Trained as a linguist, I initially worked as a journalistic researcher and foreign language teacher, then qualifying as a translator. Subsequently I acquired 13 years' diversified experience (including translation for senior management) in international banking at a major international bank in London, New York and San Francisco, specializing in corporate (syndicated) and personal account administration, including high net worth individuals, treasury/cash/project management, systems and financial analysis, accounting.

Since 1988, I have had the opportunity further to develop one of my more passionate interests, the life sciences, on a professional level by my involvement with various endeavors within the high technology industries in this field (biotechnology, diagnostics, health care, pharmaceuticals, electronic, mechanical and optical medical devices), primarily in the areas of international business and cultural consulting and linguistic support. Other related areas of expertise are the environmental, wine, and food industries.

In 1991 I founded, and still manage, Advanced Linguistic Services, taking pride in providing "boutique" linguistic services in a wide range of languages. For several years I edited and published Square One International Report, a quarterly journal for decision-makers in international business, and frequently appeared as a speaker at seminars, panels and business conferences. During 1992 I edited the Northern California Translators’ Association journal, Translorial. In 1993 I taught an undergraduate course in Comparative International Management, in the Intensive Business Program of a respected Bay Area college.

The rapid pace of development in the telecommunications, connectivity, telephony and wireless industries of the last couple of years brought a new field of expertise and intellectual challenge for my work. Thanks to endless curiosity and a broad based liberal arts and scientific education in the European mold, fast comprehension of previously unfamiliar subjects has always been an asset to my professional activities.

I have traveled widely in Europe (Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, U.K., Italy, Denmark, Greece, Madeira), Latin America (Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Mexico), North America (U.S. and Canada) and the Caribbean (Puerto Rico and Windward Islands). My travels and hobbies (other cultures and languages, the Arts, skiing, sailing, cooking, photography) go hand in hand and continue to enrich my store of knowledge.
 
 

• MBA in International Business
• St. Mary's College, Moraga, CA, 1992. Graduated cum laude.

• Institute of Bankers Conversion Course, London, 1982

• Membership (Bachelor of Arts equivalent), Spanish and English
• Institute of Linguists, London, England, 1977

• Intermediate Examination (Associate of Arts equivalent),
• English and Romance Languages, Literature and Linguistics
• Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, 1973-75.

• GERMAN Native
• SPANISH Native
• ENGLISH Native command, habitual use since 1973
• FRENCH Excellent oral and written (can pass for French native)
• ITALIAN Excellent passive (written and oral)
• PORTUGUESE Excellent passive (written), Very good passive (oral)
• DUTCH Excellent passive (written), Sufficient (oral – depending on accent)
• CATALAN Very good passive (written) Sufficient (oral)
• DANISH }
• NORWEGIAN } Good passive (written)
• SWEDISH }

Translation and Back Translation	Source (any of)	Target (any of)
	English Spanish German French Italian Portuguese Dutch Catalan Danish Norwegian Swedish	German English Spanish
Interpretation
(Escort, business negotiations & facilitation only)	English/Spanish	Spanish/English
Editing, Review & Adaptation
(of target texts with reference to source texts, including pre- and post-editing of texts in connection with machine or computer aided translation)	Languages as for Translation
Original Foreign Language Copywriting & Abstracting	English, Spanish and German
Transcription (from audio or video tape)	English, Spanish,  German and French
Language Instruction	Spanish, German to all levels, French to Beginners
Consulting and Multilingual Project Management	In the fields of international business and strategy, diversity and cross-cultural training; linguistic applications; expert testimony

 

Life sciences	Medicine, biotechnology, pharmacology, biochemistry, environmental	Clinical trial protocols and reports, journal articles, labeling/package inserts, patents, EPA literature
Law	Intellectual Property, Civil Litigation, Entertainment, Business / Corporation, Taxation, Bankruptcy, Environmental, Admiralty, Family, Immigration, Personal Injury, Probate	Pleadings, contracts, deeds, articles of incorporation, loan agreements, divorce proceedings, appeals, exhibits, accident reports, birth certificates, diplomas etc.
Insurance	Life, business, auto, marine, health, Workman’s compensation	Claims, Reports, correspondence, interviews
Finance, Banking, Business	Foreign Exchange, Funding, Securities, Lending, Audit, Employee relations	Procedure manuals, transactional documents, correspondence, benefits manuals, annual reports and financial statements, business plans, training materials
Telecommunications	Telephony, Wireless, Internet access, radio	Manuals, bids, Web site content, software/hardware specifications, marketing material
Publications, Advertising and Public Relations	Tourism, food and wine, educational materials, books	Guides, cookbooks, multimedia games and educational CD ROM’s, courses and seminars, advertisements

 

Life sciences	Johnson & Johnson	Patents for mechanical and electronic medical devices
	Boehringer Mannheim / Roche Corp.	Package inserts and labeling for diagnostic products
	Matrix Pharmaceuticals	Clinical trial reports
Law	Various law firms including McCutchen Doyle Brown & Enersen, O’Melveny & Myers, numerous firms nationwide	All types of documents ranging from human genome patent work to immigration cases
Insurance	UIC	International Business All Risks policies
	Aspelin and Bridgman	Personal injury cases (accident and Workman’s Compensation) including expert witness testimony in linguistic matters
Finance, Banking, Business	Bank of America	Management and transactional documents of all kinds
	Kaiser Aluminum	Annual reports, financial statements
	Business Design Associates	Business plans, transcription and translation of market research interviews
	Dexter Corporation	Merger/acquisition documentation
Telecommunications	Cisco Systems	International bids
	Aeris Communications	Wireless manuals and sales literature
	iPass Inc.	Internet access technical documentation, Web site
	Pacific Crest Corp.	GPS PDL manual
Publishing, Advertising & Public Relations	Stanford University	Mexico-U.S. Relations course,
	Bertelsmann Group	Planet Earth CD ROM
	Ketchum	Advertising items and employee relations
	Clorox, Kelly-Moore Paints	Packaging, MSDS, Training manuals
	Schwab Foundation for Learning	Bridges to Reading Spanish Web site Content
	Jeremy Norman Inc.	16th Century Mining Handbook
	Clif Bar	European labeling and brochures
	Travel and Sports	Official Puerto Rico Guide

• Member of Northern California Translators' Association (NCTA)
• Member of the Institute of Linguists, UK

PC Platform (DOS and Windows OS), mainframe and network experience
Software used: Word for Windows, WordPerfect, Lotus, Excel, PowerPoint, Netscape
In the process of acquiring Adobe Acrobat
System conversions and User/Designer Liaison and Systems Specification experience
Expert Web navigator and researcher
 
 

The exact specifications change frequently as I upgrade and modify configurations. In general overview, the following are available at my office.

3 PCs, two of which are networked, running Windows98, Windows95 and Windows 3.1.

2 computers are equipped with sound capabilities

1 Notebook computer

Photocopier

Plain paper fax machine/copier

Okidata OL 840 laser printer

Several inkjet black and white and color printers

Iomega external zip drive

Colorado backup system (internal)

CD ROM

Delivery in Mac applications and file formats also available
 
 

• Samples or references available upon request
• Available for travel as required

How I Approach My Work

The following sections describe in detail what you can count on when working with me. For the sake of simplicity, examples are geared towards the activity of translation, but the principles apply to all other services offered, with consideration of the special circumstances pertaining to each.
 
 

Transnational communication depends on linguistic transformation provided by professionals in the language industry. The only thing that is useful to the client is oral or written expression that is exactly equivalent to the original document or utterance when it reaches the target audience. The form, the message, the impact that elicits the desired reaction must be reproduced in the manner that will, overall, best accomplish this goal. And, most importantly, it has to be complete, correct and accurate in every respect. Nothing else will do.

The goal is sometimes best accomplished by strict adherence to the source material; other times it requires localization and customization to take account of peculiarities of the target culture or audience, be it an individual or class of individuals or subcultures.

The more "technical" (including legal, insurance, financial areas) a text is, the safer it is to remain text-bound. Nevertheless, this leads to form that is sometimes unfamiliar to the target audience (conventions in the presentation of pleadings or drafting of insurance policies, for example). While it is possible to rewrite such documents to fit the expected mold, this does not form part of the translation process and should not be expected. In any event, stock phrases or formulations should not be translated literally even in circumstances where closeness to the text is most appropriate; instead, the equivalent expression used in the same context in the target language should be used (the "we wouldn’t say it like that" syndrome).

Items of a more "expressive" nature (bulletins and notices, newspaper articles, advertising, Web sites, literary translation) not only can bear but indeed usually benefit from a greater degree of freedom. Understandably, clients unfamiliar with the target language may experience a degree of uncertainty as to whether their message, in its new form, not only continues to elicit the same reactions, having "lost nothing in translation" but also has not acquired new, potentially undesirable, elements in the transformation. Backtranslation is a common technique that usually provides the desired reassurance.

Backtranslation is grammatically correct literal translation of the target text, with equivalents and/or explanations for puns if any. Clients should be aware, however, that backtranslation will not, in itself, catch typing or grammatical errors (unless the person performing it is instructed to point them out) and will not reveal omissions or additions unless compared with the original source document used for the starting translation.
 
 

When a client or potential client first approaches me requesting a proposal for a project, the immediate question in my mind will be whether I am the best qualified person for the job. I will therefore request to see at least some sample pages of the text in order to determine its legibility, subject area, degree of difficulty and likely overall length of the document – all considerations that affect not only my capability to perform, but also pricing and turnaround time. I will also enquire about the purpose for which the document is to be used, the linguistic services sought (language(s) involved, tasks), the desired formatting and delivery medium, the deadline.

Once in possession of this information, I will provide a quote on a per word basis, with reference to the target language (translated) text for translations, or an hourly rate for interpreting, editing/proofreading, adaptation (revisions to text translated by myself or others) or any of the more creative services. Additional costs for the account of the client (e.g. express delivery or extra postage, additional copies, arranging for typesetting, printing, costs of obtaining required materials, charges for travel, board and lodging costs) will also be indicated. Sometimes a project price will be given, e.g. for the translation of books or for personal documents. All pricing is subject to a minimum charge.

Upon acceptance of the proposal, the client will be asked to confirm terms and conditions either by signature of the proposal or by issuance of a purchase order on client business letterhead.

If I should not be the right person for the job (perhaps because the subject matter is outside my range of expertise or my knowledge of the language in question is insufficient for the task, I cannot deliver within your deadline, or in the desired format, or other circumstances) I will either be able to take the job and subcontract to the right person (with my quality warranty) or refer you to another properly qualified professional.

My warranty provides for free-of-charge correction of errors or omissions, and the incorporation of necessary changes (e.g. something that was illegible on my copy but visible on the client’s, small amendments to reflect client preferred terminology). Any such issues should be reported by the client within 10 days from receipt of work or invoice, whichever is later, and do not entitle the client to withhold payment either in part or in full.

Regarding payment, first time clients, and all individuals and out of state (California) corporations will be asked to pay for services on delivery, either by check to be received at my offices by the time agreed for delivery of the work (in some cases, where a deposit has been made, a check postmarked within 24 hours of receipt of invoice) or by credit card. These COD payments qualify for a 5% discount. Otherwise (corporations located in California only) terms are 15 days net.

The following credit cards are accepted: Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover.

Certifications of accuracy of translation can be provided at no charge; there is a small additional charge for notarization.

Please note that I do not provide "rough" or "draft" translations.

Curiosity may kill cats, but it makes good translators. I thrive on finding out new things and unraveling mysteries. Ultimately, when something defies all known resources, just as in a good murder mystery, only that solution which fits every instance can be the right one. This is particularly important when an ambiguity in the source text has to be rendered fully in the target text.

Over the last 30 years I have amassed a significant library of non-fiction material, all of which has been put to good use at one time or another in my linguistic career. My professional library includes

My "hard copy" library contains over three hundred and fifty dictionaries, manuals and technical publications in the various languages I work with, with the most significant emphasis in English, German, Spanish, French and Italian. I have several reference works on CD ROM, and my library continues to grow on an ongoing basis.

The Internet has brought an unimaginable wealth of online dictionaries, glossaries and technical publications within our reach. Search engines, used in a sophisticated manner, can become specialized multilingual dictionaries in almost any field. Membership in professional associations and a number of Internet mailing lists opens up access to other professionals worldwide. This reciprocal arrangement makes the benefit of their combined, cumulative expertise available to me and my clients.

However, research in translation or other language services is not limited to simply "looking up a word". With the lightning speed of technological development, very often one finds oneself translating technology that has only just come into existence. Fortunately, when civilization is ready for certain discoveries or technological advances, they frequently happen in various parts of the world at once. Accurately reflecting such material, then, often requires learning the technology from scratch and then discovering the appropriate language to use, wherever possible mirroring what already exists in the target country.

Furthermore, documents are not always written with the translator in mind, and contain obscure abbreviations, typing errors, omissions, misuses of language and plain mistakes of fact. These require special handling – first, one must discern what the context is and, from a number of possibilities, choose the appropriate equivalent abbreviation; in the event of any kind of error, a simple typo or omission must be mentally "fixed" in the source document to enable proper translation to be provided; misuses of language or mistakes of fact need to be tracked down so as to make it possible to alert the client (often in conjunction with direct consultation) to the fact that something is not as it should be (by adding the comment [sic] in the translated text) and then provide a potentially correct translation (adding the comments [probably/perhaps/should be] or equivalent, as appropriate, to the translation.

1.  Potential client requests proposal.
2.  Proposal submitted.
3.  Proposal accepted, signed confirmation received.
4.  Work received.
5.  Work is examined to determine possible query areas and required reference material.
6.  Collaborating professionals, if involved, are contacted and instructed.
7.  Translation starts – the product of this stage is a first draft.

Once the first draft is produced, the work undergoes the following process:

1.  The translation is checked for completeness – no sentences, paragraphs, lines, words left out.
2.  The translation is proofread for evident formatting and typing errors and for sense, rhythm and "sound"; grammatical and syntactical correctness   are verified, punctuation checked; potentially ambiguous, questionable or inconsistent items are marked for special examination in the next stage.
3.  The translation is compared, word for word, with the source document; items previously marked as questionable are given particular attention and  corrected or reworded to avoid ambiguity; glossary items are reevaluated if applicable. Formatting is fine-tuned to reflect the original, all numbers and conversions, if applicable, are checked.
4.  Changes accrued are input to the translation and spellchecked.
5.  The resulting text is printed out and compared to the draft showing corrections; corrections made are checked off to ensure accuracy.
6.  Any resulting final changes are input, the text is spellchecked.
7.  What is expected to be the final copy is printed out and read through one more time "with the eyes of the final user", to ensure readability, clarity  and ultimate suitability. Any final typing errors that may defeat spellcheckers, or remaining ambiguities are found and corrected at this point.

My warranty provides for free-of-charge correction of errors or omissions, and the incorporation of necessary changes (e.g. something that was illegible on my copy but visible on the client’s, small amendments to reflect client preferred terminology). Any such issues should be reported by the client within 10 days from receipt of work or invoice, whichever is later, and do not entitle the client to withhold payment either in part or in full.