Standing Up For Human Translation

15 years ago, I started a small business providing translation and business English training services called VB Servicios Lingüísticos, a network of professionals specialized in different communication activities.

 

This project had a good impact back then. However, the market went through a metamorphosis over the years — and so did the world and the country’s financial situation—, leading to a budget cut among corporations. As a result, I was compelled to let my collaborators go and stay on my own with very few clients to serve.

 

About a year and a half ago, I finally admitted that VB Servicios Lingüísticos had ended and I should reinvent my business, broaden my horizons. In other words, move it or lose it.

 

And so, in the middle of chaos and uncertainty I started developing a new project.

 

When I was young(er), I used to complain about my body weight. Tired of my nonsense, a close friend of mine said to me once, “Yes, you’re a whale, but you’re a beluga!” I fell head over heels. Whales are my favorite animal, but I specially love belugas. I took the nickname and started using it all over the map. Over time, it took a twist and became just “belus”.

 

At that point, searching for a new professional image and approach, my old nickname popped up as the best choice. Ultimately, it was my own project as a freelancer and I liked the idea of using my beloved alias better than my given name: Verónica Bustos.

 

Belus is now my brand, my professional website as an English translator and trainer, as well as a language project manager. My most loyal and qualified team members support me in bigger projects: Verónica Hermida, an experienced certified legal translator and one of the best translators I have ever met; Oscar García, a trilingual interpreter, translator and blogger, and a delightful working partner; and Diana Mendoza, a psychologist and English teacher who has been my partner in crime in several training projects for many years. Other great colleagues support me as well, but these three are my rock. Not only are we connected by the passion for our job, but also by an honest friendship and admiration.

 

Along this quest, I also needed to reflect on the values that would define my new project. I concluded that the same values guiding VB Servicios Lingüísticos should remain; honesty, professionalism, on-time delivery, personalized attention, and quality product and service.

 

Through this renovation process, I noticed that CAT tools have changed the way translators work and consequently the delivery of the service (not to mention the translation fees).

 

Although I have nothing against the use of technological tools in order to streamline the management of massive scale projects and reduce delivery times, I do believe translation should never miss its anthropological and humanistic nature. I consider that the human involvement, not only with the text but also with the customer, is a key aspect within this process.

 

Translating is communicating; we are human beings communicating with each other. The translation process begins with a clear understanding of the clients’ needs and the message they want to share with others. After all, we don’t translate only words. It became crucial for me to emphasize such important value in my new brand.

 

I believe in communication, I believe in human contact, and I believe the translator, the customer, and even the author of the text nurture each other growing together as individuals. A service based on promptness and computer-assisted translation will hardly complete this cycle. I am convinced that translation requires of the human spirit and creativity.

 

On the other hand, social media and world freelancing platforms and websites have changed the way self-employed professionals move. We no longer need to resign ourselves to work locally and translation has become omnipresent facing this globalization. Translation is easily delivered online, which enables to work with customers worldwide. The whole world is our market today, and I am ready to make the most of it. Reaching and attracting clients from abroad is a new challenge for me that I am willing to face.

 

I am betting on a translation service with a human sense addressed to a global market that identifies with these needs, which go beyond the urgency of an automated work and the trivial consumption of a product.

 

So, here I am.

 

Proudly and lovingly, I give you belus human translation.