Meet GTE Localize’s Translator Team – Mananatchanok Yordming

Meet Mananatchanok Yordming, our 20-year-experienced English to Thai linguist. Joined GTE Localize 3 years ago, Mana is our Marketing, Advertising and Finance specialized editor and proofreader. She also works as a subtitler for some top streaming services. Let’s hear her sharings and get inspired!

• • Occupation: Copywriter, Editor, Proofreader, Subtitler, and Interpreter
  • Language Pairs: English-Thai
  • Industries: Advertising, Marketing, and Finance
  • Location: Thailand
  • Joined GTE Localize in 2019

Hi Mana! Thank you so much for joining our interview today. Before we start, could you please tell us a little bit about yourself? 

Sawaddee ka. I’m Mana Yordming. I work mostly as a copywriter, an editor, and a proofreader for GTE Localize. I’m also a subtitle translator and editor for well-known streaming services. I’m working from home 100%, except when I go out to be a field interpreter. My language pair is English-Thai. My favourite industries are the advertising and marketing industries. Financial markets didn’t interest me much until 3 years ago when I had a chance to work on a Forex translation project. I became enthusiastic and took interest in learning more about it. And now, it has become one of my favourites.

As far as I know, you have joined GTE Localize for about 3 years now. What about before that? How long have you been in this industry?

It’s correct that I have cooperated with GTE Localize for 3 years now. And I have been in this field for about 20 years. For the first 10 years, I worked as a part-time translator. Then I decided to fully focus on this job and became a full-time translator. It has been 10 years now!

How did your journey as a translator start?

I started pretty early when I was only 19. My father owned an advertising agency and one day, he asked me to translate some scripts, storyboards, etc. I learned to be a copywriter from him. It was a valuable life experience to grow up in a small family business. That was my first job as a translator.

It has been a long great journey, right? You must love this career path a lot. Can you share with us one thing that you love the most about being a translator?

I think it’s hard to choose just one. My job is to effectively convey the message of the source text in the target language. It’s challenging and thrilling to find the right word and the best way to reach the intended audience. I find opportunities to let creativity flow. Apart from that, I get to learn every day by doing what I do.

What is the coolest language task you have participated in?

For a month, I was an interpreter for a documentary film crew from Australia. We stayed at Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Pathum Thani, and then we went up north to Chiang Mai. The documentary is called “White Lotus”, a cinematic journey of a westerner who is temporarily ordained as a monk at the world’s largest Buddhist temple in Thailand.

If you could be fluent in any language, what would it be?

I wish I knew the Pāli language. It’s one of the major languages of Buddhist scriptures. I’m planning to learn it from YouTube soon.

If you could go back in time and give your younger self advice, what would it be?

Take lutein!

Let’s play a game of Rapid Fire. I’ll ask you some random questions about your hobbies, and you’ll have to respond with whatever comes to mind first.

What are your favourite snacks while working?

Actually, I don’t eat when working because it’s distracting. Sugar might give you short-term energy, but I believe in healthy oils like MCT. So I usually take oil with my meals.

What is your favourite thing to do when you have free time?

I am volunteering at the World Peace Initiative Foundation (WPI) as a translator, interpreter and MC. We are passionate about meditation, mindfulness and habitual development.

If you could only use one social media, which one would it be? Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, or Tiktok?

If I could only use one social media channel, it would definitely be Youtube! EVERYTHING is there. For me, it’s considered educational, entertaining, and fun.

Many of our readers are freelance translators and I believe they would love to get some pieces of advice and tips from an experienced translator like you.

Let’s start with some commonly asked questions. Do you charge money when clients ask you to do a test? If you do, how much do you charge them?

This actually depends on the clients. GTE Localize is extremely nice to pay us for every test we take.

Can you share some tips or tricks to perform well on these tests?

What I like to do, and this is no secret, is to purchase the product and use it. For example, if it’s toothpaste or shampoo, I will buy it and try it out. I want to have a direct experience with the product, the scent, the touch, everything. To be honest, this is not necessary at all. We can speculate and conduct research on it. Personally, I enjoy doing this. It’s also a good excuse to go to the mall. However, if the product is something I can’t buy, you know, like medical equipment, I will do a lot of research on the internet.

Which CAT tools do you use? Which ones are your favourites?

Thanks to GTE Localize, I got to start using a lot of CAT tools. For example, Trados, Memsource, and MemoQ. I really appreciate the help of all the PMs who assist me in utilising them. Personally, I’m in love with Xbench. I’m detail-oriented, but no one can beat Xbench!

I am sure all translators have experienced late payments. How do you deal with it? Has your method been a success?

I’m blessed that my agencies never missed a payment. But before, when I experienced this issue, I just emailed them and it was handled right away. It is necessary to properly research the agency you are going to work for before getting involved with them.

Finally, can you share with us a day in the life of a translator?

I get up at 6.30 AM. I might ride a bicycle or jog first, or if I’m busy, I will shower right away. I’m a devoted Buddhist, so I chant, meditate, and pray in the morning. After that, I vacuum the house or do other household chores, and then feed the cats at 8.30 AM (Well, they eat again at 1 and 6.30 PM) I start working around 9–9.30. I normally stand by until 5 PM. If I need to go out, I will go out after that. However, if I need to run an errand, I’ll bring a laptop with me just in case there’s an urgent task.

I’m intermittent fasting, so I usually eat pretty late, around 11 AM, and I don’t eat after 3 or 4 PM. I also take online classes, therefore, sometimes I attend the class around 6–8 PM or 8-11 PM.

I usually work until late at night, around 11 PM or midnight, depending on the workload. I’m very happy to be a work-from-home translator because I can take good care of my family. It is also a great benefit to be able to avoid the hour-long traffic jams every morning.

Thank you for your great stories! Our team at GTE Localize wishes you all the best with your future work! 

If you are a freelance translator and you are interested in becoming a part of GTE Localize’s professional translator team, send us your CV today!