Je regarde regulièrement « La grande librairie », l’émission de François Busnel sur TV5 Monde. Ce journaliste invite des écrivains qui viennent de sortir un livre, de gagner le Prix Goncourt, etc. J’avais donc déjà vu Joël Dicker parler de son dernier roman, qui m’avait semblé intéressant.

Apparemment, Dicker est devenu une célébrité après avoir publié son premier roman (« La vérité sur l’affaire Harry Quebert »), paru en 2012. Ce grand succès en librairie, alors que son auteur n’avait que 27 ans, avait fait l’admiration de tout le monde. Peut-être pas tout le monde cependant, car dans Le Monde des livres, Eric Chevillard donne un avis non edulcoré à propos de Joël Dicker :
« L’ombre de Philip Roth plane au-dessus de cette laborieuse entreprise romanesque. Joël Dicker croit réécrire Pastorale américaine (Gallimard, 1999), mais il nous donne plutôt un nouvel épisode du Club des cinq honorablement troussé. »

J’ai la chance d’avoir une très bonne amie française qui me prête toutes sortes de livres. On échange des bouquins tout le temps. Nous sommes toutes les deux des lectrices toujours avides de bonnes lectures et constamment en quête de nouveautés dont nous espèrons nous régaler. Elle m´a donné cette fois, non pas le premier roman de Joël Dicker, mais Le Livre des Baltimore, paru l’année dernière. Je n’en attendais pas trop car je prefère les livres français qui me parlent de la France et de ce qui se pase en France, plutôt que la lecture d’un écrivain suisse francophone écrivant sur la Nouvelle Angleterre et l’Amérique. Pour cela, je prefère des Américains comme Jonathan Franzen ou Jeffrey Eugenides, ou même John Fante, qui est un grand écrivain.

Mais Joël Dicker a vécu et étudié aux États-Unis et connaît bien les endroits dont il parle dans son roman. Il est capable de créer un roman crédible qui est une espèce de polar. Ce n’est pas un « roman de plage », comme les trilogies de Katherine Pancol. Joël Dicker, lui, cultive le « Thriller ».

Grande a été ma surprise parce que l’histoire est vraiment intéressante et que Dicker sait très bien maintenir le suspense jusqu’à la fin. J’adore les livres qu´on a du mal à laisser de côté avant de s’endormir le soir. Celui-là en fait partie. J´ai donc décidé de chercher son premier bouquin et de le lire aussi.

J’ai toujours une longue liste de livres à lire, cela me permet notamment de maintenir mon niveau dans les langues que je connais. Je trouve que la lecture aide beaucoup à ne jamais perdre de vue la beauté et la saveur des mots. Le travail quotidien de la traduction de textes techniques arides et sans âme tétanise un peu nos sens. Parfois, j’ai même besoin d’un peu de poésie, mais pour cela, je lis en espagnol. D’autres fois, je copie et je collectionne des lignes particulièrement belles qui m’ont fait chaud au cœur et que je ne veux jamais oublier. La bonne lecture est très enrichissante, on traduit mieux, on découvre de nouveaux mondes, des modes de vie, des moeurs différents, etc. Le livre est une fenêtre ouverte sur les complexités intérieures et extérieures de la vie des gens. Mais je digresse.

Joël Dicker raconte une histoire de famille, en particulier le lien entre les cousins avec lesquels le protagoniste a fondé le « Gang des Goldman ». Au fil des flashbacks, le roman se construit autour d’un mystérieux « drame », qui forme le cœur de l’histoire. Des « twists and turns », il y en a beaucoup.

Il y a eu un bref échange sur la page Facebook de l’ATA French Division en ce qui concerne le style d’écriture de Dicker. J’ai vu des commentaires sur son « American feel ». Quelques-uns pensent que son français semble avoir été traduit de l’anglais. Je crois que Dicker est un auteur multilingue, comme beaucoup de Suisses, d’ailleurs. Peut-être que cela exerce une certaine influence linguistique sur son écriture, c’est possible. Ce n’est peut-être pas de la grande litérature, mais c’est incontestablement une lecture agréable et vivante, je dirais même dynamique.

Anamaria Argandona

Anamaria Argandona is an English & French into Spanish translator. She can be found on Twitter at @translates or www.spanishtrans.com.

Welcome to episode 6 of the French Language Division’s Continuing Education Series podcast. The main focus of this podcast is the craft of translation (English > French and French > English). In this episode, Dominique Jonkers of Jonkers & Partners and François Lavallée of Edgar and Magistrad join host Angela Benoit for the series’ very first translation slam!

The Podcast

SOUNDCLOUD: You may listen to all of the FLD’s podcast episodes online or download them from SoundCloud.

ITUNES: You may listen to all of the episodes online or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

The Source Text

The text dueled over (uh, translated) by Dominique Jonkers and François Lavallée was Nauru, a Sinking Feeling, an article from the New York Times, available here. The source text was in English and the translation was into French. Listeners who are looking for a challenge are invited to produce their own translation before listening to the podcast!

The Slammers

Here’s more about our special guests (and you can find each of their versions of the translation below):

DOMINIQUE JONKERS is a freelance financial translator (English and Dutch > French) and owner of www.jonkersandpartners.com, a translation boutique specializing in corporate and financial translations. He is not someone who fits easily into traditional molds. Dutch by birth and by mother tongue, he grew up a French-speaking Belgian surrounded by linguistic diversity. He began his career as a corporate banker, a notably international and multilingual environment. In 1997 as the Internet began to emerge, he made the switch to translation, harnessing an inborn talent to help define a new profession of “financial translator.”

A regular guest speaker on economic and financial translation at workshops and conferences, Dominique firmly believes that the French poet Boileau had translators in mind when he said that clear understanding leads to clear writing. In 2000 he created an online resource for freelance financial translators (https://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/financialtranslators/) that has done much to lift the level of professionalism in the field.

Dominique is a regular presenter at the specialized conferences organized alternately by SFT and ASTTI (Université d’été de la traduction financière). In 2011 he won the Société française des traducteurs’ Pierre-François Caillé Award for his Dutch to French translation of author and serial entrepreneur Leen Zevenbergen’s En morgen laat ik mijn baard staan, published in French as Brûle ta cravate et danse.

A member of both CBTI and SFT, Dominique also served as SFT treasurer and was a member of the SFT executive committee for several years.

FRANÇOIS LAVALLÉE, C. Tr., has been exploring the fascinating world of words and language for over 30 years as a translator, reviser, trainer, author, lexicographer…and as a reader.

After freelancing for 20 years, he was recruited in 2009 by Edgar, a Québec translation firm. He is now Edgar’s vice-president of training and quality.

The president of Magistrad, a professional development school for translators that he founded in 2006, François has also been teaching general, commercial and legal translation as well as revision at Laval University in Québec, Canada. He has acted as a trainer and speaker at various ATA conferences and at the “Translate in…” events since their inception (2009).

His practical translation guide, Le traducteur averti, has sold over 2,000 copies. He also penned two collections of short stories (Le tout est de ne pas le dire, 2001; Dieu, c’est par où?, 2006), a novel (L’homme qui fuyait, 2013) and a collection of fables in the style of La Fontaine (Quand la fontaine coule dans la vallée, 2007). His books can be found on the bookseller Renaud-Bray’s website (www.renaud-bray.com), among other places.

Since 2009, he has been distilling his “reviser’s tips” on Twitter (@Magistrad_Plus), several hundred of which were compiled, along with some of Grant Hamilton’s, in an anthology: Tweets et gazouillis pour des traductions qui chantent (Linguatech éditeur, 2012).

The Translations

Read our guests’ different approaches to the same source text below, but don’t forget to listen to the podcast to hear their lively discussion about their choices, what they enjoyed about each other’s work and the parts they found particularly challenging. (Click the images to enlarge.)

Have an idea for a new podcast episode  that addresses the craft of English > French and French > English translation? Contact us!

A freelance career offers the flexibility to work where you want, when you want, so it’s not surprising that many freelance linguists pursue the dream of living abroad.

Making this a reality requires careful planning and an understanding of immigration and tax laws in the intended country of residence. Nothing can replace expert advice – which anyone moving abroad should seek – but there are a few tax, immigration and practical considerations to keep in mind.

Tourism versus residency

A quick Google search will reveal a commonly held view that, so long as you are working for foreign clients and you receive payments only in your country of origin, you can happily freelance on a tourist visa. This sounds lovely – but is probably illegal as most tourist visas prohibit work of any kind.

On the other hand, immigration laws haven’t caught up with today’s mobile workforce. It’s unlikely that any immigration authority cares if someone checks business e-mails while on holiday. But somewhere, the line between keeping up with work back home and working in a foreign country will be crossed.

Choosing the right country

To establish legal residency in foreign country, an applicant must meet the qualifications for a specific visa – which differ dramatically from country to country. Eligibility for a visa depends on the applicant’s personal circumstances, but a number of countries provide opportunities for freelancers that don’t require massive capital investment. A few of these include:

• The Netherlands: The Dutch-American Friendship Treaty may offer self-employed freelancers the opportunity to conduct business and live in the country, with a low capital investment requirement.
• Germany offers non-EU freelancers a pathway to legal residency. This process must be completed once you are in Germany.
• Panama: If you are looking to live in a warm, Spanish-speaking country, Panama may be the place for you. The “Friends of Panama” visa offers residency to those employed by or owners of a Panamanian company.

Sometimes, a freelancer may be a “trailing” spouse or partner, which means that the family’s visa is contingent on the other partner’s employment. Many spousal visas do not grant a right to work. However, once legal residence in the country has been secured, a spouse or partner may be able to receive authorization to engage in freelance work, depending on the laws of the specific country.

Tax implications of working abroad

First, recall that all US citizens or permanent residents are subject to worldwide taxation, regardless of where they live, and must report worldwide income to the IRS.  Even the holder of a US non-immigrant visa may be considered a US “tax resident” and therefore subject to this requirement. Most countries, including the UK, Canada and Germany, do not impose this blanket requirement.

Of course, there is some relief from double taxation. The United States has entered into tax treaties with many countries, in an effort to limit double taxation. Any US person residing abroad should hire a qualified tax advisor who specializes in preparing tax returns for expats, to take full advantage of any available exemptions and tax credits.

Freelancers are also required to make social security contributions. These are often paid to the country of residence; however, US persons overseas may be covered by a bilateral social security agreement which creates a time-limited exemption to this requirement. Exemptions vary by country, so research is essential.

Reporting requirements under FBAR and FATCA

Two US laws create potential disclosure requirements for US persons residing abroad. First, the Foreign Bank Account Report (FBAR) must be filed by all US Persons if their aggregate foreign financial account holdings – which may include securities accounts and life insurance policies – exceed a $10,000 threshold at any point during the year. Once this threshold is crossed, all accounts must be reported. Penalties can start at $10,000 per unintentional violation – so take this requirement seriously.

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) is a separate provision requiring foreign banks to report accounts held by US clients to the US government. The reporting thresholds are higher than the FBAR, but together, they reflect the government’s intent to crack down on offshore tax evasion and money laundering.

VAT Filings

In many European countries, freelancers – including linguists – must charge VAT to clients within their country of residence. Upon registering to work as a freelance translator, most freelancers working in Europe must obtain an EU Community VAT number. In addition, they may be required to track VAT-exempt transactions within the EU, and submit a VAT tax return on a quarterly basis.

Health Insurance

Finally, if heading abroad for any length of time, proper health care coverage is essential. For short-term stays, travel insurance may be sufficient. However, for extended stays, legal residents may be eligible for national health care coverage in their country of residence. It is also wise to research private health insurance coverage – whether for full coverage or as a supplement to a national health plan.

Laura Eilers Tridico

Laura Eilers Tridico, CT, is an ATA-Certified French to English Translator, specializing in law and finance.

Welcome to the fifth episode of the French Language Division’s Continuing Education Series podcast. The main focus of this podcast is the craft of translation (English > French and French > English).

In episode 5, podcast host, Angela Benoit welcomes genealogy translator Bryna O’Sullivan (www.charteroakgenealogy.com) to talk about genealogy translation, the intersection between genealogy and history and terminology.

SOUNDCLOUD: You may access Episode 5 and other podcast episodes on SoundCloud here. On SoundCloud, you can listen to the episode in your browser or download a copy of this episode directly to your computer.

ITUNES: This episode and the entire podcast series are also available on iTunes here. On iTunes, you can subscribe or listen online. (Even if the link doesn’t show up on the iTunes preview, it is still there – simply subscribe.)

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Ancestry: www.ancestry.com, which includes records from the Drouin Collection:  www.drouininstitute.com
• Family Search: familysearch.org

Here is Bryna’s 19^th century marriage record in original manuscript format as mentioned in the episode (and a transcription is provided below):

Transcription:

Mariage d’Antoine Charest et Marie Anne La Flèche Watch movie online The Transporter Refueled (2015)

L’an mil huit cent trente six, le deux février après la publication d’un ban faite au prône de notre messe paroissiale le dimanche précédent entre Antoine Charest fils mineur d’Antoine Charest, Ecuyer, Capitaine de Milice et de Marie Anne Marchand, de la paroisse de Ste Anne de la Pérade, d’une part et Marie Anne La Flèche fille mineure de Louis La Flèche, Ecuyer, coseigneur du Fief St Maurice et de Marie Anne Goubin Boisvert, de la même paroisse, d’une autre part, les parties ayant [ ?] dispensé de l’empêchement de consanguinité de quatrième au quatrième degré et les deux bans de Monsieur Cooke Vicaire général de Monseigneur l’Évêque de Québec au date du vingt-cinq Janvier précédent ne [ ?] découvert aucun autre empêchement ni forme d’approbation, Nous soussigné Curé de Ste Anne avons, de l’agrément de parents de part et d’autre, reçu leur mutuel consentement + leur avons donné la bénédiction nuptiale selon  la forme proscrite par l’Église en présence d’Antoine Charest, Ecuyer, père, de François Charest, frère de l’époux, de Louis La Flèche, écuyer, père […]

The deadline for presentation proposals for ATA’s 57th annual conference is March 4, 2016. The conference will be held in San Francisco, California, November 2-5, 2016.

Proposal submission is open to everyone. ATA membership is not required. You may submit multiple proposals, but a maximum of two proposals will be accepted per speaker.

First time presenting? Watch this free ATA webinar on conference presentation best practices. Read a summary of one of last year’s FLD presentations here. Email your administrator at divisionfld@atanet.org to discuss your ideas or suggest a colleague who might need a nudge to share.

Ready with your contribution? Click here to submit your proposal today!

SOAP Notes: Getting Down and Dirty with Medical Translation. A Review of Erin M. Lyons’ presentation given at the 56th American Translators Association conference on November 5, 2015, in Miami, FL.

I attended this session out of personal interest as I used to do quite a bit of French/Italian to English translation of medical and hospital records early on in my career. However after some years I found that I preferred pharmaceutical translation which includes a wide variety of texts such as: informed consent forms, investigator brochures, clinical drug trials, packaging and labeling, and instructions for use, to name a few. I guess you could say I followed the advice of many ATA presenters over the years urging newbies to find their own niche and to specialize, specialize, specialize…

Erin Lyons, also a French/Italian to English translator, specializing in the area of medical and life sciences translation, gave a very thorough and quite captivating presentation on the nuts and bolts of the SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) format used by doctors and how to better make sense of the scribbled notes, acronyms, abbreviations and unique language found in medical charts, lab reports and the like. Her stated objective was to help translators replicate the style and voice of healthcare professionals in their medical translations. In my opinion, she totally succeeded in accomplishing this goal.

She began by clarifying exactly what a SOAP note is and showed the audience a visual display of a typical medical record and its various sections therein: the subjective, objective, and assessment sections and the last section containing the doctor’s plan and the recommended next steps to follow.

The Subjective section contains the patient’s main complaint or a history of the current illness. In other words, it lays out the primary reason the patient is seeing the doctor or why the patient is in the hospital. Doctors endeavor to gather and record as much subjective information as possible in this section such as the illness’ onset, character, severity, duration, location, aggravating factors, etc.

The Objective section contains the information gathered by the doctor through observation or measurement primarily of the Vital Signs (height, weight, temperature, BP), or by performing a physical exam, lab tests, and recording any of the patient’s prescriptions.

The Assessment section contains the medical diagnosis and includes all possible and likely etiologies (causes) of the illness.

The Plan section contains the next steps to take per the doctor’s recommendation and may include the ordering of additional lab tests, radiological work-ups, referrals to specialist doctors, future appointments, patient monitoring, etc.

After that initial overview, Erin delved into the nitty gritty of the actual phraseology and terminology encountered in a SOAP note and the necessity of researching correct usage so as to best render the sentence and/or word into the target language. (In her example, the source language was French and the target was English). Erin gave attendees a very useful tip by providing the link to an incredible website: https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/staticpages/icd-10-code-lookup.aspx where we can obtain the exact medical wording/terminology for almost any medical condition by entering a medical code or keyword in the search box. For example, from my home computer, I entered the word pulmonary in the search box and obtained a complete list of pulmonary-related ICD-10 Codes¹ and their precise code description. To name a few for the purpose of illustration, pulmonary mycobacterial infection (Code A31.0), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (Code J84.112) or congenital pulmonary valve insufficiency (Code Q22.2). This link and resource will save tons of time for the medical translator and was worth attending this presentation in and of itself!

Erin emphasized using the present tense in our translations even though the source may use the past or a mix of tenses and explained the necessity of handling acronyms appropriately as the target audience of our translation may not be a healthcare professional. She suggested we expand acronyms (d/c = diarrhea/constipation) but not attempt to translate the more complex or lengthy acronyms directly as this often results in total gibberish! (I know from personal experience!) She said identifying the type of acronym or abbreviation can help us in the translation process. For example, becoming familiar with Latin abbreviations such as h.s. = hora somni = at bedtime, or inversions of acronyms written in the source language medical report, IRM (French) for MRI (English), etc.

In the middle part of her presentation, Erin gave a review of the body systems which frequently appear in a SOAP note (for example, musculoskeletal, neurological, endocrine, and cardiovascular) and the doctor’s use of specific terminology when dictating or writing ROS (review of systems) notes. She gave attendees another very helpful link with numerous tools for understanding SOAP Notes in general: www.soapnote.org and specifically with regard to deciphering lab tests, a wonderful link to an index of medical glossary terms, conditions and their related lab tests: https://labtestsonline.org/map/gindex

A few final points offered by Erin were to remember to refer to the physician in the third person, even when the first person is used, to be succinct using plain language, not to embellish the text, and to use an appropriate register (formal) and medical terminology (often the Latin cognate). For example, abdomen vs. stomach, renal vs. kidney, thrombus vs. blood clot, etc.

In sum, SOAP notes are intended to improve communication among healthcare providers by using a specific notation system which is structured and organized. This highly structured system can provide the translator with clues on deciphering the medical terminology and acronyms found within the document. Since SOAP notes are universal, Erin advised it would be wise for translators to learn the preferred terminology, acronyms, symbols and shorthand associated with their specific source and language combination.

The link to her complete and very informative presentation can be found at: https://www.slideshare.net/ErinLyons/soap-notes-getting-down-and-dirty-with-medical-translation

¹ This refers to the 10^th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD), a medical classification list by the World Health Organization (WHO). It contains codes for diseases, signs and symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or diseases.

Patrice Van Hyle

Patrice Van Hyle is a freelance translator and interpreter based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

 

Welcome to the fourth episode of the French Language Division’s Continuing Education Series podcast. The main focus of this podcast is the craft of translation (English > French and French > English).

In episode 4, podcast host, Angela Benoit welcomes sustainable development translator Natalie Pavey (www.nptranslations.com) to talk about terminology and neologisms in the field of Sustainable Development, providing insight on the cultural, political and historical contexts in which terms come into existence.

SOUNDCLOUD: You may access Episode 4 and other podcast episodes on SoundCloud here. On SoundCloud, you can listen to the episode in your browser or download a copy of this episode directly to your computer.

ITUNES: This episode and the entire podcast series are also available on iTunes here. On iTunes, you can subscribe or listen online. (Even if the link doesn’t show up on the iTunes preview, it is still there – simply subscribe.)

LINKS FROM THIS PODCAST:

To follow everyone from today’s episode on Twitter, visit the feeds for Natalie, Angela and the French Language Division.

At the 56th American Translators Association conference held in November 2015, in Miami, FL, Jennifer Bader of CLASS Translations, a securities attorney admitted to the bar in Paris (inactive), New York, and Maryland who now works as a freelance translator, presented a session entitled “Translating French Initial Public Offerings and Other Securities Offerings.” Who could have asked for a more appropriate speaker to clarify the ins and outs of the financial markets?!

This dynamic presentation covered three major components of a well drafted professional translation: background research, terminology and style. Ms. Bader explained the three stages of the IPO process: the preliminary prospectus (the red herring), the final prospectus and the various players: issuers, underwriters, broker-dealers, and purchasers. She discussed specific terms in French and English (e.g.: document de base and document de reference–both terms for registration document), including nuances in terminology (e.g.: offre publique [tender offer] vs. offre au public [public offering]) as well as cultural differences. For example, the French term for IPO (initial public offering), introduction en bourse, emphasizes the stock exchange component rather than the public offering component.

In matters of style, the speaker explained that in 1998, the SEC issued its Plain English Handbook, which requires so-called plain English in parts of prospectuses. In 2010, Congress passed the Plain Writing Act stipulating simpler more direct language in government publications (e.g. before vs. prior to – because vs. owing to.)She listed some common problems found in disclosure documents, such as long sentences, passive voice, weak verbs, financial and legal jargon, superfluous words, and numerous defined terms. Examples of plain English rewrites can be found on this website: https://www.plainlanguage.gov/examples/before_after/ambigwd.cfm.

Ms. Bader also discussed opportunities for translators at the various stages of the IPO process and gave valuable tips for more effective translations. (e.g.: Always ask a new client if there are any previous translations of financial statements to make sure the line items are the same.)

The presentation was clear, informative and to-the-point with just the right touch of humor. For this financial translator, Ms. Bader’s session alone was well worth the trip from Denver to Miami.

Rhoda B. Miller

Rhoda B. Miller, CT, is an ATA-certified F-E translator with 20 years’ experience translating legal and financial texts.

Members provide updates to share with the French Language Division. If you have a professional update you would like to share, please email us at divisionfld@atanet.org.

• Eve Lindemuth Bodeux has had several translations of children’s stories published for La Dentellière Editions Numériques, a publishing house based in France. Titles include Stories and Magic Dust, It’s Water, Not Words!, The Doray Family and adaptations of The Fairies and Thumbelina. The original French texts and translations are available in iTunes across the world.
• Rhoda B. Miller is pleased to announce that her translation of a French book has been published in the United States. Que Veut la Chine ? De Mau au Capitalisme by François Godement (originally published in France by Odile Jacob, 2012), is now available on US bookshelves under the title Contemporary China: Between Mao and Market (Rowman & Littlefield, August 2015). Rhoda won a subsidy from France’s Centre National du Livre for this translation.
• Samantha Mowry was certified in July 2015 as a French-to-English translator by the American Translators Association.
• Patrice Van Hyle’s translation “Genotoxic Risk Assessment Among Nurses Handling Cytostatic Drugs” of the article “Évaluation du risque génotoxique chez les infirmiers manipulant les cytostatiques,” originally published in Annales de Biologie Clinique, will be published by the National Institutes of Health’s Library. Patrice was also profiled in a feature story in the business section of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in March 2015. Click here to see the article.

Expand your social networking horizons and join our very own LinkedIn Group!

With the French Language Division’s ambitious initiative this year to revamp and widen its social media reach, a LinkedIn Group was launched earlier this year (2015) to provide members yet another valuable way to connect and share experiences with fellow colleagues.

We already have well over a 100 members, and there have been some great discussions that have taken place, such as:

• Ideas for generating income outside of translation
• Specializations that most people don’t think is a specialty
• Strange ways people have received work
• Dealing with “translator’s block”
• Keeping up on French language skills outside of a Francophone country
• Using paper dictionaries

If you aren’t already a member, or haven’t participated in a discussion yet, please go check us out! You can find our group either by clicking the link below, or by searching for the group name “French Language Division of the American Translator’s Association” in the search bar on any LinkedIn page.

https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6943375&trk=anet_ug_hm

We hope you enjoy our new social media channel and look forward to your lively participation!

Shannon Summers

Shannon Summers is a moderator of the FLD LinkedIn Group and a member of the FLD’s Leadership Council.  She specializes primarily in medical and IT/software translations and attended Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) and Institut Superieur d’Interpretation et de Traduction (ISIT) in Paris.