The highly diverse life of a translator

Sometimes people ask me if I ever get bored, sitting behind my computer all day, “just typing away”…

Of course not! One of the greatest things about being a freelance translator is the variety of the job! And you would be surprised to know how interesting many texts are… I learn new information all the time.

Variety on a daily basis

One of my daily tasks is proofreading texts aimed at people who sell their products through a large ecommerce platform. The topics themselves are already quite varied. They range from instructions on how to read an analytics page to information about how to comply with new EU regulations – very interesting! And as a copywriter I particularly enjoy the marketing tips the platform gives its users.

I specialize in IT, and so I also often translate software strings. After 20 years of experience, I like to think I know the Microsoft terminology by heart, but if the client wants to use their own glossary, I will follow that one.

My creativity gets put to the test fairly often when I translate or proofread commercials. I love puns, wordplay and rhyme. And no matter how senior and experienced I am, it is always pretty exciting when a few weeks later the commercial pops up while I am watching TV (I might on occasion have shouted things like “I did that one! That’s one of mine!”)

I also enjoy proofreading and translating the customer questionnaires one of my loyal customers sends me. They give me an insight in new trends – from consumer products to the global economy.

Four words or four weeks

Some jobs are short. I proofread two four-word documents earlier today. Some are long. I am now working on Talent assessment reports that are taking me several weeks to complete, but which I enjoy a lot, as the contents – various skills and characteristics people may possess – are giving me the opportunity to learn a bit about myself in the process. And last summer I translated an extensive employee handbook in which a US company explained its detailed American policies for its new Belgian subsidiary.

Research

Over the years, I have become a master at finding information on any subject. I will study new clients’ websites, I will read up on subjects I am not very familiar with before tackling a translation on a new topic, I will research anything I am unsure of, and I know where to find the translation of very specialized terms (or whom to ask). And I enjoy that very much.

Boring?

It's true that I spend most of my time behind my computer. But is my job boring? No, not at all.