The Translator

I have a Master of Arts degree from the School of Translation Studies at the University of Turku, Finland (graduated in 1990). I majored in German translation and interpretation, with English and Swedish as minors. The subject of my master’s thesis was “Translation of technical texts – problems related to subject matter expertise from the translator’s point of view”. I supplemented my Finnish degree at the University of Hamburg, Germany, where I spent 1986 studying the German language and literature, and translation from German into English.

Since autumn 2005, I have taken courses at the Turku School of Economics and Business Administration’s Open University. These include studies in marketing, accounting and finance, economics, management and organisation, economic geography (corporate social responsibility), logistics, business law, economic sociology and futures research.

Before starting out as an entrepreneur, I worked for 10 years as an in-house translator for a medium-sized translation agency, Traduct Oy, located in Turku, Finland. As my employer specialised in corporate communications, I gained a great deal of experience in translating publications and other internal and external communications materials of companies in various sectors. In addition, I participated in major translation projects of the European Commission.

Apart from my 15 years' experience as a translator, I have also worked in other areas. These include various positions as an assistant and clerk in business and administration as well as in customer service within banking and the marine, power and automation industries, among others. During my stay in Hamburg, in addition to studying at the university, I worked as a secretary and translator for a marine industry company.

My interests include the study of French and Italian as well as the culture and gastronomy of France and Italy. I am a long-standing member of local Finnish–French Society. I also enjoy art history and philosophy, and I like to keep mentally and physically fit through yoga.