Hi there! I am Antonia and I am from Greece. I am newbier than newbie, as this is the first time I will be attending the ITI Conference and I am also new in the profession. As opposed to, I guess, most of you, translation was not what I had always wanted to do. In fact, it had never crossed my mind. But, while studying Finance and Banking, I realised that translation was something that fascinated me. So, as soon as I finished my finance studies, I decided to take professional translation courses while at the same time I started working as an external auditor at one of the big four, in order to explore the field I had studied as well as make a living. In my job I was assigned with translations from time to time, given my interest and my studies, and after four and a half years of working as an auditor and holding by then the Diploma in Translation by CIoL (English into Greek), I expressed to the firm my desire to pursue a career as a translator. That was the official beginning of my journey in translation!

I have been working as a translator since 2012. I obviously specialise in financial translation and I am also involved in the preparation of the firm’s press releases, presentations etc., but now and then I also get to explore different fields and terminologies depending on the client’s industry and that is one of the things I really love about my job.

I like the fact have worked in the field I translate before becoming a translator, as I usually have a good grasp of what I translate and I can also benefit from the specialised knowledge of my colleagues. I also feel lucky to be working at a respected multinational corporation which gives me access to important clients, increases the impact of my work and gives me the opportunity to take part in the creation of the Greek financial jargon and language of the market, which is also a great responsibility.

However, now and then I get a bit lonely workwise, as I am a “one-woman department” and this is why I was thrilled to find out about the ITI Conference. Apart from my work, I love music, cooking, travelling and Greek folk dancing. For the conference I will be travelling from Athens, where I have lived my whole life, and I will also be attending the TweetUp on Thursday. I look forward to meeting you all!

Best regards,

Antonia.