Employee spotlight:15 questions with Marina Theodorou

Employee spotlight is our blog series where we get up-close and personal (and have some fun) with our favorite team members at Commit Global.

Next one on our list is our newest member Marina Theodorou. Marina has a Bachelor’s degree in Translation and is currently wrapping up her Master’s degree. She started off as an intern and is now a linguist in our IT/Software localization team.

1. Marina, how long have you worked at Commit Global?

I started as an intern at Commit Global last summer and 4 months ago I joined the IT/Software localization team.

2. What does your job entail?

Various linguistic and project management tasks, from translating and editing to workflow deployment and time management.

3. What do you like most about your job?

The quintessence of translation’s very nature: creativity. The more linguistically challenging a project may be, the more inspiring and dynamic the job may get.

4. What is the best career lesson you’ve learned so far?

Multitasking. Learning to prioritize and perform miscellaneous tasks at once has surely been an important lesson for me.

5. What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?

Academic researcher, seeking to shed more light on the “invisible” translator and the significance of literary translation in particular.

6. What do you like to do when you aren’t working?

Reading literature, taking long walks, going to the gym.

7. Where’s your favorite place in the world?

The beach! I always find peace with myself near the sea.

8. What is your motto or personal mantra?

Subjugate your suffering

9. What was the last book you read?

A collection of poems by Aris Alexandrou entitled “Poems: 1941-1974”.

10. What is the one thing, you can’t live without?

Coffee — without any doubt!

11. What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received?

Learn to accept imperfection

12. Do you have any strange phobias?

I have to admit I’m not a big fan of multi-legged creatures.

13. Pizza or burger?

Definitely (vegetarian) pizza.

14. Wine or beer?

Both!

15. Any favorite line from a movie, book or song?

“This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a whimper.” — T.S. Eliot, “The Hollow Men”