Hello!
Hi! My name is Ellis Jongsma and I translate texts from English into Dutch. The texts can be about various subjects, but most of all I translate apps & games, software and hardware manuals, marketing texts and texts on online trading.
Trading
I have always been interested in economic themes, like what factors influence the distribution of wealth around the globe, the pros and cons of globalization etc. It certainly is a broad field! About 10 years ago a client offered me a huge job: translating a website on online trading. A whole new field gradually opened up to me. I read all about it and even took a few trading courses because I invest in delivering quality. The best rule I learned at the Translation Academy was: "Thou shall not write nonsense." I can only translate what I understand through and through, so terms like technical and fundamental analysis, abbreviations like CPI and MACD and things like that are very familiar to me. Of course, I also keep up with technological and legal developments, like cryptocurrencies, changes in betting laws and trading on apps. It's awesome to translate texts for people who, just like me, want to know all the ins and outs (and the in-betweens and the overs and the ...).
Manuals
It might come as a surprise, but despite my introversion, I am quite good at spelling out what others should do. I enjoy manuals and roadmaps with clear plain language. Readers should feel empowered to use software without hesitation and get started right away.
Marketing
Everything a company does and communicates, is marketing. That is reason enough to dive into this field. I translate the message of your organization for the Dutch market, so it comes across crystal clear.
Games & Apps
As a teen, I enjoyed playing video games, lots and lots of video games. That never stopped, on the contrary, before my freelance business took off I earned a little pocket money by winning online games. A pretty avid player indeed! My favourites are arcade games, simulation and time management games, and castle defense games.
Romanian... What?!
In my spare time I am learning Romanian, because I think this is a very cool Roman language. For now it is just a hobby, but maybe in a few years' time I might offer not only English, but also Romanian as a source language.
Thanks for reading my story! If you still have questions, don't worry, just send me an email and I'll email you back as soon as I can. Below you'll find more info on my educational background.
Trading
I have always been interested in economic themes, like what factors influence the distribution of wealth around the globe, the pros and cons of globalization etc. It certainly is a broad field! About 10 years ago a client offered me a huge job: translating a website on online trading. A whole new field gradually opened up to me. I read all about it and even took a few trading courses because I invest in delivering quality. The best rule I learned at the Translation Academy was: "Thou shall not write nonsense." I can only translate what I understand through and through, so terms like technical and fundamental analysis, abbreviations like CPI and MACD and things like that are very familiar to me. Of course, I also keep up with technological and legal developments, like cryptocurrencies, changes in betting laws and trading on apps. It's awesome to translate texts for people who, just like me, want to know all the ins and outs (and the in-betweens and the overs and the ...).
Manuals
It might come as a surprise, but despite my introversion, I am quite good at spelling out what others should do. I enjoy manuals and roadmaps with clear plain language. Readers should feel empowered to use software without hesitation and get started right away.
Marketing
Everything a company does and communicates, is marketing. That is reason enough to dive into this field. I translate the message of your organization for the Dutch market, so it comes across crystal clear.
Games & Apps
As a teen, I enjoyed playing video games, lots and lots of video games. That never stopped, on the contrary, before my freelance business took off I earned a little pocket money by winning online games. A pretty avid player indeed! My favourites are arcade games, simulation and time management games, and castle defense games.
Romanian... What?!
In my spare time I am learning Romanian, because I think this is a very cool Roman language. For now it is just a hobby, but maybe in a few years' time I might offer not only English, but also Romanian as a source language.
Thanks for reading my story! If you still have questions, don't worry, just send me an email and I'll email you back as soon as I can. Below you'll find more info on my educational background.
Education
- Bachelor in International Communication, obtained in 2005 at the Maastricht School of Translation and Interpreting, at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, in Maastricht, the Netherlands.
This bachelor degree covers 4 years of studying all things related to becoming a translator. The 4 trimesters in a year each had its own topic, like business, technical, legal, IT, with its own translation project. In the first 2 years I studied not only Dutch and English, but also Spanish, so I have a basic knowledge of Spanish. Other subjects included writing, presentation, interpreting, and CAT tools. During study year 3 I interned for 4.5 months in London at the American InterContinental University (since 2013 this is part of Regent's University London). - Various intensive trading courses at the Beleggingsinstituut (institute for trading courses).
- Various writing courses, like Writing business content (by Schrijfjebedrijf) and Inspirerende teksten (by Hille Takken).
- Various Romanian language courses, at the Babeș Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca and the Institutul Cultural Roman in Brașov as well as home study courses by NHA and private teacher Nicoleta Poot.
- Various short courses in SEO, building websites, and other relevant topics.
Software
Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access)
Open Office
MemoQ
SDL Trados
POedit
Client-specific translation programs/CMS
Android tablet/iPad/Android phone
Do you have your own CMS or translation system and you're not sure if someone else can handle it? Don't worry, just get in touch!
Open Office
MemoQ
SDL Trados
POedit
Client-specific translation programs/CMS
Android tablet/iPad/Android phone
Do you have your own CMS or translation system and you're not sure if someone else can handle it? Don't worry, just get in touch!