Working languages:
German to English
Arabic to English

Brendan Jones
Proficient, efficient, and thorough

Local time: 04:36 CST (GMT-6)

Native in: English Native in English
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Account type Freelance translator and/or interpreter, Identity Verified Verified site user
Data security Created by Evelio Clavel-Rosales This person has a SecurePRO™ card. Because this person is not a ProZ.com Plus subscriber, to view his or her SecurePRO™ card you must be a ProZ.com Business member or Plus subscriber.
Affiliations This person is not affiliated with any business or Blue Board record at ProZ.com.
Services Translation, Editing/proofreading, Voiceover (dubbing), Transcription
Expertise
Specializes in:
GeographyHistory
Sports / Fitness / RecreationTourism & Travel
Military / DefenseGovernment / Politics

KudoZ activity (PRO) Questions answered: 1, Questions asked: 1
Payment methods accepted PayPal
Portfolio Sample translations submitted: 2
Translation education Bachelor's degree - Western Washington University
Experience Years of experience: 19. Registered at ProZ.com: Aug 2006.
ProZ.com Certified PRO certificate(s) N/A
Credentials Arabic to English (US Department of Defense)
German to English (US Department of Defense)
Arabic to English (US State Department)
German to English (US State Department)
Memberships N/A
Software Across, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Passolo, Powerpoint, Trados Studio
CV/Resume English (DOCX)
Bio
Greetings! I never thought I'd become a linguist until finances (and the gloom of the subject matter!) forced me to give up my attempt at an MA in 20th Centrury German History as a postgraduate student in the UK in 2005. As I scrambled for work, I chanced upon the field of freelance translation. Since then, language has become my sole focus.


I learned German prior to embarking on this translation path. Shortly after the events of 9/11 (but entirely unrelated to them!), I attended the University of Vienna, in Austria, with the aim of perfecting my German. I graduated my specialized course in 2002 with a Certificate of German Proficiency. Returning to the States, I resumed my university studies at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA where I focused on History and German. In 2005 I graduated with a BA in German and in History. I also completed the requirements for a German Business Certificate (ZDfB) from the Goethe Institute.


I was a US Army linguist for five years between March 2007 and March 2012. German not being much in military demand nowadays, I had the fortune of attending Defense Language Institute in beautiful Monterey, CA, where I studied Modern Standard Arabic. After graduation from DLI, I worked directly for Intelligence customers translating a wide-range of classified documents, from personal letters, to news items, to technical manuals.


I have maintained native level fluency in Arabic since that time, attaining DLPT scores of 4/3 and ILR scores of 3+/3+/3. For those unfamiliar with US Department of Defense testing procedures, my scores approximate what most native university students could score. I also maintained my German during this time through personal study and periodic freelance collaborations.


I worked knowing that lives depended on my accuracy and timeliness. A missed word in my text could translate into disaster on far-off city streets. A missed deadline could mean empty chairs at a dinner table. Although the stakes are now different, my approach is not. I take pride in precision and punctuality.


But this is also fun! I take joy in unraveling the puzzle of language. How can anyone succeed in this field if they don't? Now that I am committed full-time to freelance translating, I plan to enjoy it.


If you are interested, I have attached a short resume above. Have a great day.

Keywords: arabic, german, history, geography, travel, sports, football, law, legal, literature. See more.arabic, german, history, geography, travel, sports, football, law, legal, literature, politics, business, commerce, commercial, government, pedagogy, military, veteran, intelligence, security clearance. See less.


Profile last updated
Dec 14, 2015



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