Tell us a bit about yourself. What’s your name? Where do you come from? How did you get into the translation world?
My name is Sabina and I’m an Italian translator and interpreter with several decades’ experience. I've lived in Trieste for many years but I grew up in Milan among a family of polyglot travellers. I’ve always been fascinated by the diversity and cultural richness that languages bring, so much so that I've made a career out of them.
What are your working languages and areas of specialisation? What do you do for Apostroph?
My working languages are German, English and French. Over the past 20 years, I've mainly focused on the Swiss market, gaining specific expertise and a particular awareness of my target audience. For Apostroph, I mostly translate insurance, pension, legal and commercial texts.
Why do you like working with Apostroph?
First, because of the human side of things. I can always count on friendly and helpful project managers who are able to answer my queries. My contacts at Apostroph know me, support me and give me feedback on the quality of my work. Second, because of the work processes: the translation management platform is optimal, the CAT tools are intuitive and invoicing jobs is really simple. I hope that Apostroph maintains this balance between technology and a human touch in future, too.
What’s the first word that comes to mind when you think of Apostroph and why?
For me, Apostroph is a byword for reliability, whether in managing processes and technology, or in paying on time.
Could you describe your typical working day?
My working day begins at about eight in the morning at my desk at home and continues indefinitely amidst lots of distractions, several loads of washing and two kids to juggle. I always manage to make time for a bit of afro dance, a bike ride or a chat with a friend, even if it means working late at night or at the crack of dawn – I’ll happily do so. I guard my independence jealously and I'm satisfied with what I’ve built over the years.
If you could start again from scratch, would choose this career?
Perhaps – or maybe I’d do something different. Life offers so many opportunities that it wouldn’t make sense to do the same thing twice.
Do you have any advice for translators who are just starting out or people who freelance for us?
In my 25 years in the industry, I've seen that linguistic and cultural skills are fundamental. To faithfully convey a message, a translator must know the context, subject matter and target audience of the text, which requires in-depth analysis beforehand.
However, our profession is evolving quickly and keeping up with change isn’t easy. Today, it’s important to understand and make the most of the potential offered by new systems and tools, to interact with machines and to balance linguistic skills and scientific progress. At the end of the day, it's a question of balance – and that’s what's so great about our profession.
Thanks for telling us about yourself Sabina! It was great getting to know you.
And what about you? Have you settled on a routine, or are you still trying to strike the right balance in the translation world? What do you do when you need to take time out?
If you’d like to tell us your story or share some amusing anecdotes from your career email us at freelance@apostrophgroup.ch.
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