Jill R. Sommer

Translation Ger→Eng, Internet Research

2642 Hampshire Road · Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44106

Phone: +1-330-421-0057 · eFax: +1-334-460-9159

E-mail: gertoeng@jill-sommer.com · Back-up e-mail: jill.sommer@gmail.com

Web site: www.jill-sommer.com

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

• Masters of Arts in translation from Kent State University
• Freelance translator and Internet researcher since 1995
• Former resident of Germany (1995-2001) and Austria (1988-1989)
• Native language is U.S. English
• Areas of specialization: website localization, IT, Internet technologies, software documentation (user guides, software strings, help files), game localization, medical (medical reports, medical invoices, clinical drug trials), market research surveys, telecommunication, travel and tourism, entertainment (television and film), and business texts (including contracts)
• Proven quality control, high level of attention to detail
• Extremely high comfort level adapting to new applications and technologies
• Comfortable working in HTML and XML
• TEnT/CAT tools: SDL Trados 2007, MemoQ, Fluency and Star Transit NXT

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2/1997 - present       Freelance translator/proofreader

• Consistently produce quality work for many German and US-based translation agencies and direct clients; some for many years now
• Valued by my clients for my formatting and PDF conversion skills

8/2003 - present       Adjunct faculty member - Institute for Applied Linguistics, Kent State University. Past courses include GER 31231 (Translation Practice: German) at the undergraduate level and GER 61010 (German Translation Practice), MCLS 60009 (Documents in Multilingual Contexts) and MCLS 60011 (Terminology and Computer Applications) at the graduate level

9/2003 - 9/2008        Contract linguist - Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cleveland office, authorized for top secret security clearance

2/1997 - 1/2001        Internet researcher - Online Information Services, Königswinter, Germany

• Analyzed and summarized research topics online for large German company that specializes in pharmaceuticals, genetic engineering and pesticides
• Developed and maintained the password-protected web site

6/1996 - 10/1997       Freelance translator, proofreader, HTML programmer - tops.net online publishing services GmbH, 53175 Bonn, Germany

1/1996 - 10/1996       Proofreader, software tester - Translingua Gesellschaft für Softwarelokalisierung und Dokumentation mbH, Bonn, Germany - Proofread and tested Microsoft software and databases

6/1995 - 10/1996       Terminologist, freelance translator - Translingua Übersetzungsdienst GmbH, Bonn, Germany

• Translated and proofread a variety of texts in various subject areas
• Compared existing translations to create multilingual glossaries (including languages that are not my working languages)

EDUCATION

• Master of Arts, German Translation, Kent State University (Institute of Applied Linguistics), 1995
• Bachelor of Arts in German and Russian (minor in Political Science), graduated Cum laude, Bowling Green State University, 1992
• Academic Year Abroad, University of Salzburg, Austria, 1989-1990

LANGUAGES

• English (native speaker)
• German (fluent in all areas - including an excellent grasp of the German culture and mindset)
• Russian (basic understanding)

EQUIPMENT

• Platform: Microsoft Windows 7
• Translation-relevant software: SDL TRADOS 2007 (Translator's Workbench 8.2.0.835 and MultiTerm 2007), MemoQ, Fluency, Star Transit NXT, ABBYY Fine Reader 10.0, PractiCount, Time Stamp, TextCount for Windows, Adobe Acrobat, eFax Messenger Plus
• High-speed Internet connection (cable modem)

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ACTIVITIES

• Active Member of American Translators Association, 2001-present (member of the German Language Division, Medical Division, and Language Technology Division)
• Member of the Northeast Ohio Translators Association, 1994-95, 2001-present, President from 2002-2010
• Member of the Bonner Übersetzer- und DolmetscherForum, Bonn, Germany, 1997-present
• Volunteer translator, German News (international German news service that is read all over the world by German and English-speaking subscribers via e-mail), 1996-2008

PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS

• ATA Webinar "Tips for attending the ATA Conference," September 13, 2011
• “Working with PDF Files: Tools, Tips, and Techniques” preconference seminar with Tuomas S. Kostiainen, 51st Annual ATA Conference in Denver
• “Making Portable Document Format Files Work for You” presentation with Tuomas S. Kostiainen, 50th Annual ATA Conference in New York
• "Getting Started as a Freelance Translator" preconference seminar with Corinne McKay, 48th Annual ATA conference in San Francisco
• "Selling yourself short? Counting Tools and Word Count Standards" presentation with Marita Marcano, and Clove Lynch (LISA), 48th Annual ATA conference in San Francisco
• "First Time Attendees" presentation with Amanda Ennis, 47th Annual ATA conference in New Orleans, 48th Annual ATA Conference in San Francisco, 49th Annual ATA Conference in Orlando, 50th Annual ATA Conference in New York
• Organized the ATA Medical Division conference in Cleveland, Ohio, May 2007
• "What's in a Word?" with Marita Marcano, ATA Chronicle, August 2006
• “Searching and Researching on the Internet,” presentation with Anne Chemali at the 46th Annual ATA Conference in Seattle, Washington, November 2005
• “A Little Paranoia Goes A Long Way,” published in ATA Chronicle, May 2005
• "Internet Privacy for the Small Office or Home Office Environment," presentation with Roland Grefer at the 45th Annual ATA Conference in Toronto, Canada, October 2004; published in ATA Chronicle, March 2004
• "Web Design Made Simple for Language Professionals," solo presentation at the 45th Annual ATA Conference in Toronto, Canada, October 2004
• "Translating and Interpreting for the Federal Government," published in ATA Chronicle, July 2004
• 2-day professional seminar on Trados translation tools (Workbench, TagEditor, WinAlign, MultiTerm) for freelance translators at Kent State University, January 2004 and January 2005
• "The Etiquette of E-Mail," published in NOTA BENE, January 2004
• "Web Design Made Simple for Language Professionals," presentation with Anne Chemali at the 44th Annual ATA Conference and published in the ATA Chronicle, July 2004

• Adobe Acrobat
• MemoQ
• PowerPoint
• SDLX Translation Suite
• STAR Transit
• TRADOS
• Fluency
  ABBYY FineReader 10.0