20 (or so) questions on how Pierre (@ArcTranslations) 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: Scotland
Desired location: Galicia (they deserve to be British).
Current work title: Architectural translator
Desired work title: Astronaut, at least once in a lifetime.
Languages you have studied or currently speak: French (C2), English (C1), Spanish (C1), German (B1) and Irish (A1). I also studied Ancient Greek (5 years) and Latin (3 years) at school and I have been exposed to Galician, Picard and Scottish Gaelic.
The project you’re most proud of: As a translator, the technical documents I translate. As an architect, a mews house on a tricky site at the end of a back lane in Georgian Dublin, a real brainteaser. But these are not “projects” as such, they’re all completed works. The only real project I’m proud of is my final year project as an architectural student: it was about the potentiality that decommissioned oilrigs could offer as recycled structures.
Your current computer setup: Mac
Do you own a smartphone?
Whoa, Blackberry, bam-a-lam
Whoa, Blackberry, bam-a-lam
My Blackberry has piled, bam-a-lam
The damn thing’s gone wild, bam-a-lam
‘Says “it’s none of mine”, bam-a-lam
The damn thing’s gone blind, bam-a-lam
Don’t buy a Blackberry, bam-a-lam
Whoa, Blackberry, bam-a-lam
Whoa, Blackberry, bam-a-lam
Whoa, Blackberry, bam-a-lam
You know that’s no lie, bam-a-lam
A Blackberry don’t buy! bam-a-lam…
© Pierre Fuentes 2011 🙂
Favourite time of the day: Depends on the day of the week, the week of the year, etc.
Favourite gadget (apart from computer & smartphone): my old Walkman, from the 1980s. I’ve tested CDs, online audios or videos and podcasts on my smartphone but when it comes to learning languages, no technology beats the flexibility of tapes. Plus, it is heavy duty and still works – today’s technologies are great but whatever brands claim, new appliances are not as sustainable as the old stuff – they don’t last.
Next conference/event you’re planning to attend: It is my third and last year as Convenor of @ITIScotNet, so probably our autumn event (joint with @TweetUpAlba) which will be held in Glasgow on the 18 October – @ADiamantidis is coming over for a talk on social media. Very much looking forward to this.
How many hours per day do you usually work: I try to keep it down to 8.
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? According to @ACGInterpret’s test in ITI Bulletin March 2013 issue, I am an “introvert with a thirst for knowledge and a passion for improvement”.
Are you an early-riser or a night owl? Night owl.

What do you listen to while you work? Silence when I’m translating. Otherwise jazz, African and American blues, electronic music, punk music and traditional Irish and Galician music. I tend to prefer music without lyrics.
Your babies or pets, incl. names and ages: I decline to answer.
Next city/country you want to visit: I like old cities and the wild outdoor so I wish I could visit places like Mongolia or Northern Canada, but also Jerusalem, Damascus, Bagdad or Tehran. But you know how it is, time, money, risks…
Favourite vacation place: Galicia and Ireland, although I have a soft spot for Tuscany, Greece and Istanbul.
Favourite book: Far too many so let’s be practical. If I could take only one book on a desert island, it would have to be Joyce’s Finnegans wake – a book any translator should attempt to read, at least once in a lifetime.
Favourite song: Auprès de mon arbre by George Brassens.
What are you currently reading? I’m a butterfly reader. I read several books at the same time, and I like to come back to previous readings. I also “cross-read” because some books need to be read in the light of others.

Author bio

Pierre Fuentes, DPLG (arch) MSc (Trans)
An architect in a previous life, Pierre now translates texts from English into French. He works with texts related to architecture, design, property and construction engineering.