4 September 2013
Taking translation to the next level
By Rafa Lombardino
Working with legal translations is a challenging endeavor. Attorneys demand accuracy and tremendous attention to detail in translations in order to help them build their cases. With that in mind, Gabriela Vasallo decided to expand her skill set and build a solid foundation by enrolling in the UC San Diego Extension Translation & Interpretation (Spanish/English) certificate program so she could meet the specific needs of her clients in the legal field.
To the layperson, Gabriela was already qualified simply by being fluent in Spanish and English. She had been speaking both languages for most of her life, attending a bilingual school from grades K-12, and graduating with honors with a Bachelor's Degree in English Communication. But the Guatemalan native wanted to take both her career and her business to the next step, so she enrolled in the translation and interpretation program to receive formal training as a translator.
“I worked in advertising and public relations for many years, and I was constantly writing in both English and Spanish. But translating is different, and most of my clients want to have the peace of mind that they're hiring a certified translator,” she explains. “It's very important for law firms to feel confident that their translators are truly professionals.”
Gabriela notes the translation and interpretation program as both challenging and fun. What she liked the most about it was that instructors were very dedicated and had a lot of knowledge to share. “Each class offered many interesting examples and assignments, a wealth of information,” she recalls. “After taking these classes, I can definitely say that I noticed a difference. The program took my translations to the next level.”
She has taken great advantage of the tips on online resources and techniques taught in class, which she now applies to her daily translation projects at Lexico, the boutique translation and communications agency she founded to serve Fortune 500 companies, as well as small businesses and individuals.
“When I first started the program, I thought it was going to be easy, but it covered a much wider scope than I had expected.” She was especially pleased with the variety of specialized courses, including medical and legal translations. “Personally, I felt a lot more confident marketing my company and our services to a wider variety of clients after completing my certificate at UC San Diego Extension.”
To learn more about the UC San Diego Extension program, please attend one of the quarterly, onsite information sessions, or to take a look at the certificate page for details about the program, course descriptions and more.
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