Monika Wiklik (translator)

(5)

monikatranslates
Poland-born certified translator living in Chicago

My name is Monika. I was born in Kraków, Poland. When I was 15, I moved ot Chicago, USA. I've been speaking English since I turned 5, so I thought the transition would be easy. It was on a basic level, but in order to understand the language better, I asked my new friends about meanings of words and expressions. It is fascinating how much better I understood the language by talking to people. I made sure that I keep in touch with friends and family in Poland, which helps me retain my Polish language abilities. I can stay on top all the new trendy words and slang both in Poland and United States. I think this helps me be relevant in my translations.

I have been working as a translator and interpreter for about ten years. I have translated books, documents and pamphlets. I interpreted in business and medical settings as well as schools. It is great to be the one making sure both sides of the conversation understand each other as well as possible. Interpreting children's therapy has been especially rewarding.

Being a translator does not mean I don't pursue other interests. I am globally certified as a translator, HiPPA certified interptreter, but  I also have a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Loyola University in Chicago. Going to a major university opened my eyes to many topics I was only a little bit interested in before. With every bit of knowledge I gained, my thrist for more grew on and on. I discovered that knowing two languages means I have access to a lot more information and resources that many people. Some books or news pages are only in one language and some information is only available there and nowhere else. I definitely used multiple language resources with my studies and with translating. Having more knowledge helped me be more passionate about not just work, science, but also history, world cultures and religions. All this put together helps me get a bigger picture of tasks at hand and comes in handy when I try to understand and transalate something new.

I do have a website where I advertise my services, but I like to be affiliated with other companies as well. I never claim to be absolutely perfect, though I strive for it. Affiliations are great, because I can always check my work with potential Beta reader. There is no shame in this, it is a tool to be the best I can be and grow professionally. I am also in process of developing a language learning program for both Polish and English, which will include short videos on youtube.

Finally, I read daily. This might seem like a silly thing to write, but I think it is very important. I read both in Polish and English, which helps me see how certain writing is translated. It helps with period translations, because of the time words. Apart from travel and communication, reading also helps me stay on top of trends and popular words. That is extremely important in order to stay relevant.

I hope that my abilities are satisfactory and we will work well together  .

 

Monika Wiklik

Native language: Polish
Translates from: English, Polish
Translates into: English, Polish


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