ATA MEMBER
ABOUT ME
CHILDHOOD
I am a melting pot of cultures. I was born in Latin America to Middle Eastern parents. My first language is Spanish. Although Arabic was not spoken much at home, I would hear it occasionally through my grandparents and was very fascinated by the way it sounded. As I grew older, I began appreciating my ancestry and decided to study Arabic.
I moved to the United States as a teenager. While I was thrilled of the opportunities that awaited me, the transition was much harder than I had anticipated. I was belittled due to my ethnicity and the way I talked. The remarks made a dent on my self-esteem for many years. However, the isolation gave me time to self-reflect and discover myself in a way I had never done before. Instead of being ashamed of who I was, I decided to water my roots and stay close to my culture. I learned to embrace who I am and where I come from.
EDUCATION AND CAREER
Higher education was always a priority of mine and my academic efforts reflected it. I graduated from a rigorous program offered by Richland College called Richland Collegiate High School where I obtained both my high school diploma and my associated degree in math and science simultaneously in 2013. I studied French for the first time while attending this program as well.
After graduating from RCHS, I attended The University of Texas at Dallas. I prioritized my grades, enrolled in Arabic. All while joining an organization devoted to breast cancer awareness called "United for the Cure", and becoming a member of the "Association for Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting" (ALPFA). After just two years, I graduated in August 2015 with a Bachelor's Degree in Finance and a 3.4 GPA. Shortly thereafter, I started working at Fidelity Investments' bilingual 401(k) department.
I was able to pause and reevaluate my life in 2020 when COVID-19 took over the world and forced us all to break our busy routines. I came to realize that I was not satisfied with my career choice and that my passion had always been languages. Therefore, I switched gears and decided to pursue a career in translations as well as fluency in French and Arabic.
I have been a student and a member of the Alliance Française de Dallas since 2020 and I worked part-time with them as an Outreach Coordinator. In June 2024, I passed the DELF B2 exam and have been recognized as a fluent French speaker by the French Ministry of Education. That same month, I decided to continue my Arabic studies with Abjadiyah Language Program. Eventually, I would like to learn German as well.
I have been able to work for a couple of companies as an English <> Spanish translator and interpreter. I also have a pretty big portfolio of freelance clients that I complete projects for on a regular basis.
I have also translated two books from English to Spanish. One of which has already been published. The other one is still in the editing phase.
Lastly, I also joined the prestigious and internationally recognized American Translators Association in 2022.