Certified Translation | Literary Translation | Editing | Proofreading

Born in a suburb of Vancouver, BC, Canada, I have a Bachelor's Degree in French and Spanish from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC and a Master of Arts in Translation from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California. As part of my degree courses, I also studied in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada; Valencia and Madrid, Spain; and Geneva, Switzerland.

My professional and linguistic career began in Belgium at the European Union in Brussels and then at the International Encyclopaedia of Laws in Leuven for a combined total of six years. After teaching college-level French for a few months back in Vancouver, I left for Hong Kong where I worked at the headquarters of a multinational timber company for eight years, and gained experience in purchasing and sales, as well as translation and interpretation for business purposes. After returning to Vancouver briefly once again, in order to obtain certification in, among other things, Microsoft Office Suite, Web Publishing, Photography and Small Business Management, I departed again on a new adventure, working in the Caribbean as International Ambassador for an American cruise line, using my languages for tourism purposes.

In September 2005, I opened my own consultancy company in Vancouver, ACFairbank Consulting. Although it has evolved and changed over the years with regard to the kinds of services I provide, I am currently offering translation, editing and proofreading services to international clients.

In a constant endeavour to increase my skills and provide better and more complete services to my clients, I actively look for opportunities to continue my professional development.

You will find a few more recent accomplishments below:

2023

• January: With an aim to learn more about literary translation, its markets and publishers, I joined the American Literary Translators Association. Moreover, my interview of Roula Salam, ATIA President, was published on the cttic.org website on January 17.
• February: Through the above association, I learned about the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) and more especially about their conference in Seattle in March 2023 (AWS23), signed up for it and became a member as well. Then through that association and its Facebook and LinkedIn posts, I learned about an interesting workshop offered by the Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society (NOTIS) so I joined their association too. They are a chapter of the American Translators Association. I also published two children's books this month, numbers 23 and 24, both by A.P. Hernández. You can find about more information on my Literary Translations page. Look for “Daisy Likes to Jump” and “So Now What”.
• March: Book translation number 25 was published on March 2: “Jamie and the Realm of Fantasy” by A.P. Hernández. Then, book translation 26 appeared on the virtual shelves on March 30: “Despair Avenue” also by A.P. Hernández. Between those two dates, I attended the Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference and Book Fair (AWP23) in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.
• June: Book translation numbers 27 and 28 were both published on June 15: “To the Other Side of the Known World” and “The End of Twilight” both by A.P. Hernández as Volumes One and Two of his Dark Fantasy Trilogy, Ravens and Dragons, for Young Adults. Then number 29, “The Silent Killer”, by John Nexdar aka Juan Martín García was published on June 22 and number 30, “A Dromedary at the North Pole” by A.P. Hernández, on June 24. Thus it was quite a month for literary book translation publications!
• August: Book translation number 31 was published on August 3: A darker tale than what I am used to translating, “The Valentina File” by A.P. Hernández is a YA detective mystery. In addition, my interview of Hélène Bilodeau, CTTIC member-at-large, was published on the cttic.org website this month.
• September: Book translation numbers 32, 33 and 34 were published on September 7, “The Adventures of a Traveling Piano,” September 15, “I Don't Want to Recycle!” and September 20, “I Don't Want to Exercise!”. All are children's books by A.P. Hernández.

2022

• January: My book translation number sixteen in as many months was published on January 27. A mystery/thriller for adults, it was written originally in French by Swiss medical professional turned writer, Jean de Blonay, and has a pandemic as its theme. It travels from Geneva to Paris, to a secret laboratory on an island in the South Pacific to Spain and includes chapters in Hong Kong and Bangkok. It has been described by one reader as a page turner and very topical for our times. See “Retroviral” on my literary translation page for more information and where you can buy it.
• February: Book translation #17, this time a thriller/mystery for young adults, was published on February 24. Amazon reviews of the original book in Spanish by A. P. Hernandez include phrases like “The story captives immediately ... very realistic ... well-defined characters ... the action and suspense are very well written. You are transported ... Your heart will beat a hundred miles an hour and won't let up until the very last page.” For more information, see “Helen's Nightmare.”
• April: My 18th book translation and 10th from Spanish was published on April 7. Another children's book from A. P. Hernandez, it's about a very special Dalmatian. For more information, see “Seven Dalmatians ... and Lucas!.” I also published an interview with CTINB President Laura Bonney in the April 2022 edition of the STIBC Voice.
• July: Book translation number nineteen, (9th from French) was published on July 7. Jean de Blonay's second thriller, involving the Italian mafia, takes the reader travelling from India to Switzerland, Egypt, Italy, Malta, Abu Dhabi, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. For more information, see “Repercussions.” I also published an interview with CTTIC President Claudine Belhomme in the July 2022 edition of the STIBC Voice.
• September: My 20th book translation, 11th from Spanish, and 10th by A.P. Hernandez, was published on September 13, 2021. A children's story in the Little Monsters Series, “The little monsters thought they'd seen it all, but they were wrong. Today a new teacher has arrived in class: teacher number 102. As soon as they see him, they realize he's the strangest of them all. This could even be the greatest challenge of their lives.” Look for “The Little Monsters and Their 102nd Teacher ” on my Literary Translation page.
• November: I had two book translations published this month: November 1, my 21st book translation, 12th from Spanish, and 11th by A.P. Hernandez, “Fed up! Mom's off to the Caribbean”, another children's book full of humor and adventure for ages 6 and up; and November 7, book 22, my tenth French to English book translation and third for retired Swiss Physician, Jean de Blonay, “Retrocessions”, a thriller about money laundering. Look for both books and their descriptions on my Literary Translation page. I also had three interviews published on the cttic.org website, which I also manage: Jeff Staflund, ATIM Treasurer, on November 27; Sergey Petrov, CTINB President, on November 27; Catharine Lailson, CTTIC Secretary and ATINS Vice-President, on November 28.
• December: My interview of Silvia Xalabardé, STIBC President and CTTIC Board of Examiners Co-Chair, was published on the cttic.org website on December 17.

2021

• January: My sixth newsletter as Editor of the STIBC Voice was published on January 15. I contributed an article about my own experience as a voice coach to an actor on a commercial film shoot during covid times as well as an interview with the President of CTTIC. On the 19th, my English translation of Mirelle HDB's travel novel “Lovely Planet” in French was published.
• April: On the 11th, my translation of a science-fiction novel was published. Called “My Son is 19 Years Older Than Me”, it is by the same author as “Journey of a Heart” whose translation I completed in December 2020. On the 13th, I published my seventh newsletter as Editor of the STIBC Voice, for which I wrote an interview with the President of ATIS, Monica Cliveti, and an article on where you can learn Indigenous Languages in Canada.
• May: On May 21, my first translation of a children's book from Spanish to English was published. By A.P. Hernandez, it is called “A Vacation with Dad.”
• June: On June 12, my second translation of a children's book from Spanish to English was published. Called “I Know I Can!” it is also by A.P. Hernandez. On June 23, I stepped down as Registrar of STIBC and from the board in general after serving for three years.
• July: On July 8, my first translation of a semi-erotic romance from French to English was published. By Jo Ann von Haff, it is called “It All Started on the Eve of Valentine's Day.”. My eighth (and final) newsletter as Editor of the STIBC Voice was published on July 14. I contributed an article about my own experience as a literary translator and an interview with the President of ATIO. On July 23, my translation of a science fiction novel by Anthony Kuntz was published. Titled “Ownerless World” it was originally written in Portuguese and I translated its Spanish version into English.
• September: Two of my children's book translations from Spanish into English, both by A.P. Hernandez, were published on September 3, “Adventures with Grandma” for 7 to 12 years olds and “In Search of the Lost Sea” for 6 to 7 year olds.
• October: On October 26, my second translation of a semi-erotic romance from French to English was published. By Jo Ann von Haff once again, this one is called “A Very Bright Summer Sun in the London Sky” and it is the second in her series called “Love in five seasons.” Three days before, on October 23, my English translation of a detective story in Spanish for children from 8 to 12 years old was published. “Four Eyes, Spike, Smarty and Mimiguel and the mysterious case of the missing spicy pork sausage sandwiches” was my first translation of a mystery.
• November: On November 5, my sixth translation of a children's book from Spanish to English was published. Another fun tale by A. P. Hernandez, it is called “Hugo's Lies.” I also agreed to serve for a third term on the CTTIC (Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council) board as Vice-President at its AGM on November 7, 2021.
• December: My seventh children's book translation from Spanish by A.P. Hernandez was published on December 16, 2021. This is a story for school children and teachers alike as it takes place for the most part in a classroom. Look for “The Little Monsters and Their 101st Teacher ” on my Literary Translation page.

2020

• January: I published my second newsletter as Editor of the STIBC Voice, in addition to contributing an article to it about my own take on the ATA60 conference in Palm Springs in October 2019 and my interview with a conference interpreter based in Bangkok, Thailand.
• February: In my capacity as Vice-President of the Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council (CTTIC), I attended Association de l'Industrie de la Langue Language Industry Association (AILIA) Rendez-Vous Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario at the end of the month.
• April: I published my third newsletter as Editor of the STIBC Voice, in addition to contributing an article to it about the AILIA conference in Ottawa in February 2020 and my interview with Senegalese conference interpreter and former AIIC president, Malick Sy. In April too, I became an affiliate member of the Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec (OTTIAQ), a professional order representing translators, terminologists and interpreters in Quebec. As a professional order, the OTTIAQ provides its members with a reserved title. This means I can now put the following initials after my name C. Tr. (Certified Translator), or, in French, trad. a. (traductrice agréée).
• July: I published my fourth newsletter as Editor of the STIBC Voice. I contributed two interviews - one of a UN conference interpreter working abroad in a volatile country and another where I was myself interviewed by a local high school student contemplating a career in translation. It also contains a table, which I myself compiled, of the 95 language combinations of certified translators under the CTTIC umbrella and their distribution throughout Canada (except for Quebec, which is OTTIAQ's domain).
• August: To my surprise and delight, I was informed that I passed the Immigration and Refugee Board accreditation interpreting exams for Spanish/English and Spanish/French (French comprehension, consecutive interpreting and sight translation)! Even though I took the exams in February, the results took six months to get to me, first due to mail not getting through and then due to enforced quarantine concerning the federal government offices in Vancouver. It was worth the wait as it is only recently that Immigration and Refugee Board hearings have started up again.
• October: I was elected to serve for a second term as Registrar on the board of directors of the Society of Translators and Interpreters of British Columbia (STIBC) at its AGM on October 7. My first literary translation - “Manu”, a short story from a Quebecois author - was published on October 14, 2020. I published my fifth newsletter as Editor of the STIBC Voice on October 15 and contributed an article and an interview. I also attended the on-line ATA annual conference on October 22 to 24.
• November: I attended OTTIAQ's on-line conference on November 5 and on the following day I worked as French accent coach to an international celebrity on an all-day shoot for a TV commercial. I was also elected to serve for a second term as Vice-President of CTTIC (Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council) at its AGM on November 15.
• December: Two more of my literary translations from French to English were published: on December 24, a full-length romantic novel “Journey of a Heart” and on December 29, a Quebecois short story “Agent Double Zero”.

2019

• January: I was appointed Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Society of Translators and Interpreters of British Columbia (STIBC). My report on the ATA conference in New Orleans in October 2018 was published in the January 2019 issue of the STIBC Voice. One of our American members of STIBC forwarded the article to the President of the ATA, Corinne McKay, who wrote me, saying “Thank you so much for your really great article about the ATA conference in the most recent STIBC newsletter...I'm excited that you took the time to write it and that you enjoyed the conference. And congratulations on passing the exam!”
• February: I presented a workshop on “How to translate - Language Specific Workshop Series: Spanish to English” at the STIBC exam orientation day at Douglas College, New Westminster.
• March: I was interviewed by Lingostar, a translation agency I have been working for since 2004, about certified translations and how I became certified. The resulting article was published in May 2019 as part of a series of interviews with interesting people living in Vancouver.
• April: My interview with Diana Rhudick, M.A., C.T., ATA-Certified French to English and Spanish to English Translator and President of the New England Translators Association, was published in the April 2019 issue of the STIBC Voice.
• May: I presented a second workshop on “How to translate - Language Specific Workshop Series: Spanish to English” at the STIBC office. The next day, I received the following feedback from one of my students: “Thank you for the very useful course last night. It was really great to understand many of the issues in the exam and what to think about. Very good food for thought and I hope there are more courses like this one.”
• June: I ran for, and was appointed, Registrar of the Board of Directors of the Society of Translators and Interpreters of British Columbia at their annual AGM.
• July: My interview with Emanuela Gini, Translator, Conference Interpreter, and AIIC member, from Como, Italy was published in the Summer 2019 issue of the STIBC Voice.
• August: I took on the role of Editor of the STIBC Voice, the quarterly newsletter of the Society of Translators and Interpreters of British Columbia, which publishes contributions pertinent to the translation and interpretation industry in January, April, July and October each year.
• October: I learned a new CAT tool called XTM by editing a project in it for one of my clients. I also published my first newsletter as Editor of the STIBC Voice, in addition to contributing an article to it about my own health care interpreting experiences and my interview with Alice Joncheray-Honneysett of St. Barts, French West Indies. Last but not least, I participated in the American Translators Association's 60th annual conference in Palm Springs, California and thanks to the workshops I attended, brought back a lot of new ideas for STIBC.
• November: I was notified that I had passed the French/English Accreditation Exam (English comprehension, consecutive interpreting and sight translation) for the Immigration & Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). Moreover, passing the IRB exam also means I am now accredited to provide services to Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) as well. This month too I was honoured to learn that I had been elected Vice-President of the CTTIC (Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council). I look forward to serving in this voluntary position for the benefit of all my colleagues in these professions throughout Canada.
• December: My article on my own experiences in health care interpreting was reprinted - with some adaptations for an American audience - in the ATA interpreters division blog.
  
  

2018

• January: I was added to the roster of freelance English Editors at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA or ECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
• February: I attended a two-day seminar entitled “Understanding Marketing and Negotiating for Interpreters,” presented by the International Association for Conference Interpreters (AIIC) in Washington D.C., USA and learned how to improve my self-marketing skills.
• March: I completed the on-line Health Care Interpreter Training Program with the Provincial Health Services Authority of British Columbia, Canada and started working as one of their freelance healthcare interpreters.
• May: I wrote a certification exam for the Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council (CTTIC) in Spanish to English, passed and am now permitted to use the title of Certified Translator (CT).
• June: I was voted in as a Financial Committee member at the STIBC's AGM.
• September: My article “Now that I'm a STIBC Associate Member, How do I Get Work?” was published in the September 2018 issue of the STIBC Voice, a quarterly newsletter of the Association. I also co-presented orientation workshops for new Associate Members and newly Certified Members of the STIBC in September and November.
• October: I completed an on-line course provided by the Provincial Health Services Authority: “Integrating a Palliative Approach by Having Conversations Early (IPACE).” I also attended the ATA annual conference in New Orleans, USA and wrote the ATA certification exams from French to English. I was informed in December that I passed, so I am now an ATA-Certified Translator as well!
• November: I took a 30-hour on-line course with the Interpreter's Lab called “Interpreting in Legal Settings - Theory” and passed the exam with a mark of 98%.

2017: I was added to the roster of freelance French to English and Spanish to English translators at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, Italy. I also updated my translation skills at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL) in Antwerp, Belgium by taking an advanced Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools course and gained experience using MateCAT, SDL Trados Studio 2017, Memsource and memoQ. I became an Associate member of both the Society of Translators and Interpreters of British Columbia (STIBC) and the American Translators Association (ATA), as well as an approved French/English and Spanish/English translator and interpreter for the Insurance Corporation of British Colombia (ICBC).

2016: I became qualified in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages/Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TESOL/TEFL) and spent an academic year living in Sicily and Rome, Italy, teaching English to Italians, all while continuing my other business activities remotely.

In summary, I am a/an: