales of the City series by Armistead Maupin, my favourite Summer read. However, if I had to choose only one book, it would be Steinbeck’s “Cannery Row”.
Favorite song: It’s a hard choice… I think “Ace of Spades” by Motorhead and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen will always be my go-to songs if I need cheering up!
What are you currently reading? “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”, a parody of Jane Austen’s classic – perfect read around Halloween J
Author bio
Louise Péron has been an English to French translator since February 2011. She works on marketing, touristic and technical texts. Based in Brest in Brittany, France, Louise strives to make the English-speaking world accessible to French audiences by combining her language skills and her lifelong passion for foreign cultures. Find her on Twitter.
About the author
Catherine Christaki has been a full-time English-Greek translator since 2001 and co-owner of Lingua Greca Translations since 2012. She specializes in Information Technology, Medical, and Technical texts and loves writing for the Adventures in Technical Translation blog. She regularly shares her experience and insight on social media and blogging for translators, giving interviews and presenting at conferences. Connect with her on Twitter @LinguaGreca.
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Thank you for having me on your blog, Catherine 🙂
Louise
My pleasure Louise, thank you too for participating! 🙂
Hi Louise, very nice to meet here as well and find out more about you. I’m sure that Spanish is still somewhere hidden, so if you’d start studying it again, you’d pick it up in no time, especially you are a French speaker.
“Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” – I am intrigued by the title, especially I like parodies, so thanks for the recommendation.
Hi Alina, thanks for your comment. What you say is true – I’ve recently found a Spanish channel on the television and I understand most of the shows if I watch them with Spanish subtitles. I’m not too sure about speaking it, the words come out in English or Italian if I try!
I hope you enjoy the Austen parody, it’s a fun read. I was also offered “Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters” from the same editor (Quirk Classics) 🙂
That what happens to me when I try to speak Italian; although I understand it really well, if I try to speak it, Spanish will come out 🙂
Quirk Classics – I like the name, will check them out.