Andrea Quintana is an English to Spanish translator specializing in medical and IT texts. She is based in Argentina.
Q. How did you get started in translation?
Andrea: After high school, I had difficulty finding a career I liked. I tried Physical Education, and Architecture later, but gave up both. Finally, I realized that I should go for what I'd always loved, which was languages. No doubt it was the right choice!
Q. What are the most challenging aspects of what you do?
Andrea: Moms working as freelance translators from home must have good organizational skills and a good balance between their profession and their personal life, otherwise the whole family may go nuts! Fortunately, I’ve successfully passed that stage.
Q. Describe a favorite experience with a client.
Andrea: Receiving positive feedback from my clients is very rewarding. That’s when I can actually perceive the usefulness of my work, as I’m helping things happen by bridging communication gaps.
Q. What do you like best about where you are in your career now?
Andrea: After 24 years of experience, I’m happy to work at what I love, make a living from it, choose my terms and conditions, help others, and learn a lot.
Q. In what way have you been successful?
Andrea: Working from home in this profession has allowed me to raise and be available for my children whenever they needed me.
Q. What has been the secret to your success?
Andrea: Doing what I like, being well organized, saying "No" when necessary, being professional, respecting my clients and demanding their respect in return.
Q. What advice would you give to someone just starting out?
Andrea: I’d advise them to be professional, consistent, study, improve, and invest in their profession. All that will certainly pay off.
Q. How has ProZ.com helped you meet your business objectives?
Andrea: ProZ.com has been vital in the creation and maintenance of a steady client portfolio for me. I’ve met – or rather "e-met" – many of my clients through ProZ.com.
Q. What are your predictions for the future of the industry?
Andrea: A short time ago, someone pointed out how good machine translation had become. I hadn’t thought of it, but it’s true. That scares me a bit. Will we be needed in the future? I don’t know, but I hope we are!
Q. What is next for you in your career?
Andrea: I’ve worked on my own for a long time now, and have enjoyed it, but I’d like to take a more "social" approach to my activity, so I’m thinking of turning to interpreting, teaching Spanish to foreigners, or something related. I’m still deciding.
