My name is Janos Vajda and I started out as a freelancer at the beginning of the 1990s by translating novels from English into Hungarian. Later I moved towards technical fields and supplied translation services for clients all around the world. I hold an M.A. degree and I am experienced in managing multi-partner international projects. Freelance translation work - During my twenty years in this field I have worked for numerous clients mainly in the following fields: medicine, technical (machinery), literature, life sciences, automotive & transport, office equipment/machinery, science, government, eLearning & multimedia, internet & e-commerce, texts related to the European Union, especially research and development.

Linguistic Specialist (Hungarian) - In this capacity, I managed the translation process of the technical literature of the world's largest medical technology company from English into Hungarian including the assignment of translation projects, review of the translated materials, managing the proofreading procedure etc.

Project Manager - I have been responsible for the administrative management of a number international projects funded by the European Union. I Initiated in the organisation of the Translation Centre of the University of Debrecen, Hungary that provided translation services to the European Commission following the favourable evaluation of a tender submitted in response to a competitive call for tenders

These are the qualities I find indispensable for a translator: Linguistic skills - needless to say, this is the most important quality you need to possess as a translator. And it is not just about being able to understand the source text but also being able to provide an exact transfer of information in the target language, including preservation of the style.

Specialization in a subject - it is important that you are an expert in the fields you work in. There are texts that you just cannot translate by looking up words in a dictionary. You need to have a thorough understanding of the subject you work with.

Attention to detail - the value of an otherwise good translation is quickly ruined by a typo. A numerical error can be a deal-breaker. Terminological inconsistencies can make a translated document difficult to understand. You need to be prepared to commit time and effort to make sure the information is the same both in the source and target documents.

Commitment - meeting deadlines is just as important as providing quality. If you have agreed to a due date, you must comply with it.

Computer literacy - in addition to the normal office software, you are supposed to be familiar with translation memory tools, quality assurance tools, etc.

For further information, check out my website: Hungarian Translation Service