Frequently Asked Questions

My translation service
What languages do you work with?
What’s the big deal about translating from English into another language?
What about Catalan?
Can you provide any references for your translation services?
Do you provide sworn translations?
Do you translate in person?
My other services
I’m not sure whether my document needs to be proofread or edited…
If you’re a translator, why do you devote such a huge page to your editorial services?
Working with me
Do you have a minimum charge?
Do you charge a supplement for tight deadlines and unsocial hours?
Do you have a CV?
This website
The file I want to upload is too big for your website…

My translation service

What languages do you work with?

I translate from French, Greek and Spanish into English.

I will also consider on a case-by-case basis translations from English into French, Greek or Spanish. If I am comfortable with the subject matter, I can guarantee that my translation will be understood as intended but I cannot guarantee that it will read as if written by a native speaker (some clients accept this limitation then pass my translation on to a native-language proofreader).

What’s the big deal about translating from English into another language?

As a general rule, translators only translate into their mother tongue.

However, as I see it, there are two main scenarios in which this general rule may be overridden:

the pool of translators for a given target language or language pair is too small to absolutely insist on a native speaker every time. (This doesn’t apply to any of my working languages!)

the translation doesn’t have to sound like it was written by a native speaker.

On a few occasions, I have agreed to translate in my reverse directions. For example, one Spanish client asked me to summarise-translate articles about his company’s products that had appeared in English- and French-language media. The Spanish summaries were for internal company use only so it didn’t matter if they happened to reveal my non-native credentials.

What about Catalan?

As regards Catalan, I currently have a high level in the so-called receptive skills (reading and listening) but my productive skills (writing and speaking) are lagging. I hope to find the time to remedy this situation soon.

I will therefore consider on a case-by-case basis translations from Catalan to English (not the other way round). Most of the translations I have done in this language pair have been medical/pharmaceutical texts — these are sometimes easier than general texts!

Can you provide any references for your translation services?

Yes I can. Send me your request.

Do you provide sworn translations?

No.

Do you translate in person?

I think you’re referring to interpreting. Although interpreting is often called ‘translation’, those of us who work with languages professionally clearly distinguish between the two. Quite simply:

translation is concerned with writing,
interpreting is concerned with speech.

I only do translations.

My other services

I’m not sure whether my document needs to be proofread or edited…

If you’re not sure which service you need, don’t hesitate to email or upload your text to me. I can then evaluate the quality of the writing and tell you which service is appropriate.

If you’re a translator, why do you devote such a huge page to your editorial services?

Everyone has a clear idea of what translation is and what it involves. We all know what goes in and what comes out.

In contrast, very few people have a clear idea of what editorial services are and what they involve. I think there are two main reasons for this: (i) people tend to take well-edited documents for granted, (ii) the changes between the input and the output are not as dramatic as for translation.

Working with me

Do you have a minimum charge?

Yes. Generally I charge €20 as a minimum fee to cover activities I have to carry out for every single job, however big or small.

For regular clients, I am willing to reduce or waive the minimum fee.

Do you charge a supplement for tight deadlines and unsocial hours?

As a general rule, I don’t charge extra for tight deadlines or for working when most of the working population are not (i.e. evenings and weekends). I consider flexible working hours to be one of the advantages of being a freelancer, both for me and for my clients.

Do you have a CV?

Yes I do. Send me a message with your request and desired language (English, French or Spanish).

This website

The file I want to upload is too big for your website…

Unfortunately, my SMTP service provider places a 15 MB limit on file size.

Other options:

send me an email directly with the file attached. This may or may not work, depending on the file size limit imposed by your email service provider.
use a dedicated file transfer service such as DropBox (this is the one I use but there are many others available).