Feature -- by Mark Sproxton

Illustration by Kathy Lycka

While translating a document written in Spanish on grain processing into English, the phone rings. Without hesitation, after the greeting in English, the conversation quickly switches to German. For some, like Anne-Marie Veress-Baez, operating in multiple languages has always been the order of business.

"I'm of Hungarian descent, was raised in South America and went to a German school... and immigrated to Montreal," the local translation business owner said. "By sheer exposure I had full command of those languages. My personal hobbies are reading and learning. This is exactly what I wanted to do."

Whether it's translating a document about environmental studies, advertising brochures or information on oil-well drilling techniques, Veress-Baez loves the challenge each document poses. "You have to have a passion for solving problems because sometimes there's things you don't say in another language," she said. "You have to use your brain. The role of the translator is to be transparent. You are the voice of your client."

Through Atlas Translation Services, Veress-Baez deals with numerous different clients with the two largest patrons coming from the oil and gas and agriculture sectors. While she specializes in Latin American languages, the company will hire contract translators for documents in any language. Translators take written documents and covert them from one language to another, while interpreters translate from one language to another orally.

The work has been full-time since Atlas opened six years ago, but that wasn't the case in the 1980s. "Twenty years ago you couldn't make a living doing just translation in Calgary," Veress-Baez said. "Originally I had another main source of income and translating was secondary. Now this is how I make a living."

She admits to enjoying translating and interpreting -- she does simultaneous and consecutive -- so much that if she didn't have to work she would do it for free. But that's not to say there aren't down-sides to the job. "What I dislike is the deadlines," Veress-Baez said. "People don't seem to realize it takes a long time to do a translation and sometimes the deadlines are unrealistic. Sometimes you get a project five days before deadline and you have to have it done." These kind of contracts throw a wrench into her schedule requiring her to sometimes work around the clock for days on end in order to complete the contracts and run her business.

The good easily outweighs the bad for someone who enjoys learning. "What I love most is the exposure to anything from the (composition) of sulphur to horizontal drilling to how bones work," Veress-Baez said. "It's absolutely everything. Ask me how a grain elevator works and I can tell you."

Being organized, having an interest in a broad range of topics and being able to pay attention to detail is essential to work requiring translators to maintain the spirit of the documentation in the other language, not just the words, the Calgary translator explained. "Anybody can look up words. You need to know the other culture. If you don't understand, you can't make the translation."

Atlas charges clients on a per word basis and pays contractors on a per word basis as well. Clients typically send documents via e-mail or fax. And like any other kind of work, sometimes it flows, sometimes it doesn't. "Some bring tears to your eyes because they're so well written," Veress Baez said of documents needing to be translated. "Some are written so poorly they shouldn't be released."

For others considering work as a translator, Veress-Baez believes the work will remain steady. And she offers this advice: "You have to have a passion for languages. Expand your vocabulary on your own. It takes common sense and a thirst for knowledge."