Nadia González, SWITS lead proofreader

Nadia González is our lead proofreader for all of the translation projects that are English into Spanish. She is from Argentina and has worked for SWITS for five years. Recently, we were lucky enough to have her in the office. All the way from the Southern Hemisphere!

What did we find out about our dear Nadia? Among many things, that her favorite movie is Men of Honor, because the theme is, according to her, “…to always follow your dreams and what makes you happy.” And that is exactly what she has done.

She has always been fascinated by languages. Any language. Nevertheless, her first linguistic love is English. Nadia’s first contact with it was when she was fourteen, on the first day of English class. Previous to this, she had never been exposed to the language, but, she knew then that it would prove to be the object of her life-long fascination.

In total, she has spent ten years studying English. After high school, she devoted seven years to perfecting her command of it until she became certified as a licensed English conference interpreter. She even studied for a semester in the U.S. at Amherst College in Illinois.

“I told my teacher that I was going to be one of those people who spoke both languages and helped people understand each other, even though I didn’t know that there was a word for them. Interpreters.”

What does she love so much about translating? “I love helping two people communicate. The human aspect of this job.” She also mentions that it makes her happy and helps her self-esteem. In her own words, it’s a win-win.

Nadia doesn’t just translate, though. Even though she doesn’t interpret in a professional capacity, she has had plenty of moments of helping facilitate communication in a social setting. Girlfriends want to talk to those attractive Anglophones? She’s on it! When her boyfriend needs a little assistance in a foreign country? Nadia’s there.

A love of languages has naturally led Nadia all over the world. She’s been to Scotland, England, Poland, France, the U.S., and all over South America. Traveling is a beloved pastime to her.

When she isn’t traversing the world, she enjoys watching movies and shows. All of it in English. What does Nadia think of dubbing? Nadia answered with a resounding “No!”. She wants it all in English. However, she enjoys reading subtitles to compare them to what is being spoken, and she notes that she finds translating from English into Spanish easiest.

But what does she like to watch? Friends, The Big Bang Theory, and Gilmore Girls, together with American films are among her favorites. Her favorite actor is Cuba Gooding, Jr. Nadia also loves books in English like “Fifty Shades of Grey” and “Twilight.

Don’t ask her about sports, though. She hates them!

What does Nadia want to do now? Keep growing, expanding. Language is a diverse subject that is endlessly fascinating to her. She now wants to move into the field of interpreting, for which she is preparing. “I need to practice and observe,” she notes. The formal aspect of medical and court interpreting, with their codes of ethics and management, are things that interest her.
It was awesome to have the pleasure of meeting and getting to know a little about Nadia here in the SWITS offices and it was a privilege to interview such a talented person from our staff.