Joining our esteemed list of Wordsmiths is Renato, a translator in our English to Portuguese-Brazilian pair. His enthusiasm for learning English since he was young has motivated him to become a professional translator. Since he joined our translator community in 2014, his dedication to doing high-quality translation work has made him worthy of a spot in our hall of fame.

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

I was only 11 years old when I officially started learning English at school. I then moved on to studying advanced English at a school specializing in languages. I was delighted by the language right away so I devoted more time to studying it. I decided to join a conversational course and took the TOEFL, too. I graduated in 2002 and since then, I have greatly improved my reading and listening comprehension by watching movies and shows. Doing translation work also turned out to be great for me, as I gained more experience in the field. Translation is so exciting that my whole family joined Gengo too, and today they are pleased to be part of the community.

However, despite my fascination for the language, I have never had the opportunity to travel to an English-speaking country. So, I have planned a big trip in 2016. This will not only improve my English but will also contribute to my cultural growth.

What are your favorite translation tools?

I know many translators use CAT tools, but I just don’t feel comfortable using them. I really appreciate good online English dictionaries, such as Merriam-Webster, Linguee, and WordReference. For idioms, thefreedictionary helps a lot in understanding certain slang words and expressions. Another helpful tool is Google Images, which helps a lot in the translation of certain objects, tools and clothing. It’s really interesting when the customer doesn’t provide enough context, and instead only a link to the product image.

Another advantage I have when doing specialized translations is my background in biomedical science and civil engineering. After reading many articles in English about these topics while at university, my knowledge contributes to a better understanding of terminology in certain areas with specific types of translations.

What are your tips to become a Wordsmith?

Organize your schedule and dedicate a few hours a day to catching jobs, especially if your language pair is very competitive, as it is in English to Portuguese (Brazilian). I usually spend over five hours a day doing this.

Also, always ensure you produce high-quality translations, no matter how small the reward is from them. A high scorecard and dedication in quality and translation speed are keys to becoming a preferred translator for clients. This is very important because it reduces competition and makes it easier to work with regular customers.

Becoming a Pro-level translator also helps because you can receive more jobs by accessing both the Standard and Pro dashboards.

Finally, although it doesn’t affect your total number of units translated, working with the Gengo projects team is beneficial and showcases your proficiency and professionalism. This is also another way to grow in terms of vocabulary and work experience.

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