Her name is Laura and she has been working for Okodia Translation Services for more than three and a half years. She took an English Studies degree and later obtained a Master’s Degree in Translation and Intercultural Mediation from the University of Salamanca. She currently works in the Sales and New Customers department at the translation agency. As she explains, her work involves dealing with new customers who don’t know about Okodia’s services and who need, or whose company needs, to arrange for some translation or interpretation work. “My department is the first point of contact and we try to advise and inform them about the different services that Okodia offers,” she adds. It’s time to get to know Laura a little better.
– What do you like most about your work here?
My working day at Okodia is very dynamic and varied. You never know what your day is going to bring, who you are going to talk to or what new translation project we are going to start. Moreover, within the sales department we carry out different tasks, from contacting new customers and following up requests to preparing marketing campaigns and searching for new business opportunities. We never get bored!
– How would you describe the world of translation?
Essential. We sometimes think that translation has nothing to do with us but it affects us more than we think: in the TV series that we see translated and dubbed into our language, when we buy online from the websites of international brands, in the instructions for using a new appliance or in the insert for a medicine that we need to take. It might not seem it, but translation agencies are part of all this.
– With Covid, teleworking has become much more common in other sectors, but at Okodia people have been teleworking from the beginning. What has the chance to work from home meant for you?
At first, it took me a while to get my brain around the change from working in an office to teleworking. I had always studied in a classroom and my first work experiences were also in offices. Change is always a challenge, that’s just how it is. I usually adapt quickly and it is easy to develop a taste for teleworking. I don’t need to get up so early, the time saved by not having to travel is evident.
– What is the most important thing you have done in your life?
What a difficult question! I would say that I still have a lot to do and I have no idea how to choose a single important thing. Among the most important decisions I have ever made is to live abroad for a while. I would recommend it to anyone as it helps you grow, become less fearful, face the dreaded language and see things from different perspectives.
– What are your greatest achievements?
I would say that I am very happy to be completely independent. At this time, although it sounds harsh, things are very difficult for young people: finding a job that we enjoy and where people appreciate us, becoming independent, having the chance to keep training and being able to live without needing financial support from our parents.
– What are your favourite hobbies?
I love travelling! I’d say it’s my favourite hobby. Whenever I can I try to get away and I really enjoy planning trips. Travelling is difficult this year so I have started enjoying cooking and, although I say it myself, I think I’m doing well!
– A country where you would like to live.
Only one? All the countries that I know offer you something different and I couldn’t pick any one in particular. My list includes Holland, Ireland and Germany. Even so, I dare to say that I would always return to Spain. Life is good here, it’s not the same anywhere else!
– Have you ever set yourself a goal or objective but failed to achieve it?
I was 15 or 16 years old when I realised that I wanted to be a translator, or at least be involved in this world. When I finished High School, I took the entry exam to study Translation and Interpreting at the University of Salamanca but it didn’t work out. That was not the end of my dream, so I continued studying languages and a few years later I managed to obtain the Master’s degree in translation from the same university. Mission accomplished!
