Meet Our Translator – Edvan Fluery

Welcome to Simply CSOFT. In our continuing series profiling our translators, we meet Edvan Fluery, one of our Portuguese linguists from Amazon, Brazil. Just like in the previous post, we ask Fluery to share his experience of working at CSOFT International and what he thinks makes a good translator.

“Translation is a bit of a subjective art. We can measure accuracy linguisitically – is the grammar and syntax correct, are there any glaring mistakes? – but there will never be a perfect way to judge it.”

What makes a good translator?

To be a good translator, you have to be able to feel in two languages at once. You may be bilingual, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to be a good translator. You need to be able to judge the tone and feel, and know how different target audiences will respond to different styles, and you need to be able to do all that for both the source and the target language. Good time management is crucial. Your deadlines come up very quickly, clients always feel rushed, and you need to have everything ready for them when the time comes.

What personality makes a good translator?

You must be patient…almost like a great teacher. Many times a client is going to ask, “Why is it this way and not that way?” They will ask you questions that, as a translator, seem so simple. You need to have the patience and the attitude of customer care that lets you explain yourself clearly and without the hint of frustration.

You have to study a lot. A great translator is always learning. Sometimes you’re going to have to learn about automated manufacturing, sometimes about an automobile factory, sometimes about offshore oil extraction…there’s so much to learn. And you need to want to learn.

You will also need to be diplomatic with the client, with project managers, and with your fellow translators. Just be friendly and understanding and you will be fine.

Translating for CSOFT International

Here at CSOFT, you’ll have the opportunity to try a lot of different projects across a lot of different disciplines. Some of them you’ll be good at, and some you’ll be less good at. Here, you can try new things and keep learning and getting better. For me, the most important thing about working at CSOFT is that I found a real mentor here and most other translators that come here do, too. For me, that was the most important thing, and that’s the thing that I’m most thankful for here.

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To learn more about freelance translation opportunities with CSOFT International, visit our career page or send your resume and a cover letter to alma.gomez@csoftintl.com. If you’re interested in learning more about CSOFT’s globalization and localization solutions, visit our Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn pages or you can visit our webpage!