Behind the screen: Julia Harwardt

In this issue: Julia Harwardt, Senior Editor and Translator

 

• What are the most difficult words to translate?

Hm, I can think of a few examples of things that I puzzle over every time they come up. But what I always find particularly challenging to deal with in the English texts I translate is the knack that English native speakers have for expressing very complex thoughts in just a few words. It can be really tricky to convey these ideas in a natural-sounding way in German, especially if I have only a limited character count to work with.

 

• What is your preferred workspace like?

I usually work from home, which is a great arrangement for me. It’s quiet and lets me break up my day: if I need a breather I can use the time to do a quick job at home, like watering my plants. It also saves me the long commute. The flexibility of working from home means I’m more productive at the same time as enjoying a great work-life balance – it’s a win-win situation. That’s something I really love about the company. We all have a lot of freedom to plan how and where we work around our personal preferences and private lives.

 

• What do you like most about your job?

Doing what I do best: playing around with words and unpicking texts to get to the very bottom of their meaning. Before I became a translator, I worked in a range of different jobs –in sales, as a guest and customer relations advisor, in an editorial office for a newspaper and for a short while I even aspired to be a political scientist. But on the first day of my translation training course, I knew that this was the job for me and that I had what it takes. I love that with my colleagues, I can spend hours chewing over matters of spelling and grammar without anyone groaning or rolling their eyes at me.

 

• Dogs or cats?

Dogs. They’re definitely more entertaining.

 

• Audiobook or paperback?

I’ve tried several times to get on board with audiobooks, I really have, but for some reason they just don’t do it for me. I know that lots of people swear by them when they’re doing housework or other routine tasks, but whenever I try that, I get distracted and keep having to “rewind” so that I don’t miss anything–and so I always end up going back to paperbacks again. And quite apart from that, I wouldn’t want to miss out on all the nice illustrations and covers, as they’re a feast for the eyes. ?

 

• Tea or coffee?

When I’m being good, I try just to drink one coffee in the afternoon, or otherwise tea. It doesn’t always work out that way though!