Her name is Gemma, and she is the visible face of Okodia Translation Services. Although she has only been working for the translation company for a couple of months, she is shaping up to be its “brand ambassador”. She has always been clear about her desire to work in the world of professional translation and works hard every day to fulfil her dream.
– What do you like most about your daily work here?
My favourite part is working somewhere between Sales and Marketing: human contact and data management are the perfect combination.
– Why are you interested in the world of translation?
Since I was a child, I have always been extremely interested in English as a foreign language and Spanish as my own; they have always been my favourite languages. In the end I decided to study Translation because it involves the connection between the two, and also between other combinations that I can keep learning.
– How would you describe the world of translation?
I believe that the world of translation is one of the most human there is. In my experience, I have met translators who are always willing to help the agencies and customers and also each other. It is a field in which the competitive approach tends to be conspicuous by its absence and from which we can always learn. After all, a translator knows about different and very broad topics and is the link we need to share everything we know.
– What do you think the work of a brand ambassador should involve?
I believe that we must try to understand the brand, what we offer, to convey a real and approachable image of what we are, who we are.
– Some people say that the world of translation is very complicated. After all your years working at Okodia, do you think that’s right? Why?
I think it’s worth it, and I really don’t mind the complications that translation can bring. There are some complicated situations, of course there are, but I think complications exist in any profession and at Okodia we help each other and support each other to make things as easy as possible.
– What advice would you give companies thinking about whether they should translate their content?
I would tell them to do it without hesitation. Translation opens the door to foreign markets, since anyone who needs their services will be able to communicate with the confidence of having understood what is being offered in their own language.
– What is the most important thing you have done in your life?
The most important thing I have ever done is to leave a stable job to jump into this world and madly look for an opportunity to show that I want to work in this area and will give my all.
– What are your greatest achievements?
I am not sure that I have any remarkable achievements yet, apart from being able to change profession to translation in the middle of a pandemic. I believe that being determined and patient in these types of situations could be considered an achievement.
– What are you like as a person? What are your best qualities? And the worst?
I think of myself as a very organised and determined person. I always like to get where I want to go and achieve my goals in an independent manner. As a negative, I would say that I am picky and fussy. I have lots of neuroses in general.
– What are your favourite hobbies? What do you do in your spare time?
I most like spending my free time watching TV series and going out with my friends. I love my dogs and I like animals in general.
– A country where you would like to live.
The truth is that the United Kingdom has always been one of my favourite destinations, but lately Portugal seems quite appealing.
– Is there a language that particularly catches your attention? Why?
Romanian attracts me because it belongs to the group of Romance languages and is quite like Spanish. For all the opposite reasons, I would also like to learn Basque.
– Have you ever set yourself a goal or objective but failed to achieve it? When and what happened?
Of course! This pandemic year has not been easy for me in terms of finding work and I have faced a few setbacks. However, every cloud has a silver lining and although at first it can be a bit depressing, you must keep going and searching until you find the job for you, or it finds you.
– How and where do you see yourself professionally in 10 years’ time?
I hope I will have found my dream job and will have been gradually progressing professionally, with a lot of work, effort and merit.
