George Leonard Trail

GEORGE TRAIL

Professional freelance translator (French and German to English)

Based in the UK

Mother tongue: English (British)

Qualifications: see relevant section below

http://www.georgetrail.com

PROFILE                                                                                                                       

I am a professional translator (English, French, German). I understand that, in translating, merely replacing words with words is never a sensible idea – and that producing professional quality translations goes far beyond just being able to re-phrase things in individual instances. I am highly literate, flexible, and resourceful; and I recognise that initiative is important in translation.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING              

I have a record of in-depth translation study and experience from a postgraduate degree course in translation studies at the University of Portsmouth.

BA French and German, University of Kent at Canterbury, Class 2.2

Included Year Abroad at the University of Poitiers, France. Graduated June 2005.

A-levels, Bearwood College, Wokingham / Winnersh, Berkshire

German – B                             French – C                  English literature – D

GCSEs, Bearwood College

9 at C or above; A*s in French and German; Bs in English and maths

IT SKILLS                                                                                                                     

MS Word and Excel 2007; knowledge of Powerpoint and Outlook; typing speed is approx. 50wpm and climbing; basic HTML; familiar with Adobe (currently using Version 9). I don’t use any translation tools like Trados (yet).

WORK EXPERIENCE                                     

I am a freelance translator – I do my work from home. I have proven myself for versatility – I have completed translation projects in the following areas (this is by no means an extensive list):

* Academic / creative / marketing (in my case a long list of textbook articles; promotional material; websites)

* Business and legal (in my case correspondence; b2b stuff, like tenders; business-to-customer or visa versa; sometimes involving authorities and international legislation; terms and conditions articles; contracts and leases)

* IT / technical (in my case a patent and technical drawings, instruction manuals, safety regulations)

* Medical (in my case inpatient and outpatient reports – I have translated several of these for the Ministry of Defence)

I have a very solid sense of style. Just because a sentence obeys all the rules of language does not mean that it makes sense and refers to a concept that one can easily follow (if at all) or get an easy grip on (for the sake of example, this is a true statement seen in a job application covering letter: “I am fascinated by fire.”). I believe that viewing translation purely as “writing for the sake of writing” is thoroughly irresponsible and in vain – just like is viewing something like political speech writing the same way.

Previous position

Bilingual Freelance Software Functionality Tester

Babel Media                                                    6.50 GBP p/h

I tested foreign language versions of new release computer games, checking for text errors including mistranslations, and providing correction suggestions on a LAN using special software. The position required above all a commitment to quality and an eye for detail. I worked to deadlines – we kept in touch by email on Microsoft Outlook.

Other prior experience

Having finished university, I decided that I should begin my career by gaining a record of vocational experience from temporary work positions, including the following:

Administrative Assistant

City Link                                                         5.57 GBP p/h

Faxing and assuming responsibility for paperwork pertaining to clients’ deliveries. I was effectively one of many responsible for the handling of a large data load. I was faced with a great deal of routine work every day, which I undertook quite happily (and patiently).

Telemarketer

Quantum TM                                                  7:20 GBP p/h

In a nutshell, I was responsible for data management and updating as I spent the day updating information on a computer as I talked to business clients on the phone.

GENERAL INFORMATION                                                                                      

Hobbies

They include ju-jitsu, music and reading. I have taught myself how to play the guitar.

Contact details

Address: 10 Hillary Drive, Crowthorne, Berkshire, RG45 6QE, UK

Business line: +44 (0) 560 1735043                Land line +44 (0) 1344 773948

Mobile: +44 (0) 7784 511495                         Email: georgetrail@googlemail.com

Skype: georgetrail                                          

Online blogs / social networking

Business blogs: BT Tradespace http://georgetrailtranslationservices.bttradespace.com

Google Blogger http://www.blogger.com/profile/01062492625786211042

Social media presence on:

Facebook

Twitter

• Adobe Acrobat
• PowerPoint
• MS Word and Excel 2007 on Windows Vista.