My name is Nadejda Vega. I am a translator. I have been in the market since 1994, catering to the needs of a long list of returning clients and welcoming every opportunity to further expand that list. So, how about joining the party?

My translations are elegant, accurate and stylish. I work fast. I am flexible: my services are available when you need them, not just nine-to-five, Monday through Friday. I'll make sure terminology meets your specific requirements. I'll be sending you status updates during each project, so you'll always know how things are going.

As a cherry on top, I also offer a limited money-back guarantee. Read on, I'll tell you how it works.

A how-to you can handle before coffee

The procedure is simple: e-mail me with a brief description of your project (type of document; subject field; source and target languages; amount, if known; deadline, if any), attach a sample of the text, if you can, and we'll get back to you with a quote within 24 hours.

The package we offer includes:

Translation/localization: thoroughly researched, carefully revised, done with your target audience in mind

Glossary, if applicable

Notification of errors in the source text, if any

Intercultural consulting

You can order plain translation, too. Same quality, same price, no frills if you don't want them.

Please be sure to check the other tabs, Profile and FAQ, for details (language pairs, areas of specialization, payment methods and the like).

Problem-solver at your disposal

Now, to address an obvious concern: Yes, I may not be available enough to personally take care of all your translation needs. However, once you are my client, you will have all aspects of my expertise at your disposal. Which means I will arrange things for you.

I will suggest a way to prioritize your tasks, deal with the most urgent ones first and schedule what is left for the next vacant time slot(s) I have. That way you will avoid the hassle of getting a third party involved altogether.

If that is not an option, I will help you find a decent substitute and review their work for quality and consistency as soon as I am available again.

Money-back guarantee

My clients know the value I offer is worth every euro I charge. If you are not one of them yet and are only trying to make the right choice, let me make this a risk-free decision for you. I offer you a limited money-back guarantee. Here is how it works.

You buy one hour of my work. The amount I can handle in one hour varies; to give you a general idea, it is about 400 words in an average project. If the job you would like me to do takes slightly longer, that is not a big deal. After all, I sell solutions, not minutes.

So you buy it, you get the deliverables together with an invoice, and then you have one week for evaluation. Feel free to do anything you like with the translation: put it on a website, send it to your customers, have it reviewed, anything! If you are happy with the results, let me know and pay the bill. If you are not, let me know and don't pay. It's that simple.

The following conditions apply:

• Only first-time direct clients (as opposed to translation agencies) are eligible.
• Only business clients are eligible.
• The text must be within my areas of specialization (see Profile). If in doubt, the answer is one e-mail away.

So you can buy, try and then decide whether your expectations have been met. Is it safe enough for you to give it a try?

---

Got concerns that have not been addressed above? Please let us know what else we could do to make your experience with us even more enjoyable. Your input will be much appreciated.

 

Source languages: English, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Catalan and French

Target languages: English and Russian

Key areas of specialization:

• Marketing/advertising/PR
• IT/computers
• Medicine

 

Facts in brief

• I could read fluently at the age of 3.


• I went to a bilingual school with three more languages taught as foreign languages.


• I attended stylistics and translation theory and practice classes at high school.


• I graduated with honors, then proceeded to earn a master's degree in PR.


• My first paid job was not related to languages. It involved data entry into a new software program at a local social welfare office. I was 13.


• I was barely out of high school when I was hired for the first time as an interpreter for business negotiations. Everything went smoothly. I later enjoyed a steady inflow of interpretation work during my university years.


• I landed my first major translation gig in my third year at university. It was a book on small business budgeting.


• A few months after graduation, I joined an upscale dental center as an in-house translator/interpreter. It was an exciting job, but I didn't enjoy employee life style, so a year later I quit.


• I expected to take a break for a couple of months before getting immersed into full-time freelancing, but it never happened: I was instantly booked out.


• I've never failed a translation test.


• I only got a translation quality complaint once. It came from the end client's in-house translator. The agency immediately requested opinions of two independent reviewers. One said my work was very good, the other described it as excellent. Case was closed.


• I've done translations for 21 out of the top 100 companies on the Fortune Global 500 list.


• I once did a translation that was then sent directly to Larry Ellison.


• The first time I participated in a ProZ translation contest, I ended up second. The second time I won.


• International Translation Day, September 30, is also my patron saint's day.

 

Q.: Why don't you publish your rates?

A.: Because my rates vary. It is one thing to translate a press release designed to be understood by general public, it is quite another to localize the interface of a telecom billing system or translate an NIH paper on virology. That is why I need to know what kind of project it is before I can come up with a quote.

E-mail me with the details, and I'll get back to you with the numbers. Simple enough?

 

Q.: What if I can't afford that?

A.: Can't afford what, sending an e-mail? It's free. Quotation is free. Negotiation is free. In brief, until you place a purchase order, everything is free. No strings attached. No hard feelings if you choose not to buy from me this time. Nothing scary going on here. I want you to enjoy this experience regardless of how far you are prepared to go.

 

Q.: Do you accept projects outside your areas of specialization?

A.: Some. If it is something general enough or a subject I just happen to know well, I'll accept it.

 

Q.: Is money-back guarantee a common practice in the translation market?

A.: No. Usually, when you try to test a typical translator's skills before recruiting her, three scenarios are possible:

1. She will refuse to do anything for free. Place a regular order, pay what she asks, and if you are unhappy with the outcome, feel free to walk away. If you love her work, good for you. If you hate it, it is not her problem.

2. She will offer to do a short test translation for money and deduct its cost from her next invoice should you choose to hire her for anything bigger than that afterwards. In other words, if you love her work, you get it free; if you hate it, you pay.

3. She will accept a free test. Nice if you have access to a qualified proofreader, which is why this is a viable option for some translation agencies. Not so nice if you don't, because no commercial use of that text will be authorized. You can't just distribute your free test translation among your actual target audience and monitor feedback. You may have it reviewed, nothing else.

So our limited money-back guarantee is a unique offer in the market.

By the way, did you know some translation agencies recruit different suppliers for test translations and actual jobs?