This week we talked to Eugenia Fernández, from beon. Translation Services., who highlighted three mandatory skills in this field: versatility, empathy, and fast response without losing any quality.
How is your daily work and how do you plan it?
Basically thanks to internal communication. My co-workers inform me of what they need, in which language, and when the project is due. With this brief, we prioritize and get to work immediately… sometimes it requires a bit of our magic!
My work usually focuses on presentation for our clients, adaptation of copywriting and Creativity pieces for internal and external social media channel, translation of opinion pieces, interviews… but also there is time for corporate requirements such as legal or general service documentation, for example.
What is the role of a translation services department in an industry as active as ours?
It is a most necessary investment in any Company that wants to be a player in the global market. No matter where you are located, when you have an international strategic vision, you should rely in a team of translators who specialize in your corporate philosophy and that of your clients’, a team of professionals that grow with you bringing their expertise to offer what the company needs, whenever it is needed.
Tell us what you love the most about your profession and why.
I was quite a bookworm when I was very little, and started to read adult books and comics at a very young age. Once at the uni, it striked me that most authors we read and a studied were linguists, philologists, polyglots, translators… and I wanted to become one. I cherish my work above everything, though maybe books and records go first, to be completely honest. I love everything related to it: reading, writing, researching, reviewing… The universe of cultural communication, message localization… From ads and corporate videos subtitling to the adaptation of a copywriting piece in all tones and fields… my job at beon. me allows me to do all that. It is really inspiring.
No wonder philologist etymologically means ‘the one who loves words’. This is no doubt my case.
Enumerate three skills for a professional translator who wants to work in this industry.
A translator who wants to work for the industry of communication and events must possess versatility as a major skill. We all have our favorite type of texts, those we accomplish perfectly and enjoy a lot, but in this field you have to perform perfectly fine both at a creative and a technical level. Empathy with the client will be a prerequisite as well in order to provide them with exactly what they need. And finally I would highlight the triumvirate of reliability, honesty, and swiftness. You must be quick, but never lose your excellence and quality.
What type of texts or pieces are your favorite to translate?
That is a very complex question to answer. Before I worked here I was in contact mainly with the academic sphere. I have translated essays, theses, articles and also fiction pieces for magazines, especially in the field of literature, architecture, film and Fine Arts. But I translated a lot of texts of the scientific and health industries.
It may seem odd, due to the apparent sharp division, but the market I currently work for allows me to work in both creative and technical. These other subjects and topics, indeed, but the amount of brands and scenarios allows me to dive deep in a whole variety of specializations.
