Languages have always been an important part of my family, because my parents (my late mother and father) spoke three languages, Indonesian, Dutch and English fluently. At an early age I was introduced to a second language, English, and continued to sharpen my language skills with the help of my mother, who at that time taught English. I continued to sharpen my language skills, taking both local TOEFL test (score 550) as well as the Certificate for proficiency in English from the University of Michigan (also offered locally) Since I was more interested in science, technology and business, I continued to study chemistry at Insdtitut Teknologi Bandung and after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree, I embarked on a career in research and development and business management at several prominent multinational companies. My career in the business world provided exposure to a multi cultural environment, and provided opportunities to sharpen my language skills, particularly English, even more, because English was the official language used for communicating, it was like total immersion for eight to ten hours a day, five days a week, for more than a decade. I had to think, communicate, write (proposals, briefs, financial reports, new product launches, trouble-shooting/problem solving) even argue in English and act as interpreter for my expatriate bosses during meetings, market visits and field trips, and through all this I acquired proficiency in English, which is why I choose translation as my business.
After establishing my business as freelance translator, proofreader and editor (English <> Indonesian), I worked on several projects, translating a website, company profiles/reports, business proposals and reports for non government organizations, market research and surveys)
For the last ten years I have been involved in an ongoing project translating media reports and press releases from Indonesian to English and vice versa on various topics, among others, consumer goods, automotive products, lifestyle, community development, environmental issues, financial issues, tourism, hospitality, and travel. This is a routine project, from Monday to Saturday, with a turnover of around 20,000 words per month. I work with both international and local clients. Since 2015 I also provide translation services for international organizations working with the Government of Indonesia on projects financed by international grants for the improvement of welfare, community empowerment and development, including marginalized groups, gender equality strengthening local governments, particularly in rural areas, and environmental issues. I offer high quality, accurate translations, as well as local insight, customized and tailored to the client’s and the target audience's needs. To ensure consistent quality I conduct in-depth research on current terminology and language style, and I perform rigorous QA before sending the final documents to the client. Recently, I acquired accreditation as English to Indonesian translator from the Association of Indonesian Translators (Himpunan Penerjemah Indonesia/HPI) and I am a member of Proz CPN (English to Indonesian).