Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to you to apply for a job as a freelance or interim translator. At the moment I am taking a course as preparation for the IoL Diploma in Translation, but I need much more experience before I have a chance to pass it.
I have always loved translating and I have read widely in English and Spanish, so although I have no qualifications yet, I have the advantage of having lived in Spain and the UK.
I believe that the theory of translation is of the utmost importance in translation, as is the study of the source and target languages, but I also agree with those translators who argue that translation is a gift. In my opinion, a good translator is like a good writer: it’s an art that cannot be taught completely.
The most important thing for me when I am translating a text is to reproduce the author’s meaning as accurately and succinctly as possible, and in the case of a badly written text, to improve on the original. This is why I don’t think that no translation can be perfect, except maybe in the case of literary translations.
I would be grateful if you could consider my references and some examples of my translations (some of them cannot be reproduced but you can contact the Colegio de Ingenieros Agrónomos of Seville). I have also translated a short story from the French that I copy below.
I will be happy to do a test if you have any vacancies that would suit my experience, or as a trainee translator in my areas of expertise.
Best regards,
Pilar Glez. Dueñas.
