Trailblazers

It's All In The Translation
Renée v. Paschen

Nationality: Canadian & Austrian (dual citizenship)
Countries lived in: Canada & Austria (also short-term in USA)
Languages spoken: English, German, French, Italian
Qualifications:
1980 - 81 University of Music & Performing Art/Vienna (violin)
1981 - 85 University of Vienna / Austria (theater & languages)
Numerous seminars and international conferences for translators

Profile by Rebecca Ponton

Career Path:

First full-time job as translator with the Egyptian Embassy in Vienna in 1984. Worked for an import/export company from 1985 - 86 translating in Austria and former Czechoslovakia. Handled English editing for the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency office in Vienna from 1986 - 87. Major accomplishment of 1998 - birth of daughter Tamara Alexandra! From 1992 - 95 did translation work for the University of Agriculture & Forestry in Vienna and helped establish its Center for International Relations. Became self-employed in 1996. Now runs her own translation office, Art Translation, in Vienna.

In order to fulfill their dream of seeing Renée study classical music, her parents took her to Vienna at the age of 17. However, Renée soon switched to studying theater and languages because she says, "That was my own great interest."

Later, Renée says translating came naturally through her love of languages. She has found the most rewarding aspect of literary translation is "seeing a beautiful piece of literature in print in a new language and knowing it can now bring joy to new readers for years and years. It is also a great honor and challenge to translate famous authors, each of whom has his/her own unique voice and style."

To others seeking a career as a translator, Renée offers valuable advice: "Live abroad in the country of the language you are studying; learning a foreign language thoroughly is only possible that way. Keep in close touch with your native language; read voraciously in both languages. You can't learn the "Art of Translation" at university alone. You will need a great deal of translation experience to become proficient. If you are not a "natural" writer and don't enjoy writing in your native language, you are not prone to become a literary translator, which requires both the gifts of a writer and those of a translator."

Renée made the bold step of becoming self-employed in 1996. She has discovered that having her own translation office has made her independent and she can choose the work she does. The flip-side is running after clients who do not pay punctually, tedious technical or scientific papers with insufficient time allotted for the project, and cultural budget cuts in Austria. Two of Renée's pet peeves include, "People who do not realize that a book cannot be translated overnight, and those who think that anyone who speaks another language can also do a good translation."

Renée dreams of further fulfilling projects in arts and culture, business and science. She also aspires to have clients who value top-notch quality, and budgets that allow for translations! The voice of experience, Renée says, "There are thousands of bilingual websites out there with English translations that are an embarrassment. Please have your websites translated or edited by competent professionals. It's a matter of your own reputation!"

Art Translation Services (http://members.aol.com/rvpaschen/myhomepage)

Rebecca Ponton is an American freelance writer who has lived abroad since 1992. She currently lives in the United Arab Emirates and can be reached at rebeccaponton@aol.com.