Profile:
My international background instilled within me a strong Western work ethics. I studied and lived in the West for 5 years. My husband is a Belgian engineer managing Barco's China operations. My brother studied in the US and started his own web business in Silicon Valley. My parents live mostly in the US. Working with international clients is natural to me. You will find me entrepreneurial and personal. Call my number and you will be talking to me, not some sales people. You work with me, not managers below me. I like the straightforward American way of doing business. I hate being dishonest.
Interpreting and translation work are half linguistics half business. The linguistic side requires talent and training; the business side requires management experience.
Many of my interpreting clients are companies or business owners coming to China for business development and sourcing. They travel to China to find products, customers, suppliers and partners. They need a business-savvy interpreter to help them negotiate, contract, follow up, resolve issues, payments, disputes, legal complications ... I have been there, done that, through the whole cycle, many times. Check my testimonials to hear my clients' China experience and why they value my service.
Translation also requires management. A diligent professional translator can output 3 to 5 pages of a Chinese book in a 8-hour day. Most translation projects are done by a group of translators working together. Without good management, you could end up with a mixed bag of the good translators, the bad translators, and the ugly translators who use software to cheat. Also, some know the domain/terminologies, some don't; some translate in one style, some in another; some fast, some slow ... The end result is an inconsistent translation that is bound to be painful to read. But this is just one of the many pitalls of working with China's translation companies and free-lancers. To assure quality, you need someone like me to manage the work.
Most of my clients tried 4 or 5 service providers before they found me and stick with me. Check my references, they will tell you how important it is to find a person that has quality, experience and ethics, a person that they can trust and rely on year after year.
English is my first foreign language. I attended a tourism school and majored in English. After graduation, I worked as a tour organizer for China Travel Service (the biggest Chinese travel agency). I am an expert in organizing efficient trips.
Later I applied and enrolled in an international MBA program jointly offered by Ben-Gurion University (Israel) and Boston University. I studied in Israel for 2 years and finished my MBA there. English is widely used in Israel and the MBA courses are entirely in English. I also learned to speak Hebrew.
After MBA I went back to Beijing to work for Barco, a Belgium high-tech company. At Barco I met a sweet Belgian engineer and we married. I transferred to Barco's Belgium headquarters and worked there for 2 years. I speak fluent Dutch at work and in everyday life.
My husband and I returned to Beijing after he became a China expat for Barco. I joined TravelSky, China's largest ticket reservation service to all airlines and travel agencies. My job title was to manage international sales, but because of my language skills, I was often designated as the interpreter for executives and board directors in international conferences, negotiations, and investor meetings. I was known as the No. 1 interpreter in the company. I was also the top sales person in my group.
I have always enjoyed language works and I have always wanted to start my own business. In 2006 I quit my job to become free-lance. Within a few months I developed a happy customer base, and this customer base keeps growing to include some of the largest companies and some very high-profile statesmen. Also I have built up a support infrastructure consisting of 3 operations staff members and 15 time-tested free-lance translators that can scale up on demand. I am having a wonderful time working with my clients.
Jia Lin 林嘉 - Interpreter, Translator, Business Development Agency - Beijing
High-profile Conference/Simultaneous Interpreter
Translation, Sourcing, Biz Dev Services