At Web-Translations, we’re fortunate to work with a team of talented linguists who bring their expertise and passion to every project. Kicking off our Linguist Spotlight series for April, we’re excited to introduce three amazing linguists: Axel, Lucia, and Ángela. Throughout the month, we’ll be sharing more stories from our linguists, highlighting their journeys, insights, and favourite language facts. Let’s get started!
Axel
Meet Axel, a super versatile English and Spanish into French freelance translator who’s all about marketing, IT, and medical content.
Axel has always had a thing for languages. He even considered being an interpreter before realising he preferred the life of a project manager and translator. His days? Non-stop. Most of his work’s due within 24 hours. “I start with overnight requests and knock out the quick stuff first. I hate procrastinating.”
One of Axel’s biggest challenges? Tackling a massive website localisation project early on – tens of thousands of words on a tight deadline. “I pulled a few all-nighters, but the client loved it.”
When it comes to AI, Axel sees it as a handy tool but keeps his guard up. “AI makes mistakes, just like people. You can’t rely on it completely.”
- Favourite word: “Tatsumaki” (Japanese for tornado). Axel just loves how it sounds.
- Interesting fact: Japanese has no plurals or subjects in sentences. It’s all about context: poetic and open to interpretation.
- Funny phrase: French: “Y’a pas le feu au lac” (The lake isn’t on fire). Basically, “No need to rush.”
Lucia
Now, let’s talk about Lucia, a freelance translator handling English, French, and Spanish into Portuguese (Brazilian and European). Her expertise? Basically everything from IT and marketing to medical instrumentation and gas & oil.
Lucia actually started out in Statistics but quickly realised it wasn’t her thing. Teaching English to kids sparked her passion for languages, and she’s been translating since 1990.
Her daily routine? Pretty chilled. She’s got pets to feed, breakfast to enjoy, and sometimes a cosy coffee shop to work from. When she’s not translating, Lucia’s out walking her dog, playing the piano, or squeezing in a yoga or dance session.
Toughest project? Translating for an oil and gas company. She had to dive deep into material properties and chemical reactions. “It required super careful, detailed research.”
Lucia’s noticed AI is changing the game. “People are trying to translate themselves with AI, but that’s not the best approach. Humans still need to check and polish everything.”
- Favourite word: “Resilient” / “Resiliente” (in Portuguese). It just feels like her.
- Interesting fact: Living in both Brazil and Portugal, Lucia’s noticed tons of differences in language use – especially when it comes to formality.
- Funny phrase: In Brazil, “Show de bola!” means something’s awesome. In Portugal, double negatives are common, like “Não seria pior se…” (It wouldn’t be worse if…). It’s a way of suggesting something’s actually a good idea!
Ángela
Meet Ángela, a Spanish freelance translator and subtitler working from English and French into Spanish. She’s all about marketing, tourism, and beauty and cosmetics.
Ángela’s journey started at 16 when she found out Translation and Interpreting was a real university degree. Her passion for languages made it an easy choice, and she hasn’t looked back.
Morning person alert! Ángela gets her best work done early, fuelled by coffee and motivation. After lunch, she keeps going until the afternoon, then hits the gym or enjoys a long walk by the river.
The trickiest project she’s tackled? An IT marketing ebook about cybersecurity – super technical but also creative. “It was tough, but my background in IT-cybersecurity texts made it a win.”
Ángela’s take on AI? It’ll boost productivity but risks creating dull, soulless texts – especially in her creative niches.
- Favourite word: “Chouette” (French for “owl” or “nice”). It’s one of the first words she learned in French, and she loves how it sounds.
- Interesting fact: Papua New Guinea is home to over 800 different languages, which blows her mind.
- Funny phrase:
Spanish: “Eres más pesado que un collar de calabazas.”
Literal translation: “You’re heavier than a necklace made of pumpkins.”
This funny phrase is used to describe someone who’s especially annoying or persistent – like a cumbersome, heavy necklace.
Check back next week for our next Linguist Spotlight to learn more about our talented translators! Want to work with our expert team? Our team can handle almost any project! Contact us for a quote today!
4 April 2025 13:40