About me

Raised speaking both Portuguese and German, I am passionate about languages and have made them my life’s work after having studied translation and interpreting.

Master’s studies in Specialised Intercultural Communication (Interpreting and Translation) at Humboldt University of Berlin

Member of the Federal Association of Interpreters and Translators (BDÜ) and of the Portuguese Association of Interpreters and Translators (APTRAD)

Licensed Portuguese and Spanish translator for the courts and notaries of Berlin

Working languages: Portuguese, Spanish, English and German

More than 15 years professional experience

State examiner for translators

Origins

It was my passion for languages and cultures that moved me to take up these two wonderful professions – translation and interpreting.

This passion is rooted in my bilingual childhood in Portugal.

I felt the desire to work with languages from an early age. I can trace this desire back to a very specific experience I had during my early teenage years. Acting on an impulse, I started interpreting a television programme and immediately felt the unique thrill one gets from interpreting. I also translated all of the lyrics from my favourite songs and interviews with my pop idols. I filled entire notebooks with them.

Studies

After completing my A-levels, I began a master’s degree programme at the University of Bielefeld with a combination of Spanish and Latin American Studies, American Studies and Business Administration.

But I quickly realised that I wanted to apply language and work with it in a more practical way. So I transferred to Humboldt University in Berlin and began master’s studies in Specialised Intercultural Communication (Interpreting and Translation) for Spanish and Portuguese, with French as a third language, plus English, law and business as supplementary subjects.

I began working as a freelance translator and interpreter and completed two internships, one of which was in Barcelona, before I finished my studies.

Excursion into the pharmaceutical industry

After my studies, one of the companies I did an internship with – Bayer Schering Pharma – took me in the direction of the pharmaceutical industry for five years. There I acquired important skills in one of my specialisations and gained valuable experience working in a large multinational corporation.

Throughout that time, I remained available to my customers and continued to work as a freelance translator and interpreter on the side. But I was looking for more…

Freelancing

In late 2012, I gave up my secure job to become a full-time freelancer. This was the best decision I ever made because it has allowed me to do what I love – all day long.

My favourite parts of my job are staying in touch with customers, working with different languages, cultures and subject areas, and the great freedom that freelancing offers me.

I would love to share this happiness with you, as well as the joy I get from these two wonderful professions, by giving your words another language.