My translation experience comes from my practising years (more than 5 years) as a lawyer. It is a requirement in my country Malaysia that all legal documents submitted into court be in Malay. English translations are however usually submitted and attached to the Malay document since drafting, negotiations and even submissions in court are usually conducted in English. Translating legal documents from English to Malay and vice-versa was therefore almost a daily affair when I was a practising lawyer. I moved out of practice about 2 years ago to become an in-house lawyer and in this job, I have translated official Malay documents and agreements into English for the benefit of our Regional Legal Counsel and others who are not fluent in Malay. Although my area of specialisation is law, I can translate just about any Malay document except perhaps specialised papers, Medical documents for example.
I was consistently regarded as one of the best translators in the firms I worked in, and colleagues frequently came to me for assistance in translating documents. I went the extra mile then and I still do now, to find meanings as close as possible to the original language. Till today I am consulted by ex-colleagues when they are stumped by a particular phrase or sentence. This led to my decision to utilise my translation skills and become a freelance translator. |