 Member since Jun '09
Working languages: German to English
Spanish to English
English (monolingual) |
|  LisaV20
Making information accessible
NA Local time: 16:44 CET (GMT+1)
Native in: English  | |
Freelancer,  Verified member | | Translation, Editing/proofreading, Subtitling, Desktop publishing | | Specializes in: | | Printing & Publishing | IT (Information Technology) | | Internet, e-Commerce | Telecom(munications) | | Computers (general) | Computers: Systems, Networks | | Computers: Software | Computers: Hardware | | Ships, Sailing, Maritime |
| Also works in: | | International Org/Dev/Coop | Government / Politics | | Environment & Ecology | Geology | | Finance (general) | Forestry / Wood / Timber | | Livestock / Animal Husbandry | Agriculture | | Geography |
More Less | | Questions answered: 7, Questions asked: 0 Easy / 0 PRO, PRO-level points: 4 | | Years of translation experience: 1. Registered at ProZ.com: Jun 2009. Became a member: Jun 2009. | | N/A | German to English (Fluency)
Spanish to English (3 years intensive UN-sponsored language course)
English (3 years UN experience)
| | N/A | | Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Powerpoint | | LisaV20 endorses ProZ.com's Professional Guidelines. | | About me
LISA A. VITALE
WORK EXPERIENCE
7/2006–9/2009 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Bonn, Germany
Documents Management Assistant, Documents Unit
Tracked the status in the internal database of incoming and outgoing documents as regards editing, translation and publication
Reviewed, verified and corrected the format of official United Nations documents and forwarded them to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) for translation and publication
Found precedents of editorial usage to assist editors
Created aids for translators which indicated the text within documents that has been previously translated
Presented in-session editorial and publication procedures in workshops that took place at least twice per year
Assisted in coordinating the editing, translation, publication, reproduction and distribution of documents during UNFCCC conferences
Supervised two document management assistants at all conferences
Corresponded daily with colleagues at UNOG on document-related issues
Drafted internal and external correspondence for the Documents Unit
Edited/proof read English texts
Translated correspondence received in Spanish or German into English for colleagues
Leadership roles:
Project Leader for the improvement/update of the internal document-tracking database
Project Leader for a secretariat-wide electronic mailbox system for transferring document files
Training: Attended intensive UN-sponsored Spanish training twice a week
9/2005–7/2006 Capacity-building International (InWEnt gGmbH)
Cologne/Bonn, Germany
Intern in the America Department
Working language: German
Assisted Americans participating in exchange programs in Germany
Advised potential program participants
Secured internships for participants throughout Germany
Corresponded with our partner organization, the CDS International in New York
Cooperated with the German Employment Agency to obtain work permits for participants, etc.
Prepared and assisted in inter-cultural seminars for program participants
2/2005–7/2005 Hanse Sail Rostock
Rostock, Germany
Intern in tourism
Working language: German
Translated the Hanse Sail 2005 Magazine and other texts from German into English
Helped cruise ship passengers become acquainted with Rostock
Performed internet research on sailing and seaplanes
Participated in the monthly Harbor Council Meeting
Assisted in the creation of our yearly cruise ship guide
Assisted in the preparation and execution of events
1/2003–6/2004 Susquehanna University Development Office
Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania
Assistant Systems Manager
Maintained and updated alumni database
Designed database filters to select alumni based on certain criteria
Organized alumni giving information in order to classify and sort records
OTHER EMPLOYMENT
Accounts Payable Assistant, Compac Corporation (paper manufacturer), Netcong, NJ – 2002
Student Technician, Susquehanna University Office of Information Technology, Selinsgrove, PA – 2001
Service Staff Member, Perona Farms Banquet Hall, Sparta, NJ – 2001–2002
Bookstore Customer Service Representative, The Book Center, Byram, NJ – 1998–2001
EDUCATION
Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, Class of 2004
Bachelor of Arts: Information Systems Double minor: German and Business Administration
Honors: Dean’s List, Foreign Language Honor Society Inductee, Cum Laude graduate
Study abroad: University of London, Fall 2002
Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange, (2004–2005), University of Rostock/Hanse Sail internship
College activities and volunteer work:
• Student Activities Committee
• Susquehanna’s Education of Leadership for Freshmen (SELF)
• Study Buddy (tutoring local middle school students with special needs)
• German language tutor
LANGUAGES
Native English speaker
Fluent in German
Advanced ability in Spanish
COMPUTER SKILLS
Microsoft Office, including Access (able to create functioning databases).
Web-page design
Database usage and development
Adobe Acrobat
Translation is essential in making information and ideas accessible to the world. From foreign policy to international employment contracts, from reaching fellow scientists to reaching as many customers as possible, translation is paramount to progress in many fields of life and work. Through my studies in Information Systems, German and Spanish, and my work for the United Nations in Germany, I have become fascinated by the power of multilingual communication, and enjoy being a part of the worldwide community of translators helping to make information as widely available as possible.
Following graduation from Susquehanna University in the United States, at which I received a Bachelor's degree in Information Systems with minors in German and Business Administration, I was selected for the competitive Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange programme, through which I lived in Germany for a year, studied as a guest student at the University of Rostock and completed an internship at a large sailing association. This position involved a great deal of translation work, including the translation of their annual Hanse Sail sailing magazine. I have been living in Germany ever since (for almost five years) and am fluent in the language. I have been studying Spanish for the past three years through an intensive United Nations-sponsored language course and practice by speaking daily with native speakers.
I worked in the Documents Unit of the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2006 to 2009. This has strengthened my interest in language and the field of translation. My responsibility is to ensure that documents are sent for translation, and that the translators have the appropriate references to do their work. My time at the UN has exposed me to many of the issues faced by translators in multinational environments, and has shown me the importance of translation and interpretation to people and processes across the world, including allowing the voices of developing countries to be heard by a wide audience.
I am a student in a Master's programme in translation to further improve my translation skills, with a goal of translating for an international organization. Alongside my studies, I intend to gain work experience by taking on freelance translation and/or editing work. I am very enthusiastic in my work and set very high standards for myself. I am comfortable working to deadlines. Thank you for reading my personal statement and I look forward to hearing from outsourcers. |
Keywords: german, spanish, united nations, information technology, sustainable development, international organization, non-governmental organization, climate change
Profile last updated
Oct 4 |
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