Saturday, September 19, 2009

About Me.....

      I entered retailing training when leaving secondary school, and completed a 3-year programme to become a certified retailer. Subsequently, I joined a large Chartered Accountancy company as a junior accountant. I completed 3 years with them, and was head-hunted by a client to become Manager of a new joint venture manufacturing company in Malaysia.

      At the age of 25, I was de facto in charge of all foreign investor company relations with the Malaysian Federal Government and their local investment arm – a regional State Government Development Corporation. Which ignited my need for translation of complicated legislation and handling of business at Investor & Board level.

      In that position, I was elected to the MMF (Malaysian Manufacturers Federation) Board, as the only foreign representative after a year in Malaysia, a position I held for 2 years. Further, I was promoted to become General Manager of the company, as well as a Director of the company in Malaysia, as well as in the Danish parent foreign investor company.

      I had language education in English, German and French prior to travelling to Malaysia. My English and German education was initially based on primary and secondary education in Denmark (10 years), but was subsequently added with ditto education in Commercial High School and further commercial theoretical education – where part of the textbooks were available in the former 2 languages only.

      My advantages in translations is mainly founded upon a whole life of having to work all aspects of life, in both an everyday and commercial context, which has required a need to not only being able to translate, but beyond that, being able to know and understand the cultures and their expressions around me, expressed in several languages. I would profess to know, that this makes a great difference between a scholarly educated translator, and a person like me, who has worked substantially complicated documents on-the-ground most of my life.

      In the process of my work, I have produced and also translated substantial complicated documents for my principals and clients, and such works have included contracts, project management, legal documents, manuals, accounts, tender documents and submissions at the highest level of business and relations with Public Authorities.

      In my many years of working as an independent Management Consultant, I have been involved in multiple projects across the entire South East Asia region, and have covered multiple industries and projects. Consequently, I have a deep insight knowledge of those industries, and their specialities and terminologies.

      I cannot say, that I have been a freelance translator only, in a commercial sense, throughout my life, but I can say, that I have done multiple translations throughout, and still do.

      I have now reached a time of my life, where I can relieve myself from everyday business, and wish to spend more time to work on some personal ambitions of mine, that I never had time to do in my very active business years. As a serious hobby, I work on substantial philosophical, historical and global religious texts and analysis subjects, which require the ability to translate very ancient documents a.o.

      In this process, I wish to work as a freelance translator to make use of the tools and experiences that I have acquired throughout my life, and to maintain an up-to-date relation to what is happening in the current world around me. While at the same time, not wanting to be bogged down by a daily office routine any longer.

      I have most of the latest tools available in house, and am able and prepared to work many odd hours doing professional translations, as my schedules nowadays are just being adhered, by choice, to the needs of the world around me. And in between I wish to dedicate time to my serious hobbies.

      I am happily divorced with 4 children, who are now about finishing their respective educations in different countries (and languages) in Europe, although my youngest one still needs to go through that process. My children are all boys, and they have been privileged to be able to study globally, and learn languages and cultures afar.

      Dependant upon the subject matter (fields of translation expertise), and the language pairs involved I am able to translate 70 – 100,000 words per month, through a normal working week schedule, although I prefer to adhere to a less strenuous schedule.

      I can offer a very professional service to anyone who wishes to make use of my capabilities, applying the highest standards of quality control.