With +35 years of experience as a translator, Björn’s working languages are Swedish, English, German, Spanish and Russian. Passionate about languages and sciences, he became a specialist in patent translation, though he has broad experience in most of the industry disciplines. Let us introduce you to Björn Dahlborn, the winner of the December 2021 edition of SeproTec’s Translator of the Month.
SeproTec Translator of the Month: December 2021
Hi Björn,
That hoodie just fits you like a glove!
You have been working as a translator since 1986, that’s a long time! How did you start in the field? Is translation your only field of work?
My educational background is a degree as a Swedish language consultant from 1986 (Stockholm University), and I’ve been working with translation, editing, text composition, document-template design and training ever since. In the year 2000, my department at a telecom corporation shut down, and I decided to open my own business.
Other types of projects include scrutinizing, reviewing, proofreading, editing and rewriting Swedish texts – sometimes also giving presentations and conducting webinars for text professionals.
Your working languages are Swedish, English, German, French, Spanish and Russian. That is awesome!
Are there any other languages you would like to work with?
Being a bit of a language geek, I’ve familiarized myself with Arabic and Chinese (my partner is from Taiwan), but I don’t have any hope of ever being able to offer translations from those languages …
Sometimes you enjoy going for a dip in the ocean…That’s so necessary! Do you have any other ways of enjoying your free time?
My job is very much my hobby, which is why I often take on way too much work. Translating and reviewing patent applications is a weird passion to have, but I find it an excellent way of combining my interests in languages and science, while also learning a lot about modern technology. Other things I enjoy are music (terrorizing my neighbours with my electronic drum kit), physical exercise, reading and pub quizzes.
You also like travelling! Do you usually take your work with you?
Sure: my laptop is a constant travel companion. I usually find some spare time to at least check (and hopefully answer) emails, but also do some translating. I love to travel – although the pandemic and my reluctance to flying have made me focus more on nearby destinations.
What do you like most about working with SeproTec?
I’m happy to be a freelancer for SeproTec, and although I’ve never met anyone of you, I must say that your attitude and way of working make it a pleasure to communicate with you. (I might pop by if I’m ever in any of your office locations, so beware!)
Also, project administration is very smooth thanks to the vendor portal and the request–confirmation–PO procedure by email.
Thank you so much, Björn! Working with you is a real pleasure. Enjoy your SeproTec hoodie.
