20 (or so) questions on how Rui (@RuiAlbertoSousa) 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: The beautiful city of Porto, in Portugal.
Desired location: Can’t decide between Paris and London. Love them both.
Current work title: English/French/Spanish into Portuguese freelance translator and proofreader, co-owner of Mind Words, trainer, speaker.
Desired work title: the same as above 🙂
Languages you have studied or currently speak: English, French, Spanish, a tiny bit of German, and of course my mother tongue Portuguese.
The project you’re most proud of: it’s not a translation project, but a personal one: Mind Words (www.mind-words.com).
Your current computer setup: New Asus laptop computer and a very old Toshiba laptop. Thinking of buying a new monitor and connect it to the laptop.
Do you own a smartphone? Yes, a Sony Xperia L.
Favorite time of the day: Evening, I can work better and be more productive.
Favorite gadget (apart from computer & smartphone): My iPod in which I have tons of music!
Next conference/event you’re planning to attend: Planning to go to BP15, in Zagreb, in May 2015 and, meanwhile, all events in Portugal.
How many hours per day do you usually work: Usually 8 on a normal day.
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? I have an introvert background but I’ve changed a bit over the last few years.
Are you an early-riser or a night-owl? Night-owl
What do you listen to while you work? Usually jazz or bossa nova.

And a few non-work related questions to get more personal.
Your babies or pets, incl. names and ages: I don’t know if this is a first, probably it is, I have a dwarf rabbit named Cookie. He is 4 months old 🙂
Next city/country you want to visit: Prague or Bruges. Dream travel is to New York.
Favorite vacation place: Paris, London, Barcelona, and southern Portugal, particularly the Algarve.
Favorite book: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.
Favorite song: Can’t choose just one, “Corcovado” by João Gilberto; “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” by The Platters; “Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones; A Day in the Life by The Beatles and so on…
Favorite film: Once Upon a Time in America, by Sergio Leone.
What are you currently reading? “What Color is Your Parachute?” by Richard Bolles (paper) and “The Bright Side of Freelance Translation” (e-book).

Author bio

Rui Sousa is an English/Spanish/French into Portuguese freelance translator and trainer. He is specialised in IT/Computers, Tech, Business, Tourism, and Marketing and he works in translation since 2006. He holds a Degree in Translation Studies at the Instituto Superior de Línguas e Administração (ISLA) in Porto, Portugal and he is a member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (IoL). In October 2013, he co-created Mind Words® (www.mind-words.com) venture, offering services in translation, specialised training and linguistic consultancy. You can find him on Twitter (@RuiAlbertoSousa) or Linkedin (http://pt.linkedin.com/in/ruialbertosousa).