tomastranslates.com

Welcome to my profile!

My name is Tomas Foltyn and I’m a freelance translator based in Bratislava, Slovakia, working in the English-Slovak and Spanish-Slovak language pairs. I'm a qualified language professional with an academic background in translation and linguistics, a genuine affinity for languages and relevant experience in my specialty areas. I provide top-notch services in translation, revision and proofreading. Get in touch with me if you need to harness the full range of capabilities and talent required to get the result you need: a translation relying on relevant education, experience, solid writing skills and diligence.


Why me?

• I have an M.A. in translation and interpreting from Slovakia’s prime university, Comenius University. My degree is adorned with an accolade by the university rector for my thesis on legal English. Both during and after my studies, I also had the chance to hone my language skills during study, internship and work placements abroad, including a five-month stint at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation. An educational background such as mine is one of the indispensable elements in the work of a translator, as translations can hinge on linguistic nuances that, more often than not, are lost on a person lacking such specialized education.

• I would be so bold as to say I have a proficient knowledge of my two working languages, English and Spanish. It goes without saying that I am alive to the nuances and power of words and I possess a thorough knowledge of Slovak, my mother tongue. I have a flair for capturing the style of the source language while ensuring that the target text sounds as natural as possible.

• I possess solid experience in my areas of specialization. Please scroll down to learn more about my preferred specialty fields.

• I believe in honest communication and a friendly approach. I am confident, yet also well aware of my limits. Hardly any translator is a specialist in more than a handful of areas. As a result, I don't take on translations that lie beyond my specialty areas unless they are aimed at “the man on the street”. This gives me confidence that I can deliver an excellent product to my client. If the translation you want from me is outside my comfort zone, I will make no bones about it and simply say that I am not up to the task at hand.

• I know only too well that, as a freelance translator working on his own, I can’t afford to fail my customers. I pride myself on being meticulous and punctual. In nine years of translating I have never missed a deadline or received a complaint regarding my work.

• Considering my education and experience, my rates aren't inflated. The sum that I charge for each particular project is largely dependent on the complexity of the source text. As there’s no need to pay for a third party’s administration costs, you save money that you can then spend on something more worthwhile.

• In order to ensure consistency across your document(s) and enhance my productivity, I use SDL Trados Studio.

• I provide utmost confidentiality for your documents. If required, I am happy to sign a non-disclosure agreement to further safeguard your interests.

• I thoroughly enjoy translating. To put it bluntly, I did not just stumble into this profession because of a bilingual background or a shortage of career alternatives. Rather the opposite, I put my flair for language and conscientiousness to use to ensure the best quality of my work.

• If my background, experience and attitude still haven't convinced you to entrust your documents with me, I am happy (and confident enough) to offer you a free trial translation. If there are prospects for fruitful cooperation, I am usually willing to translate a short text of 200 words at most, obviously free of charge, so that you can assess my work for yourself.


Specializations

I possess solid experience in my areas of specialization. What is more, the majority of my preferred areas of specialization are also my interests, be they finance, public affairs, marketing, internet or myriad disciplines traditionally listed under “humanities”. Courtesy of my past translation and proofreading assignments, I feel comfortable in the following areas:

• EU and public affairs, law, human rights, government and politics – Shortly after I wrapped up my internship at the European Commission’s DGT in 2008 and 2009, I established cooperation with several agencies that provide translation services to European Union institutions. Numerous assignments over the years have endowed me with valuable experience in the translation of a variety of legal documents. In addition, between February and December 2016, I was an in-house translator at the Slovak Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, where I was selected to cater to the ministry's translation needs vis-a-vis the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2016.

• business, finance, accounting, marketing, advertising and human resources – I have hands-on experience in the translation of a variety of corporate materials, including annual reports and financial statements, codes of practice and business conduct, business correspondence, market research questionnaires, and training policies. I am also looking to expand my experience in financial trading. Having formerly been a trading aficionado, I'm well-versed in the area of stock markets, trading, forex, derivatives, funds, ETFs, indexes, commodities, etc. My knowledge of English and the trading terminology along with my educational background make me uniquely well-equipped to handle translations in this sphere.

• IT and Internet – The translations that I have to my name from this area include countless specialized press releases introducing new products and technologies. In addition, being “a jack of all things Internet”, I have advanced knowledge about quite a few things from this area. I'm also a tech-savvy person who uses a range of mobile apps on a daily basis, so I'm perfectly fit to provide translation and localization services for mobile app developers.

• journalism – Working as a translator and editor at a news agency for seven years - including in a senior position for the majority of the period - provided me with a valuable knack for journalistic texts and their style. At the same time, having translated and edited countless general and specialized press materials helped me feel proficient in handling texts from a number of social science disciplines such as politics, economics, media and history. A recent project for the euronews TV channel has further enhanced my skills in journalistic texts.

• I also have a special interest – and some experience – in the translation of materials from culture, travel, health and nutrition, religion and environmental issues.

• There is one area of translation in which I don’t have as much working experience as I would like to, and that is sports. This is despite the fact that I would jump at the chance to translate texts on all things sport. I am familiar with the respective rules and intricacies as well as terminology and jargon of tennis, soccer and ice-hockey. In addition, thanks to my knowledge - albeit only theoretical - of the rules and strategies of American football, I am most probably one of only a handful of freelance Slovak translators capable of handling a text on this sport.

Please feel free get in touch with me to discuss your requirements without obligation. I will also be pleased to send you my up-to-date CV.

Thank you for visiting my profile.