Background & Experience

Since starting as a freelancer in 1994, I have mostly been working for direct clients, but also with some agencies in and outside Germany.


Technical/Engineering

The main part of my technical work has been for the rolling stock, railway and automotive industries, power station operators and wind power businesses, and in the field of IT/computing.

Direct clients for whom I have worked, in some cases very extensively and over several years, included ADtranz, Deutsche Bahn International, Pneumant Reifen GmbH, DeWind GmbH, SuSE Linux GmbH, and Siemens-Nixdorf Informationssysteme. This included many documents which were technically very demanding (specifications, manufacturing documents, test reports, safety data sheets, API/code documentation, etc.).

For some of my customers I have also acted as a technical interpreter at industrial sites. The most recent assignment of this type lasted several weeks and took place at a Siemens Energy assembly line for high-voltage electrical switchgear.

Before my language studies, I underwent 3 years of formal vocational training as a thermal power station machine operator, and was employed in that function for some time at a coal-fired power plant, which provided me with a primer on a range of engineering areas.

As a long-time Linux user and enthusiast (since 1996), I am using this OS as my main desktop and in several server roles. I have many years of hands-on experience not only with different Linux distributions, desktops and applications, but also with TCP/IP networking and firewall configuration, system and server set-up, localization, driver issues, etc. I am at home using the UNIX shell environment (including scripting), and have some familiarity with standard UNIX development tools.

In this context, I have translated and edited large volumes based on complex document sources in a direct fashion (using programmer's editors such as jEdit), namely DocBook-XML, LaTeX and HTML, and I also have some familiarity with DITA. Extensive samples of my Linux-related projects are available upon request.


Legal

Having been a sworn translator/interpreter since the mid-nineties, I have translated a substantial number of contracts related to diverse industries (construction, real estate, mining, architecture, advertising), as well as countless certificates, legal instruments, court documents, and the occasional patent. I also act as a consecutive interpreter in court hearings, notarial proceedings and for local authorities on a regular basis, mainly in civil and property related matters.


Other Fields

One of my current clients is a leading international consulting firm, for which I am translating documents related to Russian and European politics and energy policies, among others.

Occasionally I am also active in the areas of literature and media, where I have contributed e.g. to a larger transcription & translation project at Deutsche Welle TV, worked on interviews (interpreting, transcriptions), and book projects (co-translator, proofreader).

In my private life, I am a dedicated classical guitar player. Having studied partly in Havana, I am also fond of Afro-Cuban music, which is why I am well acquainted with its history, styles, dance forms, and the typical instruments.