By Alexandra de Vries, DLD Blog Editor
Dear DLD blog readers,
I hope this blog post finds everyone well.
Last year, we had the idea of using our blog to get to know our 99 individual DLD members a little bit better.
Many of you have joined the DLD for professional reasons and networking (and the cool ATA sessions, of course!). Of course we could have done a traditional bio or LinkedIn style write-up, but we thought that was a bit boring (and probably redundant). Our division is composed of such an incredibly diverse and talented group of translators, interpreters, proofreaders and editors that we thought it would be fun to get a little bit more personal. So that’s why we devised some questions that go beyond the simple ‘tell me what you do?’.
Hopefully you will enjoy reading about your colleagues’ experiences and interests. You may also pick up a few travel ideas or some career inspiration along the way. And being linguists, most of us always have a book or two (or three) on the go, so we thought this would be a great opportunity to sneak a peek at what people are reading and add to everyone’s to-read list.
I would like to thank everyone who has already taken the time to send in their answers. For those who haven’t participated yet, but would like to, please click https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/ata_dutchld/2Iew4E3Hqw0/A_d50CKjFwAJ for the list of questions and contact information for returning your answers.
Enjoy the read!
Dutch Language Division: Tell us a little bit about yourself! What’s your name? Where do you live? Any kids? Pets?
John Decker: I am John Decker, residing for close to 3 decades now in Danville, Pennsylvania. We have one daughter who’s going to be 32 in May.
DLD: So John, you work as a translator. What do you see as the biggest benefit of this profession? And the biggest pitfall?
JD: Our profession is wonderful with its flexible work hours and the ability to turn assignments down if the deadlines don’t work with the rest of your life. The worst pitfall is the curse of quarterly estimated tax payments for the self-employed.
DLD: What is your primary language combination? Are there specific challenges you run into with this pair? How do you solve those?
JD: My main language pair is German to English, but Dutch to English has now jumped to second place, pushing Russian to English to 3rd place and Swedish to English to 4th place. The biggest challenge in German is the challenge everyone faces: tapeworm sentences. They are maddening. The solution, when permissible, is to break them up: once, in a text from circa 1842, I found a monster tapeworm sentence, and broke it up into six sentences.
DLD: If you could give a newbie translator one piece of advice, what would it be?
JD: My advice to novices? Don’t regard any reading material as being not worth paying attention to, particularly material that is normally thought of as too dry and lifeless.
DLD: What’s the most interesting project you have worked on? What made it so interesting?
JD: The most interesting project was A’dam Hotel and Resort’s offer to a company to be host (on the 16th floor of that structure) to the annual Christmas party on December 7th, 2018. I don’t know whether the hotel got the bid or not.
DLD: A lot of translators love reading. What’s on your nightstand right now?
JD: Currently I am reading De Rechtelozen, which is the Dutch version of “Fleshmarket Close,” one of the series of novels by Ian Rankin that features Detective Rebus.
DLD: Imagine a world in which you would not be working as a translator. What other profession might you have chosen?
JD: Some other profession than translator? That is a difficult one, but I used to be a technical indexer, and I suppose I could go back to that profession. Back-of-the-book indexing, maybe? And if not that, then tax preparation.
DLD: Many translators enjoy traveling. Do you? Could you tell us a few of your favorite destinations?
JD: I have traveled a lot, but the destinations that now make my mouth water are: rural central Kansas; the Twin Cities of Minnesota where our daughter lives; and Holland, Michigan.