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: Brixton, London, U.K.
Desired location: Mostly Brixton with a little more Berlin and more frequent trips to Latin America!
Current work title: Language and Cross-Cultural Specialist
Desired work title: The same – I translate, do cross-cultural training, and teach which is a good combination for me.
Languages you have studied or currently speak: German, Spanish, French, English (native speaker) and, of course, Irish!
The project you’re most proud of: Probably my MA dissertation which looked at the translation quality of existing German company websites as well as translation into a first language versus into a second language. My research was very successful and I enjoyed it so much that it led me to specialise in website translation and transcreation.
Your current computer setup: Samsung laptop, LG monitor, several types of mice (after a bout of repetitive strain injury – look after your hands translators!), Microsoft ergonomic keyboard.
Do you own a smartphone? Yep, a HTC Cha Cha – hard to run a successful freelance business without access to email on-the-go!
Favorite time of the day: Hmmm…depends on the day really. I used to be more of a night owl but now prefer early morning clear-headedness for work. I still slip into my night owl habits at weekends and on holidays though.
Favorite gadget (apart from computer & smartphone): Does a kettle count? I’m tea mad! Or an mp3 player for long journeys.
Next conference/event you’re planning to attend: In 2014 I plan on attending more conferences to come into contact with potential clients, still getting the list together. I regularly attend translation events at University of Westminster and University College London and of course the monthly TweetUp for London based translators!
How many hours per day do you usually work: 8 – some days more, some days less
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Extrovert, although I like my own time and space as well.
Are you an early-riser or a night-owl? A bit of both!
What do you listen to while you work? Sometimes I prefer complete silence but generally I’ll have BBC Radio 6 on in the background, I especially love Lauren Laverne’s show.
And a few non-work related questions to get more personal.
Your babies or pets, incl. names and ages: None as of yet. I’d really love a dog but not sure when it’ll make sense considering how much I like to travel!
Next city/country you want to visit: I loved Istanbul so would really like to get back there travel around more of Turkey too.
Favorite vacation place: I love exploring and learning more about the Spanish speaking countries of Latin America (I’m leaving Brazil until I learn Portuguese!) and being a complete nerd about how language usage varies from country to country.
Favorite book: I find it impossible to choose favorites but probably One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Favorite song: Same as above but one of my top songs has to be This Must be the Place by Talking Heads
What are you currently reading? Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood
Author bio
Clare Gallagher runs Vivid Meaning, a language and cross-cultural consultancy based in London. She holds an MA in Translation and Interpreting Studies and specialises in the translation of promotional texts and transcreation from German and Spanish into English. Having spent almost five years living and working in Germany, she has in-depth knowledge of German business culture. She uses her linguistic and cultural expertise to consult clients on a range of language and cultural issues involved in the internationalisation process. Clare also has over ten years experience working as a trainer and in management in the field of specialised language training and cross-cultural communication. You can find her on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.
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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“The project you’re most proud of: Probably my MA dissertation…”
That’s an interesting topic indeed, I wish I had more freedom writing mine 😉
It is so satisfying when a time-consuming project ends up changing you or allows you to discover something about yourself!
Karolina Karczmarek-Giel
Office Assistant
http://www.wantwords.co.uk