Roxana had no idea that she will become a full-time freelance translator, at least not during her university studies.
At the same time, she never dreamed about living in New York, during the time she spent studying economics in Bucharest. A young Roxana was so into taking on a completely different path in life that she wrote her dissertation paper on the topic of psychology. All while being an Economics student. How do you end up a freelance translator after studying money and finances? There’s more to this story than you think!
Roxana is now a little over 39 years of age, her words. A native of Bucharest, she made a pit stop in Greece before settling down in The Big Apple, probably the most unique and popular city on the planet. After spending half of her life mixing words and numbers, the humanities and the mathematics, logic and creativity, she decided to combine them into the ultimate profession: she became a translator.
She is the mother of two gorgeous dogs now, living with her husband in Queens, one of the most sought-after boroughs in the city that never sleeps.
Freelance translations for pocket money
Her love towards foreign languages determined Roxana to start a career in the field. As well as her affinity towards extra money. During college, she decided to up her income by working on translations coming from small and medium clients. Her passion for English was embedded in her soul by a “great” professor, as she puts it. Back then, kids used to learn foreign languages in school, not on YouTube.
“I first translated during uni, first as a source of extra income while attending classes. My schedule was hectic, as some courses were early in the morning, some during the afternoon, and so on. This made it difficult to get a 9-5 job at the time. At the same time, at that age, you don’t really want to go and ask for money from your parents. This was back in 2002-2003. In 2004 I also took the official exams from the ministries of Culture and Justice, and then I became a certified translator.”
Hired by an “occult” publishing house
Roxana’s adventures in the industry began with her applying to random translation jobs online. That’s where she found her first serious clients after the next-door business type. She started translating resumes and then moved on to articles and books. Translations turned into a way of making money and an obsession for her. Roxana was so into translations, she began translating Wikipedia articles as a way to improve and pass the time.
“It turned into a little bit of an obsession. I first did Wikipedia articles, simply because I was loving it, which was great because I upped my speed and enriched my vocabulary. Of course, there were also setbacks. The publishing house was printing religious books with somewhat of an occult theme.
I was able to work on some books but apparently, my style was not the right fit for them. This is even now, decades later, one of the topics for which I’m not taking in any work. Some other industries I try to stay away from are subtitles and video games. I love playing on my computer, or on the PlayStation but I simply don’t do gaming translations.”
Sunshine and #beachlife in Greece
And then the ancient ruins revealed… an American!
Usually, these interviews require a bit of revision in order to get them on a enjoyable, pleasant narrative flow. To make a story out of them. Thanks to the way Roxana talked about this particular part of her life in Greece, this piece needs barely any editorial intervention.
“As soon as I was out of college, I became the office manager of a small investment firm in the real estate business. The communication with them was in English so that’s when I really started to speak the language fluently… and never stopped! In the meantime, I discovered my hidden passion for Greece and the language of the lands.
I started to take Greek lessons with a teacher. A few years later, I left my job to work at the Bank of Cyprus, the Romanian branch. After a few more years, my passion and bonds with Greece expanded, so I just requested a transfer to the Greek headquarters of the bank. Turns out I was so convincing, they let me go! While in Greece, I took an intensive language course at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and it got me a Greek language certificate.
From time to time I’m doing Greek to Romanian and Greek to English translations, just to keep my know-how in line. While in Greece I started to work more and more in the industry. At a certain point, I was making more money from translations than from my job at the bank so… I decided to go for it and become a full-time translator. That’s when I also started working with Swiss Solutions. Now that I think about it, it’s been 15 years!”
An American among the Greek columns…
The time spent in Greece was probably the best time of her life, Roxana confesses. The linguist loves everything about the culture and the locals, the perfect weather, the many islands, one more interesting than the other, as well as the places where the old meets the new, with ancient columns mingling with shiny specialty coffee shops. The feeling of being on top of the Acropolis during a concert is out of this world, she keeps teasing us.
“As translations grew on me and made more of an impact on my life, I also met my future husband, who’s American. Honestly, I would’ve never thought of moving so far away from home. It’s one thing to board a plane and be home in an hour and a half, and a completely different monster to cross the Atlantic and be on planes and in airports for a whole 24 hours. I guess I’ve always been an impulsive person and so I decided to follow my instincts. And moved to another country. To another continent!”
First days in the Big Apple
A day in the life of a Romanian New Yorker
Work and then more work. That’s what a day in the life of a Romanian freelance translator who lives in New York looks like. In order to financially make it in this city, nothing comes easy or cheap. Yet with a bit of perseverance and a clear purpose, people like Roxana can make it even there. She gets up with the chickens, at 6 or 7 in the morning, and dedicates the first hour of the day to her dogs.
“Then I grab my coffee and start with the emails. I work with agencies from Europe, China and the United States. I even worked with people from Bolivia, or South Africa, so my email needs at least an hour per day, usually. After this part of the day ends, it’s time to do my revisions before delivering my work. After delivery, I’m all in for new projects. Luckily, I can never say I’m out of work, which is why deadlines are so crucial to me. Any small issue can ruin the rest of my day, so I try to be as on-point as possible. I ask the same from the people with whom I work. Especially those who own me money… “
The Browns casually strolling around in Central Park
Roxana’s day ends when it may end. She’s got no fixed schedule, just like any freelancer. It might be at 6 PM or 11 PM. Sometimes it ends at lunch on a Friday, her “relaxation” day, simply because there’s no delivery to be sent out the next day. On Fridays, Roxana runs away from her laptop, as quickly and as far away as possible.
What are some of the better and then some of the not-so-good things about living in New York? One of the clear positives is the astonishing number of specialty restaurants you can find in the city, Roxana hungrily notes.
This expressive shot needs no further explanation
“I love Mexican food, as well as seafood. It is also interesting to test foods from the Himalayas, Bangladesh, Africa and so on. A bouquet of flavors and aromas, which usually turn into a muffin-top! The other thing I love about the city is Broadway. Musicals are a huge passion of mine and there’s no better place for them than New York City.
My husband works in the theatre industry and all of our buddies are actors, directors or musicians, so our conversations are about what’s new, which play is great and which one is just meh. Among the not-so-good things about living here, I’d say the costs. New York is one of the most expensive cities on the planet.”
Travel, dogs, and paint-by-numbers
“What’s that, free time?!” Roxana giggles as we ask her about her hobbies and what she likes to do besides smashing dictionaries into a wall. Travel is one of her dearest passions, and it suits her well as she flew halfway around the globe just to find her place. She’s made a deal with herself to go to Europe once every summer.
Sophie and Sparky sunbathing on a quiet afternoon
“I got my driver’s license this year because it’s never too late, and so I have much more freedom now. There are plenty of incredible spots right around New York. The car makes it easier for us and the two “kids” to go and visit them than a train would, for example. Besides travel, I love to play ping-pong and video games, go to the movies or the theatre, see a stand-up comedy show and visit new restaurants. And I love the beach. These beaches here are no Greek beaches but honestly, the ocean is still great on a hot summer day. A more recent passion of mine is paint-by-numbers kits. I am no Van Gogh but no disaster either!”
Some final questions…
You can’t let Roxana go back to her never-ending email list without asking her about Romania and her career choices. Is she ever coming back to Romania?
“I’m only ever going to come back to visit. I don’t plan on ever returning for good.”
What would you do if you weren’t working in the translation business?
“I’d most likely work for an animal rights organization. This is my favorite cause and I try to do my part as much as I can. I was also a foster at some point. I was able to do it for about 5 minutes, and then I decided to adopt the dog. It happened twice already!
Thankfully my apartment has a two pets’ only policy, otherwise… ”
