A day in the life of a translator – linguist Mayra talks to Jonckers

Mayra gives us an insight into her remote working as linguist. She works from the tropical island of La Reunion, which is a multilingual and multicultural French overseas region in the Indian Ocean. I quizzed Mayra about her work life in current Corona times:

We’re in the midst of a Corona resurgent wave. What are the restrictions currently in La Reunion?

Some of the preventive measures are the use of masks at school, downtown and in shops. Also, we are not allowed to congregate with more than 10 people.

At the moment things are not complicated for me. My son can go to school and my family is not sick.

That’s a relief, can you explain the work you do?

I work as a freelance translator. I translate from English into Spanish and from French into Spanish. I am a Sworn translator in French and Spanish. I am authorized by the Court of Appeals of my region to provide certified translations of documents to individuals and enterprises.

How has work changed since the pandemic hit? 

As the crisis and lockdown started, I lost my Spanish teaching jobs. At that time, translation was very slow, almost nonexistent, and that it is when I received my first WordsOnline assignment! I knew about this new platform that Jonckers had launched and I was willing to work on it.

What’s special about your work?

I am used to working from home and I love it. I sometimes go outside like right now from where I am answering to this interview as I am breathing the sea air (sharing some photos above).

That’s a beautiful location to work from. Thank you for sharing! How do you manage your time as a freelancer?

Generally speaking I manage my time according to my priorities. I am really enjoying this freedom. I would say organisation is the key word when it comes to managing my time!

Do you enjoy your work?

I love it because I am passionate about it. I consider myself as having the right temperament for this type of work: through my passion for words and “healthy” curiosity. My personality and lifestyle also suits remote translation work.  As I’m happy with my life, I feel that both the sun and my son get me out of bed in the morning with a smile.

Do you enjoy working with WordsOnline?

I love working in WordsOnline mainly because of the real-time environment it provides and where each party is able to check their progress. Also, in the project I took part in, I appreciated having an initial project meeting with the language leader and the other Spanish translators. I hope to work in WordsOnline again!

Do you have any advice to share with our linguists?

Two key words in the life of freelance worker: organisation and balance. 

Also, take breaks and take time to indulge yourself.

Mayra Lozadanow