In the second in our series of interviews, we would like to introduce our globetrotter. Although she has been on our team of our legal translators since 2013, she is forever on the move, so we sometimes have trouble keeping track of her. Every so often someone in the office will ask, “Where was she living now?”

And if the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it is that remote work is a reality. Many of us have learned to adapt our routines since 2020; others, such as our interviewee, have been successfully combining orderly and meticulous work with a nomadic lifestyle since long before that.

1. How long have you been a freelance translator? What for you is the biggest advantage of being a freelancer?

I’ve been working as a freelance translator since 2013. For me, the biggest advantage is being able to organise my own time. For instance, I like to get up very early, which is when I’m at my best, and being a freelancer allows me to do that.

2. Since becoming a freelance translator, what countries have you lived in?

All the ones I could, plus one or two more! For example, Canada, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Argentina and France.

3. What is the most important thing for you when choosing a destination?

How safe I feel, as a woman travelling alone, the confidence that I will be able to establish myself, and what the destination has to offer.

4. What advice or tips would you give to someone who wants to become a digital nomad like you?

That the work is the main thing, and once you have that covered, everything else is up to you. You need to be organised if you want to work as a digital nomad, especially if you have a job like ours, which takes a lot of concentration.

5. Did any destination surprise you in a positive way?

Let’s just say that Latin America is “my continent”. I love history and I find the history of the different countries of Latin America fascinating.

6. Do you think you’ll settle down somewhere, or will you keep moving?

Seeing the world is part of who I am, although the current situation is making it difficult for me, haha.

7. If you had to stay put in one of the places you’ve been to, which would it be?

Hm, I have a soft spot for Montreal. They
seem to have managed to amalgamate all the cultures living in the city, while respecting their differences. So they’ve created a welcoming atmosphere in which every new arrival has something to contribute.

8. A controversial question: do you think translators will ever be replaced by machines? Why or why not?

No, never. And I feel confident saying that because I know how much work goes into a translation, especially if the text to be translated requires specialised knowledge—in my case, a knowledge of law. In any case, a machine will never be able to grasp context or understand figurative language or translate colloquialisms, let alone convey nuances or translate metaphors. No, definitely not. If we let machines take over the work, we will have bought time for ourselves but we will have lost everything else.

9. What do you value most about working at Translator L&F?

Without a doubt the responsible, business-like approach, which attracts world-class customers. And on a personal level, the attention and support I get from all of you who work there. I feel I’m surrounded by excellent professionals, and that makes a difference when you’re working.

10. What was the last book you read? Do you have a favourite book or author?

Now that practically the whole of Italy is in the “red zone”, under strict lockdown, I can’t go out and soak in Neapolitan culture at first hand, so I’m trying to see it through other people’s eyes. And for that I think the novels of Elena Ferrante are a good place to start. My favourite author is Mario Vargas Llosa and if I was going to recommend just one book of his, it would have to be The Bad Girl.