How did you end up working with us?
Well, you could say, it all started with the Northridge earthquake in January 1994. At the time, I was freelancing for various translation companies. A project manager at one of these companies was so shook up by the earthquake that she moved to the Midwest and started working for SH3. So, I started freelancing for SH3, as well. As my work volume increased over time, SH3 wanted to make sure that I was available exclusively, so I became a telecommuting full-time employee in 1997.
What do you do?
I am the Lead German Linguist. Apart from translating for many of our clients, I am the main linguistic contact for in-house staff and freelance vendors. I communicate guidelines on termbases, style guides, client preferences, etc. to our German translators. Almost on a daily basis, I respond to and coordinate term queries, and maintain our German termbases. In addition, I am responsible for quality management (using various tools to achieve high-level consistency at low cost), client support (mostly troubleshooting field review issues) and I serve as our German liaison to local, national, and international professional associations (where I also scout for new vendor talent).
What do you like most about working here?
Argos/SH3 is big enough to take on extensive projects for large clients, yet, we are small enough to pay close attention to our clients’ specific needs, so we can deliver high-quality translations. As a linguist, I appreciate that both quality and quantity matter for our operations, and that we always try to go the extra mile for our clients. Plus, being a telecommuter makes balancing work life and family life a lot easier, but don’t be surprised if you get e-mail from me at almost all hours of the day.
What is your most memorable moment working here?
Being the lone outpost on the West Coast, I always appreciate meeting our leadership and team members in person, most recently at our holiday dinner. Meeting Kevin in Sausalito and Cathy and Pat for my initial interview will always remain memorable moments for me.
What is your favorite word or phrase in any given language?
I suppose, Germans have a reputation for being hard-working folks, but also for enjoying weeks and weeks of vacation as well as Oktoberfest and other celebrations. So, it should come as no surprise that we have a special word for the end of the work day: Feierabend. When it’s time to drop the tool or the pen, you may hear people say: Machen wir Feierabend für heute! (Let's call it a day!) or Schönen Feierabend! (Have a nice evening!). But there is more to this word. It is a compound word consisting of “feiern” (celebrate) and Abend (evening), so apparently every workday culminates in a reason to celebrate.
