Michelle Asselin

Question and Answer

• What is your name?
  • Michelle Asselin
• Where do you live?
  • Verdun
• What made you decide to become a translator or interpreter?
  • In my first career I was often asked to translate texts. I decided it would be better to work on my own, since I could then be selective about clients and texts.
• List one strength that you think sets you apart from your colleagues.
  • Inquisitive mind, eager to learn something new every day.
• Name the one thing that you most enjoy in your translating or interpreting career.
  • The things I learn through research.
• We all have worked on those not-so-perfect assignments. Write about one such assignment that was not ideal and what you learned from it.
  • In the early days of voice recognition software I received a text dictated but neither proofread nor edited. I had to read it loud several times with a fake accent to figure out what it said. I should have refused to translate that garbage.
• If you could go back in time to when you were just starting out as a translator or interpreter, what advice would you give to your younger self?
  • Get the best education, the best tools you can. Discuss and network with experienced colleagues. Learn from other pros.
• Name one resource – such as a phone app, CAT tool, website, and so forth – that you find especially helpful in your translating or interpreting work.
  • DejaVu. I have been using it for close some 20 years.
• What's the best book you've read this year?
  • The three books written by J.K. Rowlings under the Robert Galbraith name. I tend to read light stories to rest my mind.