20 (or so) questions on how Nora Torres (@translartisan) 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, email us at info@linguagreca.com for the Word template where you can fill in your answers & bio (incl. site/blog/social media) 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. Check out the previous interviews here.

Location: Banfield (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Current work title: Medical translator, expert back-translator, linguistic validation consultant
Desired work title: Medical translator, expert back-translator, linguistic validation consultant
Languages you have studied or currently speak: Spanish and English
The project you’re most proud of: My recent participation in The Bright Side of Freelance Translation, an e-book intended to show there is more to being a translator than complaining about low rates and abusive business practices.
Are you an early-riser or a night-owl? An early-riser, definitely.
What do you do right after waking up? Have breakfast while checking the news and my email, FB, twitter, and Pinterest accounts.
Favorite time of the day: My pilates class.
How many hours per day do you usually work: 12
What do you listen to while you work? I feel lost without music around me. The kind of music I like has been evolving with time, and my taste has always been quite eclectic; at present, my favorites are Leonard Cohen, Bebo Valdéz, Diego El Cigala, Santana+Rob Thomas, Fito Páez, Andrés Calamaro, Vicentico. The list could go on and on…
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? An extrovert.

And a few non-work related questions to get more personal.
Your babies or pets, incl. names and ages: I have two children— Santiago (16) and Fernando (15), and I used to have two dogs — Vivi (19) and Cata (18), who died in the past couple of years, and whom I miss dearly.
Your other half: Ricky, my hubby, friend, and partner in life and business.
Next city/country you want to visit: New York
Favorite vacation place: The rainforest around the Moconá Waterfalls (Iguazú area, Argentina)
Favorite type of food: Veggie food
Favorite book: La casa de los espíritus, by Isabel Allende
Favorite film: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Favorite song: Se me olvidó que te olvidé, by Bebo & Cigala

Author bio

Nora Torres is an English-Spanish translator, expert back-translator, localizer, proofreader, quality manager, and linguistic validation consultant. She holds a B.A. in Translation with a Major in Law from the University of Buenos Aires, and has been in the translation industry for over 30 years now. Initially an in-house translator for the largest publicly-held bank in Argentina and a classroom-based and distance-education Teacher of English for International Trade, she became a freelance translator in 1992. Nora was Vice-President of FairTradeNet, a Geneva-based association of freelance translators and, as such, was part of the delegation representing FTN at the World Summit on the Information Society in December 2003. She became a certified life-sciences linguist in 2007 and is currently co-owner of Translartisan, a translation studio specializing in biomedical translation. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, or contact her through her website.