About me
ON THIS PAGE:
▮ My linguistic background
▮ Specialisations
▮ Professional experience
▮ Skills
My linguistic background
I was born and grew up in London, so my mother tongue is English and I default to British English.
Greek is the language of my ethnic origin. I was immersed in Greek at home and it was present in the wider community in multicultural London. Like many of my peers, I was ‘conscripted’ into a private Greek school at a young age. As a child I resented the loss of my Saturday playtime (!) but over time the experience instilled in me a deep appreciation of the importance of language.
In my late 20s, I wanted to perfect my French and at the same time I was keen for a Foreign Experience. So I bought a one-way Eurostar ticket to Paris. The six-month stay I had initially planned morphed into eight years! My next stop, where I have remained to this day, was sunny and cosmopolitan Barcelona. The linguistic environment here has allowed me to perfect my Spanish and develop my Catalan.
My experiences have taught me that there really is nothing like immersion to learn a language fully, beyond what you would learn from a textbook or at a language school. And also —no less important— to gain insights into the associated culture and mindset. I continue to learn every day and I am in continual contact with all of my working languages.
Specialisations
After graduating with a Neuroscience BSc from University College London, I developed my knowledge and skills over several years while working alongside and learning from healthcare professionals and also professionals involved in the development, marketing and regulation of healthcare products.
Today I specialise in the translation of documents covering medical matters and healthcare products. I use the term ‘healthcare products’ in a general sense to cover pharmaceuticals, biologicals and medical devices used in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of human disease at various stages of their development, from preclinical testing to clinical testing, launch, marketing and postmarketing surveillance.
Within my specialist fields, I have a particular interest in oncology, the cardiovascular system, genetics, neurology and diabetes. Each of these therapeutic areas is a vast subject in itself and I continue to learn every day, not infrequently from people working at the frontiers of knowledge.
Professional experience
I have been providing translation services since 2006, as a full-time freelancer since 2010.
My salaried work experience includes the following:
- technical writer for a vendor of hardware and software for preclinical research,
- writer and editor for an Internet portal on rare diseases,
- writer and translator for a consultancy to the pharmaceutical industry,
- proofreader then editorial coordinator for a healthcare publishing company,
- journalist at a vendor of intelligence services for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries,
- market researcher covering the European healthcare sector.
My CV is available on request.
Skills
Languages
| English (UK) | Native |
| French (France) | Near-native |
| Greek | Near-native |
| Spanish (Spain) | Near-native |
| Catalan | High for reading and listening |
| Intermediate for writing and speaking |
Software
| Word | ■■■■■ |
| PowerPoint | ■■■■□ |
| Excel | ■■■■□ |
CAT tools
| SDL Trados Studio | ■■■■■ |
| memoQ | ■■■■□ |
Multimedia/DTP
| Affinity Publisher | ■■■■□ |
| Illustrator | ■■■■□ |
| Photoshop | ■■■□□ |
| InDesign | ■■■□□ |