Susanne Creak
BrisbaneTranslator or interpreter (or both): translator + subtitler
Language(s) and direction(s): German<>English
Location: Brisbane, QLD
Practising as a translator/interpreter since: 2007
Member of AUSIT since: 2007
Main area(s) of practice: media and entertainment, business and marketing
Q1:
How did you come to be a T/I?
A1:
I always had a passion for languages, studying English, French, Spanish and Latin in high school in Germany, where I grew up. My tertiary training in business administration and foreign languages included translation studies in English and French. Initially, I only translated occasionally, as part of my career with larger corporates in other industries. I always really enjoyed that part of my work, though, and when I came to Australia for the first time and watched SBS TV, I saw the great work that the broadcaster’s subtitlers did and I thought, ‘Wow, I’d love to do that one day!’ After moving to Brisbane permanently years later, I sat the NAATI tests, made translating my main profession, and took courses and webinars in subtitling and audiovisual translation, so I could start working in this area.
Q2:
Tell us about a project you have worked on that was especially interesting or challenging (within the bounds of confidentiality of course).
A2:
In 2023, I subtitled a one-hour comedy special of an American stand-up comedian into German. It had it all – continuous speech, slang, dirty jokes, swear words and plenty of colloquialisms, plus he spoke extremely fast. This particular entertainer’s anecdotes may not be to everyone’s taste, but I found them quite hilarious and broke out in loud laughter at my desk at times. I loved the challenge of getting it all across in condensed written speech, so that other German speakers watching the show can (I hope) also enjoy it.
Sandra Hale
Translator or interpreter (or both): both
Language(s) and direction(s): Spanish<>English
Location: Sydney, NSW
Practising as a translator/interpreter since: 1986
Member of AUSIT since: 1987
Main area(s) of practice: legal and environmental (currently international settings only) plus T&I teaching and research
Q1:
How did you come to be a T/I?
A1:
As a child in Argentina, playing with my cousin, I used to pretend I was an interpreter – little did I know then that my family would migrate to Australia a few years later, and I’d become an interpreter in real life! After finishing high school here, I picked up a flyer at a careers information session about a new BA in T&I that was starting at what is now Western Sydney University (WSU), and I knew it was the degree for me. I was in the first cohort of university-trained, NAATI-accredited T&I practitioners in NSW. I worked freelance for a few years, then studied translation further in Argentina. When I returned to Australia, I taught part time at WSU, then trained as a teacher (Spanish and Italian) before doing a master’s in applied linguistics followed by a PhD in court interpreting / forensic linguistics – the first PhD in that field – at Macquarie University. As a full-time academic (now at UNSW) for about 30 years, I’ve conducted research into many aspects of interpreting, to answer on real-life practical questions in court and police interpreting; I’ve developed the curricula for various courses and programs; and I’ve published numerous books, chapters and articles. I was AUSIT National President from 2014 to 2017, and I’ve been involved in training the judiciary and advocating for interpreters’ working conditions for over 20 years, including as a principal co-author of the Recommended National Standards for Working with Interpreters in Courts and Tribunals.
Q2:
Tell us about a project you have worked on that was especially interesting or challenging (within the bounds of confidentiality of course).
A2:
[Sandra’s answer to this question was so interesting, we asked her to turn it into a whole article! Look out for it in our next issue.]
