A Day in the Life of… Alessio Demartis

While March draws to an end, here I am to give you some good read to close the month in style: Alessio Demartis, aka Mr “ADPlus Languages” is a fellow Italian, a friend and a colleague working from Madrid. An ES / ES > IT linguist, he is also a businessman as he created Rainbow Translations!

Connect with him on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Did I send that file?

Hello there

7 am: Sleeping.

7.30 am: Sleeping.

8 am: Sleeping. Definitely not an early riser 🙂

8.30 am: Alarm goes off. To be precise, today I was woken up by Ms Nicki Minaj. My random alarm app ensures I never get accustomed to the sound of my alarm, and even if sometimes it can be quite dazzling, it does work. During the last two years, I have reduced considerably the number of “snoozes” to get out of bed: I am now happily set on two. When I turn off the alarm, I automatically go through all the notifications on my mobile phone: social networks, urgent emails, news… I have to know what to expect when I get out of bed!

8.50 am: Time for breakfast! I turn on the TV, watch the news while I eat my omelette and drink my tea. I am a big fan of tea, so that each morning (and afternoon) I get to choose among at least 10 different varieties. Today it is Chai Tea, one my favourites! This is how my everyday breakfast looks like:

Having a nice brekkie is a must

9.15 am: My daily appointment with my PC. It is a kind of love/hate relationship, but at this very hour I can say we still get along. I always start my workday checking my emails, adding incoming new projects to Google Calendar, replying to messages received during the night (most of my clients live in the United States, so it is quite common). Since last summer, I have been working on two new projects, AZ Languages and Rainbow Translations. Both of them are almost up and running and I always start my day giving them an absolute priority. Emails, providers, customers, web page maintenance, social networks, video calls with my partner in Italy… It can take some time, but it always gets me in a good mood. Or in a really bad one 😉 By the way, here is an exclusive for you: today March 23rd, my new project AZ Languages is finally online! You can be among our first visitors.

10.00 am: Al lavoro! I open my small folder “My Workbench” on the desktop and I get lost among CAT tools, words and dictionaries. Even if I know I should have a break every 30-45 minutes, I always forget. I have discovered that a good technique is to drink a lot… so that you are eventually reminded by your body to stand up from your chair 🙂

12 pm: Gym time! I go to the gym 3 times a week and I go running on my off-days, which helps my back not to take the shape of the chair I am usually sitting on. This is definitely one of the advantages of being a freelance: I can go to the gym when nobody is there!

1.30 pm: Like you, I generally have a protein-based lunch while I watch some TV. Considering that I have to wait until April 5th for the new season of Game of Thrones, I am now rewatching Big Bang Theory – it helps me get my mind off work.

Cuore italiano

Italians do everything better. So they say.

2.30 pm: I admit it, I might take a 20 minutes nap around this time of the day 😉

3.00 pm: I make another tea and I start my afternoon session! I generally work until 7 pm, even if it does not mean I sit at my desk for the whole evening. For example, my project Rainbow Translations has been selected to be part of the EIE (European Institute of Entrepreneurship), which means that I am often at their headquarters to talk with mentors, double check if the planning is being respected, follow seminars or take part in activities related to entrepreneurship. Also, my offices are located in the EIE coworking space, so I am around quite often. Here you can see a part of the office during an interview:

8.00 pm: I go back home by bike. I love riding a bike and now that public bikes are available in Madrid I do not miss a chance to use one of them to move around the city.

9.30 pm: I start cooking. I love cooking and good food – well, I am Italian 😉 – so that I often organize dinners home or try new recipes. Among my best dishes? Allegedly risotto and lasagne.

10.30 pm: Depending on the project I am working on, I might go back to work for a few hours. I have always been more productive at night since when I was in college, so I try to make the most out of it. I do not get distracted by calls, notifications or emails, and the silence around me helps me concentrate.

Of course, this is my typical daily schedule and it often varies when I have interpreting assignments, like today: hugs from Toledo! 😀

In the “house”

Stylish, always.

ADPlus logo

#RainyContest2015: RL’s website is 6!

Take away some black gorgeousness

It’s that time of the year again: on 9th Feb 2009, I launched my website. Happy bday Rainy London Translations, you are 6!

And while we are (still, I know…) working on a revamping, it still serves its purpose and it’s a fully functional design. So,… to celebrate, just join this contest. We all love translating and interpreting but…

What would you do if money was no object?

(see this cool video with the words of philosopher Alan Watts or more prosaically hear Cheryl sing a song about it)

Me? I think I’d still write and translate and interpreting, but I’d give more space to photography and travelling. There you go.

What about you? Reply to the question above and give your dreams a shout-out!

C’mon let the entries flow in – I will announce THE one on the 9th of February. One lucky winner will bring home (no pun intended) a take-away #rainycup, as now this is almost a tradition!

How to take part:

• Contest ends on 9th February, which means you have a little more than a week to join.

• Use the hashtags: #rainycontest2015 and/or #rainylondon or tag/mention @rainylondon in your message.

Wanna see past contests? There you go. And again… And again!

A Day In the Life of… Rafaela Mota Lemos

 

January is typically a struggle with blues. So, I give you the sunny life of a fellow translator (working from EN, IT, ES, FR > PT ) and friend who likes travelling, blogging and being an all-year-round smiler. Welcome to Rafaela Mota Lemos 🙂

I work long nights more than I would like to admit…

Spending Christmas time in New York was very special. Lonely, but special.

In November 2014, I went to ATA Conference in Chicago. Even while travelling, I always make it a priority to go translation events. It keeps motivated. This was the view from the apartment I was staying. (Beautiful, right?)

This is my home base, CooworkLisboa. If you’re lucky you can rent a desk with this view.

A non-silly picture of myself.

Rio de Janeiro is one of my favourite places in the world. I took this picture on my last day, after 6 months living there.

I got to live in Rio while the World Cup was taking place. Deceptive results for the Portuguese team (and the Brazilian as well), but it was a lot of fun.

In Brazil, I came up with something called MULD (Making Up with Life Day). When you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed, it’s good to take a morning/afternoon/evening/even a whole day for yourself and do something outstanding to richarge your batteries. On this morning I went to spend the morning at the rooftop of Hotel Fasano. I took my computer, had an amazing breakfast and coconut water and stayed by the pool until I got tired. 🙂

This book gave me a great insight on being more curious about life in general. Worth checking out.

I’m currently carrying on a personal project as a digital nomad. I have picked 5 cities I wanted to live in (Rio de Janeiro, New York, Tel Aviv, Naples and Luanda) and I’m challenging myself to live 3 months in each one of them. Of course, since each city has its own rhythm, my routine changes accordingly. I’ve been to Rio and New York already (where I spent most of 2014). Now I’m back in Lisbon for a few months to focus on my business and on the  launching of my brand, Kaiango Communications. In May, I will move to Naples and in September to Tel Aviv. In the meantime, I’m writing everyday stories on my blog or Facebook.

My homebase is sunny Lisbon, Portugal, but I will talk about my usual routine no matter where I am. I will be in Portugal for 3 months now, focusing on my brand and my business at Kaiango Communications.

8 am

I usually wake up at 8 am. My alarm clock is N’Teri, a song by Mali musician Habib Koité. Waking up to this beautiful African melody sets the tone for the day. Before I had Joni Mitchell and I my days tended to be kind of sad.

I know this is frowned upon by all the productivity and wellness gurus, but the first thing I do is to reach for my iPhone. I check my email (most of my clients are on CET time, so I usually have already some emails on my inbox at 8 am) and I check my Facebook and Instagram feed. Every time I see Valeria’s pictures (or Sara Colombo’s) working out or going for a run, I always think: yes, I should definitely start exercising. Then, I turn to the other side and sleep for 15 more minutes.

When I finally get out of bed, I jump in the shower and do my morning routine. And usually taking care of my afro takes 80% of my time.

I never have breakfast at home. In Portugal there’s this beautiful tradition of “going for coffee” early in the morning, so I like the social aspect of that. I have a local coffee shop where I ask for an espresso, have some bread or a banana, hear the news and have some human contact before heading to the office.

9.30 am

I work at a coworking space in Lisbon. It’s called CoworkLisboa and it has an amazing community. Working with colleagues from several fields (designers, accountants, developers, journalists, lawyers) inspires me and gives me a good perspective of what people are working on in my country. Even when I’m travelling, I always work from coworking spaces (I did it in Brazil and was able to meet some of the most creative people in Rio de Janeiro and in New York, as coworking spaces are very expensive I’d spend my days in coffee shops), as this is super important for my balance as a freelance worker.

11 am 

This is the time when I’m most productive. I normally use the Pomodoro technique when I have tight deadlines: I divide work in 25-minute chunks. This helps me keep the focus. No Facebook, no email, no cell phone during this time. Only work. I can translate up to 500 words in 25 minutes, can you imagine? So, using the Pomodoro technique I can easily translate 2,500 words in less than one morning.

1.30 pm

When I’m working at the office, there’s always someone to have lunch with. I always eat outside as stepping out of your desk and your computer is healthy and promotes well-being. I prefer to not eat carbs at this time, because it slows me down in the afternoon. However, when I was living in New York (from October to January), my favourite treat was having organic chilli for lunch at Le Pain Quotidien in the Flatiron District. And a glass of wine too… It always made me happy and warm 🙂

5 pm

I do enjoy drinking some tea in the afternoon. This is the time when I start getting distracted and checking Instagram more than I should. Sometimes I draft a blog post or a Facebook post and get excited with all the commenting: that steals my attention away from everything else. “Hi, my name is Rafaela, and I am a social-network-aholic”.

7-8 pm

Usually my colleagues leave the office around 6 p.m., so I can be more focused again around 7 and 8 p.m. I tackle my to-do list and usually make plans for the evening. I love going out for dinner with my friends, so usually we hit downtown for some wining & dining.

1 am 

I normally go to bed late. I do some writing in the evening and catch up with blog posts (I’m totally addicted to the best iPhone app ever, Zite: it gathers all the articles on the web according to your interests. Lately I’ve been journaling (something that I only used to do when I was 13) and this is my winding-down moment. I started journaling back in New York when I was too busy or uninspired to blog, but at the same time I wanted to log some events or feelings I was experiencing. If I don’t have any work to do, I’d watch some TV shows on my laptop.

Thanks, Rafa!

Share the series using the hashtag #ADayInTheLifeof.

2014: Rainy London’s end-of-year review

Put your best dress and shoes on. Eat up this 2015!

I promised that I’d do this again, as I did for the past ones, 2012 and 2013. It’s a grey Saturday and I’m trying to tidy up my inbox and my ideas to start the next week in style. As you may remember, I could say that 2013, well, was well below special. As my grandmother said, it’s just like when you buy a shiny apple. For as gorgeous as it may look from the outside, that’s all you see. You cannot be inside the fruit until you bite it. I don’t have many good memories for 2013, apart from the interesting events I attended, perhaps – even at my lowest, I always try to nurture my professional skills and grow – and the socialising part, while I was at it. So, after a year that I would easily forget – I tend to do that when things are not as I like and it is a good strategy, just turning the page and try to move on – how is the balance for the long-awaited 2014? 

Look up to the sky and believe you can.

What can I take away from this year?

• My health: it stayed a priority, even though I was overworked and the sickness had the most of me. I was sick almost the entire month of November and part of December and interpreting like crazy did jeopardise my health even more. But I came out of it. Takeaway? Don’t overdo it and carry propolis with you ALL THE TIME!
• Work-wise, as last year, my second half of the year was crammed with interesting projects and work;
• Travelling: this year was exceptional and (re)visited Porto, Bilbao, Madrid, Braga, Glasgow, Faenza, Bologna, Mantua, Paris, California, Barcelona, Croatia, Logroño, Derby, Castellón, Valencia, Forlì, Lyon, Bratislava, Budapest, Athens… and many more. I’ve been very lucky AGAIN;
• Networking: don’t even get me started. And I am so proud of some of the people who really enjoyed my talks and sent me so many notes to say thank you for the inspiration they found in me. THANK YOU indeed and well done, you!
• Family: it’s a cliché but the more I grow up, the more it’s obvious that I should have cared for them more. And care more now. Do it. Seriously.

Have a look at the best visuals from this year on my Instagram

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What I want to achieve in the New year:

• exercising – better and with new goals to feel fitter and more energised.
• being more organised. To some, I may look very much so, but there’s a lot of room to improve. Especially in the way I track work and clients, or set goals.
• start a new, non-translation-related blog – I shall keep you posted on this.
• refreshing my Portuguese – I know it’s been on the list for ages but hey, I’ll make it.
• cleaning my closet: I’ve got CLUTTER I do not need or wear or use or want. It’s a good start to live a more organised life.
• writing (and/or translating) a book and starting new exciting projects.
• seeing more art and exhibitions. This year I loved the one on Horst in London and the one on Givenchy in Madrid.
• saving more and starting a pension – alas, I’m almost 33, folks!
• keeping on being just who I am – WYSIWYG.
• enjoying the little things. I recently found myself failing badly at this. It does not necessarily mean that I don’t enjoy watching a pink sunset or eating a good ice cream – I prefer pizza, but you get the picture! But sometimes you just need to stop and realise you’re enough; and that little things are cool; and they are the salt of life. Sometimes things do not give me any feelings as before, and I believe it’s called “can’t-get-enough syndrome”. Yet, just because you’ve done many things or seen many places, it does not mean you shouldn’t be amazed at the idea of a trivial thing, like – say – a puppy or a new set of oven mitts. And I want to change that. Starting from the little things.
• finding new clients and shaping my business in yet a new way, under the idea of diversification and stratification.

So did I manage to stick to my resolutions from last year?

• Efficiency. In everything I do -> STILL WORKING ON IT
• Early starts. Follow my #earlyrisingchallenge on Twitter -> I FAILED. Miserably!
• Exercising, more and better -> CHECK, YES!
• Routines, because they are good for mind, body and soul -> ON MY WAY…
• More CPD and traveling for work -> CHECK
• More content on my many platforms. And more #rainytips -> CHECK
• Publishing an e-book -> FAILED! STILL WORKING ON THIS.
• Focused business plan: where I am, where I want/need to go -> NEED TO IMPROVE.
• Learning Portuguese (hey, seriously this time) -> AGAIN! FAILED!
• Getting myself a proper holiday -> FAILED! I did travel but never for relax.
• Continuing finding more direct clients and people who appreciate my work ->IN PROGRESS…
• Keeping up with my blog – and making it more client-oriented, with fresh content and interesting stuff -> STILL WORKING ON THIS!
• Working hard with Rainy London Branding, helping more colleagues finding their brand and voice -> I AM HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS. Thanks to those who believed in me and Fabio.
• Continuing being an inspiration for many (THANK you everyone for making me such a lucky person!) ->HOPEFULLY. Only you can tell that.

Here’s was I took from last year’s strategy and re-applied:

– I relied on my closest circle: this was thanks to some people that really made the difference this year. THANK YOU.

– I believed in it. You can be your worst enemy. Just keep busy.

– I trained hard: very much to stay focused. It does help. See more here

– I networked a lot: that is where you find inspiration – again and always – and a source of fun, friends and work.

In 2015 I want to… be more ME. How’s that for a change!?

In a nutshell: I want / need just light, positivity, truths, friendship and little things. Along with travel, lots of coffee, photography and seflies, why not – as a way to create memories – and more structure. Too much to ask for?

I wish you a smashing 2015.

Baci!

#inspire #workhard #love #rainylondon

#ADayInTheLifeof… Marta Stelmaszak

September was hectic and I know I’m lagging behind. But good things come to those who wait.

No intros for Marta Stelmaszak, my beloved friend, colleague and sidekick in The Freelance Box gigs.

Glasses are overrated (photo by @xosecastro)

5.00 – Wake up

Rain or shine, 5 am is my usual wake-up time. I do need coffee to get me properly started, so I spend the first 30 minutes of my day sipping from my favourite Sherlock’s coffee cup. At the same time, I’m browsing my Feedly and reading interesting articles that later get shared on Twitter or Facebook. I also check my Trello and Google Calendar to see what’s on my to do list for the day. Then I take another 30 minutes for breakfast and getting ready to work.

Coffee in the morning, with @rainylondon

6.00 – Office hours begin

Being most productive in the morning, I spend the first 4 hours in the day fully concentrated on translation work. I don’t check my email, I don’t look at my phone or I don’t log on social media platforms. Maximum focus.

10.00 – Emails and communication

I found that 10 am is the best time for me to tackle emails and small tasks such as following up with prospects or giving a customer a call to clarify some details. This is when you’re most likely to find me online. I also try to schedule all calls and Skype meetings during this time.

12.00 – Training

Three days a week I go to the gym for a training session, including 45 minutes of spinning and some weight lifting. I was never paying much attention to exercising before, but I realised I had to act when my back pain was becoming more and more painful. On the other two days, I spend this time either volunteering as an interpreter at a local migrant support centre (that’s Mondays) or run errands (go to the post office, bank, college). These days when there’s more work to cope with, I’d sacrifice these two hours, but I’m not very keen on doing it.

Public speaking is now every day life for Marta.

2.00 – Lunch

Whenever I can, I try to have a proper lunch break without checking emails and thinking about work. During warmer months, I tend to lunch outside, preferably in a nearby park. If I’m not meeting anybody for lunch, I’m most likely reading a paper issue of The Economist. Training and lunchtime are the three hours in the day when I try to go low-tech, so no smartphones, no tablets, no laptops.

Marta is vegan.

3.00 – Back to work

I take another 3 to 4 hours to translate (or interpret) in the afternoon. Again, this is a productive time for me because I don’t usually get calls or emails after the morning rush.

6.00 – Teaching or learning

Once a week I teach interpreting at a local college in London, and another evening is taken up by my translation students on Skype for online tutorials and comments on their translations. If I’m not busy teaching, I invest this time in writing my blog or other activities related to the Business School for Translators. At least one evening a week I work on my CPD. It can take many forms, from catching up with webinars I registered for but couldn’t make on time, through reading books and articles, to preparing my own presentations for upcoming events.

TFB combo

9.00 – Wind down

9 pm is the latest when I have dinner and relax after a day full of work. I usually spend this time catching up with friends or reading up on the philosophy of technology, one of my favourite topics. I don’t go to bed later than 11 pm, as I need my 6 hours of sleep.

The stupid things we do.

Stavanger (Norway) is in Marta’s dreams

Thanks, Marta!

A Day in the Life of… Andrea “Giglio” Giglioni

August is coming to an end and I wanted to close it in style with a new post for the #ADayinTheLifeOf series.

My new guest is Andrea “Giglio” Giglioni, a friend and a uni fellow with whom I’ve reunited here in London. A Localisation Project Manager for a big company with offices around the world, he’s a yogi, does not use social media that much, got his smartphone just a short while ago and is a Japanese speaker. 

Welcome to his world! 

This is NOT my new haircut.

6am (early bird!)

On a good day I wake up early and go to a morning yoga class. I like to start my day with something other than work, I think it helps me put the rest of the day into perspective. The yoga I do is quite strenuous and there is nothing quite like it to get rid of stress. I usually feel quite elated afterwards.

Power napping, actually.

8.30-9 am

Coconut water in hand (don’t judge me, it works), I jump on the bus. This operation is no mean feat since I have 2 lines that take me to work but they don’t share any stops and in some places they run in opposite directions! This defies all laws of physics but it seems to make perfect sense to Transport for London. Sometimes I end up on the bus that elementary school classes take to go the zoo. Which is fun, mainly thanks to my noise-cancelling headphones! Simply a must-have if one wants to keep the zen going. The bus is my time to read and I’ve chosen it over cycling or walking, and of course the tube which I try to avoid as much as possible. I’d take loud school children any day over the grey tube commuters. I usually read some children’s book or simplified story in Japanese to keep my language-learning efforts up.

Silence is bliss. Oh yeah.

9.30-10 am

Alas, I don’t get off at the zoo but at my office for some work… I am a project manager in the Localisation department of a global stock media archive. I started as an in-house translator and 4 years ago I switched to project management.

I’m the only member of my team here in London so things can get pretty busy. We work with an external agency to cover all our translation and production needs and my role is to manage the localisation requests from the business. I like this position because I still get to provide linguistic input and use my expertise without being bang in the middle of the translation rush, and because it’s a more people-facing role! I am also the team expect for digital production which adds a creative flavour to the mix of people I’m in contact with daily. I see what I do as an enormous machine that has to be kept in perfect balance – I’m a yoga fan after all! The translators have to provide excellent quality, the production department has to create versions of our messaging that is up to our standards and the internal global/regional teams have to be coordinated to provide the right assets and feedback at the right time. If you throw into the mix more than 20 languages and an ever-evolving business, actually, who needs to go to the zoo!? The most rewarding programmes I run are those involving evangelising best practices within the business and working out quality issues with the vendor. A global company doesn’t necessarily come with their localisation strategies all sorted out, in fact, there is a lot of planning to be done when global projects have to go out on time in so many territories and the strategic phase is where my Localisation team can provide invaluable input and solutions to the business.

12-2pm

My lunch time varies with the nationality of the people I spend it with on the day! If it’s the Spanish delegation I know I won’t be out before 2… Sometimes I also have a Japanese tutor come in the office for a private class. My intermediate Japanese is good enough for my role, to spot any problems or set up and drive a discussion between the vendor and our regional team. (Note by Val: Giglio spent 4 months in Tokyo – see below. My envy level: MASTER).

Alla salute!

I think pink suits me. Ain’t it?

Giglio means lily. So now it’s a lily in the cherry blossom.

3pm

Back to work. We have a few excellent bakers in the office so the afternoon is usually spent riding the sugar rush of the latest creation they bless us with. Some are truly worthy of a French patisserie. Yum. If you don’t bake you just buy something, anything, as long as our collective sweet tooth is appeased!

Hulk’s cake?

The other 2 main company hubs are NYC and Seattle so my afternoon is usually spent on calls to catch up with my team and other departments to synch up on projects. My manager and the rest of my team are in Seattle so I have had the chance to visit the Pacific Northwest a couple of times. It’s always great to see people face to face and I take every opportunity to catch up with my international contacts when I’m nearby. Last year I spent 3 months in Tokyo. It was more of a personal request rather than a work necessity but I am grateful to my manager for letting me work from there and I think it was a great experience to strengthen the ties with the team there 🙂

5.30pm-who knows

Projects on a global scale are unpredictable so I often stay late, or not! Depending on the tide I can adjust my working times, for better or worse. At peak times I work long hours but if it’s an especially quiet day and the sun is shining outside there is no reason to stay indoors!

The weight of living (drawing by Giglio)

 

A Day in the Life Of… Sabela Avión

July was certainly the hottest in a while here in the UK. And we don’t adjust well to change!

Talk about change with our new guest, Sabela Avión, who has recently left Geneva after 4 years to move to NYC and work for the UN. Welcome our new #ADayInTheLifeOf translator, a graduate of Monterey Insitute of International Studies and now in-house for the United Nations in the Spanish Division. Find her on Twitter. 

Sabela by @xosecastro

6am

I’ve literally just moved back to New York after four years in Geneva, and jet lag is still in full force. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be waking up this early!

I turn on a radio app and toggle between news radio shows in Spanish, English or French, my working languages, while having breakfast and getting ready to go to work. If the Spanish radio is set to a local station in Vigo, my hometown, I also get some Galician in the mix.

A dreamy pic of Galicia, (Punta Roncudo).

830am

Off I go. The NYC subway awaits. While in Geneva, I commuted mostly by car, so every subway ride is an adventure these days. It takes me about 30 minutes to get to the office at the United Nations Headquarters. Sadly, after some renovation done at the UN compound itself, the Translation Services have moved about a block away. I miss the atmosphere at the Secretariat…

Not a bad view.

9am

As I’ve been at my new job for about a week, I haven’t had a typical day quite yet. However, the drill is easy. If I don’t have any assignment to finish, I sign up on a white board so that the Programming Officer knows I’m available. As soon as a document comes in, she’ll evaluate it and assign it to one of us. The UN is implementing a paperless system, so I get an email, I click on a link and I can download the document to my hard drive.

Changes don’t stop there. Enter eLUNa – a translation interface specifically developed for the translation of United Nations documents. It provides access to previously translated documents (bitexts), terminology records and machine translations. This is one change I’m very excited about. As a longtime user of CAT tools, I’ve run the gamut from traditional to proprietary. This new system is web-based, and it’s been developed and adapted according to the specifications and requests of UN translators from all duty stations.

At the United Nations, each duty station is focused on particular topics. Here in New York, we deal with documents produced by the Security Council, the General Assembly or the Economic and Social Council, for example. The topics range from peacekeeping to finances.

In Geneva, most of the workload comes from the Human Rights Council and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Other topics include trade and development, climate change and desertification, and disarmament.

Sabela’s mansion in Geneva. hang on, no, it’s just a castle.

Our colleagues in Vienna work on documents about drugs and crime, the peaceful uses of outer space, and international trade law. In Nairobi, the bulk of documents has to do with the United Nations Environment Programme (chemicals and waste, the ozone layer, the Convention on Mercury and the United Nations Environment Assembly) and UN-Habitat (population settlements).

Last but not least, in Santiago de Chile, social and economic development, macroeconomics, statistics, population policies or technical papers about local development projects. They also work at conferences, writing reports or preparing statements.

11am

As the day goes by, I dedicate some time to keeping up to date with industry news. I’m a firm believer in the importance of being a member of the translation community. At times, being an in-house translator means losing perspective with regards to the profession. I’ve made a conscious effort during the past couple of years to fight that. I joined ASETRAD in 2013 and I participate in translation fora in social media. I also keep a Twitter account with mixed purposes, both professional and personal. I follow mostly language professionals, news outlets and the occasional celebrity (Stephen Fry is a must!).

Naturally, this leads to outreach opportunities. I spread news about working at the UN in different language positions (editors, verbatim reporters, interpreters…), and, often, professionals contact me with questions about exams or working opportunities.

1pm

During the translation process, we work with editors, terminologists, and reference assistants. Once the translation is completed, it gets sent to a reviser. After that, the Text Processing Units format the documents according to UN standards, from font sizes to paragraph layout. They also add a QR code and the document is published.

5pm

Yes, it’s a 9 to 5 kind of work – most of the time. In Headquarters, there are about 4 night shifts per year. This means that, for an entire week, translators start working at 2pm, allowing for coverage of urgent documents that might come later in the day. One of us will also be on-call during the weekend (usually just one day) and on holidays.

6pm

After work, plans vary. There might be some time for a workout, for reconnecting with friends or for relaxing. As I said earlier, I’ve just moved back, so there’s a lot of reconnecting! And some serious furniture hunting 🙂

Isla de la Toja. Because translators do go on holidays.

Gracias, Sabela 🙂 Enjoy the Big Apple and hopefully see you soon.

A Day In The Life Of… Sarah Appleby

We’ve just had the longest day of the year and I’m sure you’ll agree some of our working days can be really long! Here is a #ADayInTheLifeOf a translator based in beautiful Derbyshire, England, where sunset is a whole 15 minutes later than London. Sarah Appleby specializes in corporate and product communications from German into English. Within the world of translation and Twitter you might know her as one of the event organizers for @ITI_EM and @TweetUpN. Sarah’s new website is coming soon here.

Meet Sarah

Tips from Rainy London Branding put into action on social media following a workshop

Val and Sarah at #LdnTweetUp, October 2013 (photo: @rainylondon)

5.25am

My internal alarm clock goes off. This is thanks to my partner whose morning commute has somehow trained me to wake up five minutes before he does. If I’m feeling energetic I will get up straightaway, have a cup of rooibos tea, and use this quiet time to check translations prior to delivery. Breakfast is an opportunity to catch up on news and blogs.

8am

Office hours officially begin. Most of my clients are based in Germany so I make a point of checking my e-mails by 8am UK time, Monday to Friday. I’ve done this ever since I began freelancing over seven years ago (even when I lived on a mountaintop in Spain and on a boat). I’m pretty sure this consistency is one of the key pillars of my business.

This is also when I tend to post on social media – I currently run Twitter feeds for the Institute of Translation and Interpreting’s East Midlands regional group, Tweet Up North, and my own. I always aim to share something of interest on each account and like this quick way of keeping up with developments in our own industry and beyond.

9am

I break production tasks down into 1.5 hour work blocks. Getting through the words to avoid working at midnight takes discipline and this is what works for me. When I used to run a lot this time would be the equivalent of 10 miles. So a pretty decent stretch. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was from my former boss at a translation company: “Your working life is a marathon, not a sprint, and so it’s best to pace yourself accordingly.”

Pre-run selfie

10.30am

Morning coffee or (more likely if I’ve been up since dawn) second breakfast. Then settle down to the next work block through to lunchtime. That might be translating a press release, editing a case study or proofreading a brochure. If the words aren’t flowing right away I’ll reply to non-urgent e-mails or do some event planning or admin (that includes checking up on payments and thanking anyone who has paid early). I’m pretty passionate about creating opportunities for fellow language professionals to get together and learn from each other. Organizing events therefore takes up quite a lot of my time and gives me a sense of connection to the wider translation community.

Coffee break at Sarah’s office building (where the cups are Rainy London red!)

1pm

Lunchtime and a chat with my partner if he’s around. No point being your own boss and not taking time to be with your loved ones. Now and again I’ll work from my sister’s house for the day, taking some extra breaks to spend with my little nephew. I also have a co-working desk in Derby which I use for creative and project management tasks rather than confidential work. Sometimes on this extended break I’ll see a friend or have a business meeting – I’ve been working with a couple of different advisors as there is lots of business support on offer in Derby.

What’s for lunch? Something from the garden if possible

 3pm

Usually I’ll fit in a couple more blocks of work with a break in between to do some stretching and check personal e-mails on a different account. I might also research useful training courses or action something from my marketing plan. Today I’m going through queries that have emerged while working in a translation team, solving some and getting back to the client where clarification is required.

6pm

If I’m not going out, I’ll take an evening walk or cook. Life’s been exceptionally hectic recently because we’ve been juggling busy workloads with supervising a renovation project on the house, so I really enjoy this time away from the computer.

8pm

Time to relax or, if need be, fit in another block of translation. This can be a good time to get into a new text without interruption. I try not to check work at this hour because texts (and me!) ideally need to rest overnight. If it’s Friday, then I’ll almost certainly be done with work and maybe have a homemade sloe gin and tonic! I like to laugh so love watching comedy shows. Even with catch-up TV, I still pay attention to the adverts to keep an eye on the trends that are forming people’s opinions.

10.30pm

The usual end of my day unless I’m working for a direct client on something super-critical at a surcharge. When I lived in London I rarely went to bed before midnight, but life in Derbyshire is mellower. Plus those early starts really do not come naturally!

Thanks Sarah, looking forward to the #LinguistsUnite tweeting session online during #LdnTweetUp, #TweetOutWest and #TweetUpNorth on July 5th!

A Day In the Life Of… Xosé Castro Roig

 May is here and with it a new chapter of #ADayInTheLifeOf. Here for you is my dear friend and amazing colleague Xosé Castro, English into Spanish freelance translator, proofreader and copywriter since 1990. As many colleagues, I was on one of his courses – on specialized translation, marketing strategies, computing – and as of today, I still make the most of his tips and tricks tips & tricks. Since 1996, he has published more than 200 articles about translation and linguistics. He’s also great at photography!  Find him on Facebook too or drop him a line

Xosé Castro. And it’s not a selfie. (Photo: @caotiquemind)

Lenguando, Madrid. March 2014 (photo: @rainylondon)

7:30 am:      My wife wakes up earlier than everyone else so she is my “poking alarm clock”, but I don’t usually pay much attention to this first wakeup call: I basically crawl out of my bed to sneak into my daughter’s. This is when I get to cuddle her for about 15 wonderful minutes – bliss. My wife comes back again at some point and forces us to get up. That’s the moment when I realise that if if you’re worthy of being called a responsible grown-up man, you can no longer ask “Please, five more minutes, mum”. This little morning ritual is sacred.

Cuddles are goooooood.

8:00 am:      Breakfast time. This is perhaps the most important meal for us. We like to have a healthy and abundant breakfast, with fresh orange juice, toast, olive oil, Spanish jamón, pastries, cereals, cocoa, tea… with a side dish of a good, old chit-chat.

Food for happy people

8.30 am:      I usually check my social media accounts now – then some of the many groups I moderate to verify everything is going fine. It’s also time for checking what goes on int world: some headlines, some news, maybe a couple of articles / blogs.

9.00 am:      This is when the real business day kicks off. I check my inbox to usually find a few messages waiting for me from the night before – that’s because I mostly translate for agencies and clients abroad / in a different time zone.

This is my desk. I’m not glued to it, in fact.

I plan my daily workload, I set up some pomodoro alerts and I begin translating, wishing and hoping the world of CAT software would soon become a monopoly with just one tool so I don’t have to switch from Trados to memoQ to online TMs to… depending on the client.

This is when I find myself in a wide range of projects: localising software or a sitcom script or a catchy phrase for a US Spanish-speaking audience…. I love that variety.

10.50 am:    I go to the gym at least twice a week – I do kickboxing training and I go running outdoors, unless there are specific deadlines to be met at this time.

I’m the one with wicked kick, if you were not sure.

1.30 pm:    Lunchtime and conversation with my daughter when she’s back from school. Maybe a film or a TV series episode together on the couch. These are precious moments and they give us time for conversation. I occasionally eat out with colleagues or friends and take this opportunity to recharge batteries and try not to talk much about translation… or translators!

Truth is that as I share pics or good experiences in my social media accounts (yeah, I know… I am photographer too ☺), some people assume that “the exception is the rule” and I am never in!  I guess that’s why I got asked so many times “Do you ever have lunch at home?”. Well, yes, I do. 🙂

Time to eat (and it looks delish)

2.45 pm:      Back to work while I blame myself for not having time to update my website or respond the dozens of emails I receive onto my different accounts. I have a glance at my mobile on the table: not even one call received at this time of the day. Telephones are not for talking anymore. Countless Whatsapp messages though… Oh well. Exciting times!

I take care of some e-mails while I sip my espresso (I even have one of these now!)

Rainy London Translations cups are ace.

I usually get 2-3 messages per day from students and new graduates / translators asking for help or support. Sometimes, it takes me ages to respond because I have many of them – but I do take care of all! Apologies.

Time flies. When you love what you do.

Sun is rising on North America’s East coast so the first messages star to drop into my inbox.

3.05 pm:      Back to translation and proofreading at full throttle. My CAT tool is roaring. Sometimes I grant myself a no email, no calls time frame….and I can take the time to do some accounting too (checkinf payments, issuing invoices…).

6.30 pm:      Curiously enough, this is usually my peak hour. It’s about the end of business day in the UK and Continental Europe and midday in North America so I usually receive some last minute assignments or communications that keep me busy until 7 – 8 pm.

8:30 pm:      Sometimes I finish my day about this time, but I usually check my emails for the last time about 10.30 pm. So, this means you basically can find me still translating or proofreading at 9.30 pm.

My typical day is of course variable if I have to attend a conference or give a course somewhere in the city. That’s when I become a 4G & WiFi hunter and you will find me working in hotel rooms, coffee shops, train stations, airport gates etc. and answering emails in offline mode while I fly.

And then… more family and then off to bed. Yawn.

Thanks Xosé. I want to be like you when I grow up. Bottom line: you’re an all-time juggler 🙂

p.s.: All pics by @xosecastro, exception made for where stated.

#ADayInTheLifeOf… Valeria Nanni

April was busy but I have not forgotten about our usual #ADayInTheLifeOf. Here for you is my namesake Valeria Nanni, English into Italian Localisation Manager for one of the largest social networks for meeting new people. From the office in London, she translates social media and IT stuff into her native Italian and also manages several other processes and languages. So all-time juggler and a regular at my #LdnTweetUp meetings. What’s not to like?

Valeria al quadrato

Not a bad view.

The office is quite on the funky side

8.00 Wake up. Not in the best of moods, but well, let the day begin!

8.45 Leaving the house. A long nice walk to the office. Some fresh air on my face is what I really need to start the day with the right foot and start thinking on how to organise my day.

9.30 In the office. A mug of milk and fruit cereal, a glass of water, eye drops in my eyes (I’ve recently had eye laser operation) and I’m ready to start.

First things first: emails. Loads of them. Questions, questions, questions (from colleagues, translators, developers, agencies…) and new tasks to complete. When I am done with that, I look at our translation dashboard, where I can see the status of our translation work. This is the time to check if the translations we have recently done look good in the translated version. I therefore reproduce the screens or emails we worked on and send them to all the translators for them to double-check. So many things can go wrong if not tested… From a mere typo to a singular/plural issue to a layout problem (think about Hebrew or Arabic that are written from right to left!). Then translate from English into Italian everything that needs translating. And check that the marketing material I sent a few days ago has been properly localised. And if not, contact the relevant translators – life’s busy!

11.30: One of the translators comes to the office for testing our app on an Android phone. After explaining how to go on about it and replied to any questions she has, I’ll go back to “my stuff”.

13.00 A nice almost-healthy lunch with colleagues to get some energy back and rest my mind. It’s good to find some mind space and I’m lucky the office has a balcony, too.

14.00 A look at the emails and on possible urgent translations to do. I also prepare my notes for our weekly localisation update meeting.

15.00 Meeting. A good chance to make a summary of what happened during the week and to see what’s going to happen next. This is also a good opportunity to talk about problems during the past week and to suggest improvements to the process – we all collaborate and the goals are very much easier to get to thanks to this sharing and tackling together.

16.00 Tea break or better…Chocolate/cake break! Something sweet to keep me going.. it’s a long day!

16.15 Back to my desk. It all starts again. Emails, translations, testing, bug reporting, updating the QA test cycle for Android phone, proofreading. And a list: things to do on Monday! My tasks can vary quite a lot. It really depends on the day and on the priorities, which in a fast-paced environment like the one I’m working in, can change extremely rapidly. The secret is always trying to be on top of things and never let things get on top of you. Keep juggling.

17.30 Last meeting of the day. This time having a look on the Internet with my colleague to find a good translator for a specific language. I do enjoy recruiting new talented localisers 😀

18.15 Quick look at the emails and at the translation dashboard to see if everything is ok before leaving.

 18.30 Time to go. It’s been a hard week again, now it’s time for the weekend to start 🙂

Grazie, Valeria 🙂