I was born and studied in Ireland, then lived in Finland where I worked as an architect for 15 years while studying Finnish as an avocation. Little did I know that translation and interpreting would become a major source of income, leading me to go full-time in 1995. I have never looked back. I get a lot of satisfaction from translating well and do not count the time it takes.

Interpreting: In court, at depositions, by telephone; corporate video voice-overs; voice prompts; online interpretation; subtitling, live video transcription, language consultancy.

Translating: Legal document review (Concordance, Summation, eDirect); Architecture, Business, Fine Arts, Genealogy, Health, Journalism, Medical, Music, Sociology, Scientific, Technical. Official documents for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE, formerly USCIS, & INS); Finnish college transcripts translated.

Translations can be officially stamped as 'Certified Translations' and notarized, making them valid legal instruments. Handwritten material a specialty. Choice of UK/US English.

Memberships: Finnish Association of Translators & Interpreters, (SKTL); National Association of Judiciary Interpreters & Translators (NAJIT); American Translators Association (ATA) and its local chapter National Capital Area Translators Association; Finnish-American Chamber of Commerce (New York); Finnish-American Chamber of Commerce, Washington DC; Finnish Literature Society (SKS).

Education and training:
BA Hons. (Mod. Lang.) French, Spanish, National University of Ireland
BSc Architecture, College of Technology, Dublin.
Finnish language credits, Helsinki University (4 semesters).
Certified FI>EN (virallinen kääntäjä) by Certified Translators Review Board (1992), sworn at Ministry of Justice, Helsinki.
Diploma: Institut für Sprachvermittlung und internationalen Kulturaustausch, Bonn (1994).

Registered to interpret at the Administrative Office of the Courts, Annapolis, Maryland, USA (1996-);

Contracted to translate for the European Commission's Translation Service (Brussels, 1997-); Translation Centre of the Bodies of the European Union (Luxembourg, 1997-); IMF Bureau of Language Services (1998-); U.S. State Department (1999-); United Nations Contractual Translation Unit (2000-).

FBI security clearance (2001-); US State Department security clearance (2007-)

18 years residence in Finland. Clients include: Finnish Bar Association; Helsinki University of Technology; Confederation of Finnish Industry; Eurostat; Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks & Designs); Ministries of the Interior, Education and Environment; Finnish Literature Information Centre; Union of Newspaper Publishers; Alvar Aalto Academy, National Gallery; Paperiliitto.

19 years in Washington D.C. Clients include: U.S. Department of State; Embassy of Finland; National Geographic Society; NBC Studios; Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner; Jones Day; McDermott Will & Emery; Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll; Rajkowski & Hansmeier; Boston Scientific Corp; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA; International Foundation for Electoral Systems; International Food Policy Research Institute.

Recognized by Habitat, the U.N. Commission on Human Settlements for linguistic skills;

Client feedback: "We are pleased to inform you that your translation was considered to be of a very good standard" - Georges DEMEYRE, Acting Head of External Translations Unit, European Commission, Brussels

"Pidän käännöstä erittäin onnistuneena ja vivahteikkaana. Runotkin on käännetty hyvin." - Marita Vesa, arkkitehti, Tampere.

"Desmond did a great job. I encourage you to refer him to others"
- Attorney-at-Law William L. Goldman, McDermott Will & Emery.

"Accurate interpretation" - Mike Brady, McDonald Corporation.

"I can attest that Mr O'Rourke is fluent in Finnish to a degree rarely achieved by someone not Finnish by birth" - Marja-Leena Rautalin, Former Director, Finnish Literature Information Centre.

"I admired your good, clear format, very well organized" - David Mel Paul, Washington D.C.

"The translations are great. It was a pleasure to do business with you" - Veli-Pekka Muumäki, Easley, South Carolina.