Be a good student to be a good professional! Interview with translator Nadia Garcia

This is the third in our series of interviews with translators from all over the globe. Translation is a very diverse industry - we want to introduce some of the people behind making the world a more multilingual place. This episode is an interview with Nadia Garcia of www.nadiagarciadiaz.es.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself (your background, how long you’ve been translating, where you're from and where people can find you)?

My name is Nadia García Díaz and I am an audiovisual translator. I have a bachelor's degree in Translation and Interpretation from the University of Valladolid and a Master's degree in Audiovisual Translation from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. I am Spanish and my language pairs are EN>ES, FR>ES and IT>ES. I have been working as a freelance translator for over four years. You can follow me on Twitter @Kyarah and you can check my website: www.nadiagarciadiaz.es

How did you decide to be a translator? What makes you passionate about languages?

Actually, I don't remember. All I know is that I decided it a long, long, long time ago when I was still in high school. Languages have always been an important part of my life because I have lived in many countries since I was a kid.

What have you done to improve your translation skills in the last year?

I kept on studying! It doesn't matter how many years ago you finished your education. You must always stay a student to be a good professional.

How do you prepare for a translation project?

I do research about the topic and find as much resources as I can.

What aspects of your job are the most challenging?

Deadlines! Some clients are always in a hurry and send you an urgent project on Friday eve to hand it in by Monday morning. It's crazy!

What excites you the most about the languages you work with?

The fact that they all have similar expressions and you can really see they have common roots. For me, it's amazing the way we all communicate using the same constructions but with different words.

What is the funniest translation experience you can remember?

When I had to team up with some other colleges to translate a project. Normally I work alone, but for that particular project we had to work together and it was so much fun.

What are good or bad things about freelancing?

The bad thing is the fact that maybe one month you get 20 projects and you don't have any free time and the next month you only get four projects and you have too much free time...

What are you wishes for 2014? What excites you, what are you sceptical about?

I really hope to find more clients and have a good business relationship with them. So... call me, maybe!

What would you pass on as personal advice to new translators?

Never give up. It's hard, but keep on!

Thanks to Nadia for the answers!