Music became Nami’s bridge for learning English at an early age. Her love of music first sparked her interest in learning the language and, eventually, this motivated her to become a translation professional. One of our French to English Wordsmiths, she advises translators to make the most of Gengo’s advantages and always be open to try translating in new fields.

What languages do you speak and what are your experiences with learning them?

I speak French and English. I spontaneously learned English since I was very young, mostly from listening to English songs every day, as well as children’s songs, traditional songs and popular songs. Because of this, I was able to understand English without difficulty when I became an adult, even though I have never lived in an English-speaking country. Later on, I started to learn English seriously when I decided to become a translator. I studied grammar books in the library and read books by English authors.

I’ve been living in France for 15 years and majored in literature at university. Reading both the original and translated versions of books was also helpful in improving my translation skills. It’s exciting to discover creativity in translated versions of text. They prove that there are some words or phrases that can’t be translated by machine alone.

What are your favorite translation tools?

I use SDL Trados Studio. I bought it when I started regularly doing translation work and it has been a good investment.

What are your tips to become a Wordsmith?

I was surprised to know that I have translated more than 500,000 words! I believe I have achieved it thanks to the Gengo project managers who have offered me the opportunity to join some big projects. Also, I often accept and undertake projects that other translators have rejected. Some texts seem unknown and difficult, but generally, they really aren’t. This is one of the advantages of joining Gengo, where translators can experience translating various kinds of content from several fields. So don’t hesitate to try new things.

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