My name is Maria Vana. I am a Certified Legal Translator with a genuine passion for Law and Languages. I am a bilingual individual (Portuguese and Romanian native), which explains why, in 2015, I decided to turn my love for languages into a way of living. I also have a C2 Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English. One of my main goals is to become a polyglot (if you want to learn more about it, click here). Currently, I think, speak and write in three languages on a daily basis and I am usually in close contact with a total of five. Actually, I've always been in contact with foreign languages as long as I can remember and, as a result, I truly support multilingualism. The respect I have for other cultures, for humanity in general, and for human rights in particular, led me to become interested in Law as well. So much so, that upon graduating from Law School, I pursued a specialization immediately after. Of course it had to be in an area that knew no boundaries, ergo, a few years later, I obtained a Master's degree in International Legal Sciences.

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As soon as I managed to figure out how to combine my two passions into a single field, I became a Legal Translator specialized in European Law & EU affairs. My main area of expertise is, in fact, EU case-law & legislation. Nevertheless, I also have a keen interest in other areas, such as: Banking & Economics; Finance & Investment; Pharmaceuticals & Life Sciences, Healthcare & Bioethics; Enviromental Law & Policy.

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I always make it a priority to provide my clients with high-quality language services and especially with accurate and reliable translations, so even though I already had an academic background in Law, a few years into working as a legal translator, I decided to take on Postgraduate studies in Translation along with extensive CAT Tools training, in order to expand my knowledge, and be able to offer different services tailored to every client's needs. And since I don't mind sharing what I know with newcomers in the language industry, after completing my studies, I created a mentoring program based on what I had learned during my training and on my own professional experience which has grown and diversified over the years. Feel free to learn more about all my services   here  .

 

One of the things I value most as a lawyer-linguist is credibility. And with that in mind, in addition to law firms and courts, this year I also started working or simply establishing contacts with embassies and consulates. So, because I mean business and I wanted to extend my services to Portuguese and American expats, I am now on the list of translators for several Portuguese Embassies and Consulates in the United States, as well as for the US Embassy & Consulate in Portugal. For example, you can find me here and here. 

 

Without disregarding the services I normally provide, it's worth mentioning that I was recently invited to teach classes in Portuguese in Introduction to Law, and I gladly accepted. As a matter of fact, I was very honored.

 

Among many things I occupy my time with, I also do volunteer work for Translators without Borders as often as I can. Giving back is the foundation on which I am built.

 

I am a member of APT, APMJ, APTRAD, and a member/mentor of WOMEN IN LOCALIZATION. 

Should you be interested in finding out more about my credentials, you can by clicking here.

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