Enrico, an Italian native from Verona, met his American wife-to-be while vacationing in a tiny mountain village in the Alps. Some 20 years later, he now lives with his wife and four children in the U.S. where he is our English to Italian Language Specialist.

What languages do you speak and why/how did you learn them?

I was born in Verona, Italy so my native language is Italian. I studied English for many years while growing up and graduated from the Polytechnic University of Milan with a degree in Engineering.  After living in the U.K., Hong Kong and now the U.S. for the past 20 years, I am fully fluent in English.

I can also read and understand Spanish, but can’t really speak it well. I never formally studied the language, but try to learn it here and there as it is so similar to Italian and because my youngest son is adopted from Guatemala.

How did you become a translator and how often do you translate?

I am a part-time translator, but spend some time translating almost every day. When I moved to the U.S, I became a translator to earn some extra money to support my family.

I’ve worked with Gengo since its humble beginnings. I wrote several times to Gengo asking if I could help in any way. I think I may have been Gengo’s first Italian translator.

Describe your office setup or workspace.

I usually translate in our family living room. We have a large wooden table where, at any time, at least two computers are set up and many people can sit together. My children often sit with me while doing their homework or working on a puzzle or craft. While it can be distracting, I am happy to be able to work around my family.

We live in a somewhat generic American neighborhood, but we are close to the Rocky Mountains, which can be seen in the distance. The area is very quiet and we have a lot of green areas for hiking, walking, and biking around us.

What has been your most enjoyable and challenging translation experiences?

I helped a customer, who is now a friend, work with a notary and various other parties in Italy to complete the inheritance of a piece of land that belonged to his grandparents in Sicily. We are now working with an engineer to get a house built on the property.

I find translating complicated legal documentation challenging and try to avoid these types of translations, if I can.

What’s your favorite thing about being a translator?

In addition to being a Language Specialist for Gengo, I also translate documents for people of Italian origin who want to obtain Italian citizenship. This exposes me to people with very different backgrounds and interesting stories. These interactions and the satisfaction of being able to help many of them achieve a lifetime goal of “becoming Italian” are two of my favorite things about being a translator.

What does your work involve as a Language Specialist?

• Prompt and accurate email communications with many Gengo staff members. Because of the different time zones where Gengo’s employees live and work, staying on top of email communications is very important as is also being able to write concisely, politely and clearly.
• Review of Gocheck jobs, tests, creation of new tests in my language pair.
• Communication with translators in my language pair, including providing feedback on their translations and tests, and clarification on my corrections.
• Research. Translations found on Gengo can cover almost any subject, so I am often online reading about terms, expressions or products mentioned in a text that I don’t know about.

What’s your favorite snack for while you work?

Cut strawberries, chunks of real parmesan cheese and smoothies that my wife makes. Yum!

Based on your specific cultural expertise, what books or movies would you recommend?

101 countries: Discovering the World Through Fast Travel, which is a book written by a friend.  I also like movies based on true stories as well as documentaries—I often find them inspiring.

What are your preferred translation tools?

My mind and several internet browsers. I have always been able to find the answer to how to translate something with some patience and lots of online research. However, I do have a copy of an English to Italian legal dictionary. It comes in very handy when I translate legal documentation.

What are the best ways to relax and stay sane as a translator?

Variety and, like everything else in life, balance. Take breaks and time to relax. I enjoy doing things such as playing with my children, taking walks with my wife, jogging, enjoying nature or praying.

What are your top tips for translators who are just starting out?

Read as much as possible in your language pair. This will give you insight on how to interpret text that may otherwise be hard to understand.

Don’t be scared of online research. When you’re not sure about something, do some research. It’s very likely that somebody has wondered about the same thing before.

What do you do in your spare time?

I enjoy sports and have completed a few triathlons. I also love photography and traveling with my family. See photos of our family travels on our blog.

In both 2009 and 2013, we completed a mission trip to Guatemala. What a life changing experience! If you have never travelled (not as a tourist) to a developing country, I recommend it.

Geography is very popular in my household. Our oldest daughter won the Colorado Geography Bee in 2010 and in 2011. Together with a friend, I started another geography competition, the United States Geography Olympiad.

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