Meet GTE Localize’s Translator Team – Pyone Cherry Maung
Join our interview with Pyone Cherry Maung – GTE Localize’s English to Burmese translator with 9 years of experience in the translation industry.
- Occupation: Translator
- Language Pairs: English – Burmese
- Industries: Automobiles, Electronics, Education, Machinery, Life-Science, Marketing, Commercial, Insurance, Legal, Game and Website.
- Location: Myanmar
- Joined GTE Localize for 5 years
Hi Cherry! Thank you for accepting our invitation for this translator’s interview. Can you introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Pyone Cherry Maung. I have been working from home as a freelance translator for 4 years though I used to work as a Project Manager in a local LSP for 4 years. The language pair I work with is English – Burmese. My expertise is automobiles, electronics, education, machinery, life science, marketing, commercial, game and website localization, insurance and legal.
When did you start working as a translator? And how many years have you been cooperating with GTE Localize?
Well, I have been a translator for nearly a decade now, 9 years to be more specific. And I have been working with GTE Localize for 5 years.
How did your journey as a translator begin?
During my college years, I had been very interested in translation and in my final year, I passed the entry test of one local LSP and became their freelance translator.
How languages can you speak?
Three: Burmese, English and Japanese
Which language(s) do you wish you could speak fluently? Why?
I am currently attending the N4 course and I am confident that I will become a fluent Japanese speaker soon. The reason for learning languages is that I love languages and one of my goals is to become a polyglot.
What do you love about being a translator?
I feel like a translator is a bridge that can connect people speaking different languages. I love to help my clients break language barriers for their businesses.
Is there anything that you hate about this job?
None 😊
What is your favourite word or phrase in Burmese?
My favourite word in my native language is တာဝန်ယူမှု/တာဝန်ခံမှု (Responsibility). It is a value of a person. That’s why I like it!
How many hours do you work a day? Do you work on the weekends?
I work 8 to 10 hours a day and also work on the weekends.
What is the first thing you do to start a new day?
I make a list of jobs for a day.
Physical health is important to your work efficiency. So do you play any sport? How often do you play it?
My favourite exercise is jogging. I jog 4 days per week.
Which types of music do you listen to when working? Does your music playlist change depending on the project you are working on?
My favourite artists are Ed Sheeran, Anne Marie and Adele. My choices for music don’t change depending on the types of projects I work on.
Many of our readers are freelance translators like you. So let’s discuss some tips that help you become a great freelance translator.
Which platforms do you use to find new clients?
I have been working as a freelance translator for 4 years. To find new clients, I have a Proz account and find jobs on it.
How do you charge money when clients ask you to do a test?
I translate a test up to 500 words for free if clients ask for one. For more than 500-word tests, I charge 0.03 USD per word.
Which CAT tools can you use? Which ones are your favourite?
I use Trados, MemoQ, Memsource, SDL Edit and Translation Workspace. My favourite one is Trados Studio 2019 because there are so many useful features and functions and they all can be seen at one glance.
How do you deal with late payments?
For the late payments, I follow up on the status of my invoices and remind them of my payments again.
Final question, can you share with us a day in the life of a translator?
9:00 AM – I start my PC and make a list of jobs to be done within a day. Then, I arrange the jobs in sequence according to the deadlines and start working.
12:00 PM to 12:30 PM – My lunch break.
12:30 PM to 17:00 PM – Continue working and deliver the translation files to the clients in time.
17:30 PM to 18:30 PM – Do exercise in the nearest park and eat some snacks.
18:30 PM to 23:00 PM – Take a shower, have a conversation with my family, have dinner together with them, watch TV with them and go to bed.
Thank you Cherry for joining our interview. We wish you good health and success!
If you are interested in learning more about our translators’ stories, check out some articles below:
Meet GTE Localize’s Translator Team – Cecilia Sonya
Meet GTE Localize’s Translator Team – Mananatchanok Yordming
Meet GTE Localize’s Translator Team – Miến Nguyễn
Meet GTE Localize’s Translator Team – Thai Ngo
If you want to work with a team of professional translators worldwide, join GTE Localize by sending your CV to vm@gtelocalize.com.
