Here at Lilt, we’re focused on providing the highest quality translations possible, and that requires a large professional network of translators.

We've spent years building a community of experienced and quality translators, and we're excited to showcase the incredible individuals helping to lead the charge. Much like our Employee Spotlight series, we're sharing the backgrounds of the talented professionals in our community in our newest series, the Translator Spotlight Series. 

This week, we’re happy to introduce Wa Ode Renita Fransita, a professional translator based in Indonesia. We sat down with her to learn more about her background, how she got started in translation, and her favorite things to do outside of work.

What languages do you speak or have you studied?

Indonesian and English.

How and why did you become a translator?

I have always been interested in translation. As a kid, my parents would buy me novels and books in English, which is what I believe helped me learn English. Throughout my school years (elementary through college), I was always the one helping my friends with their English homework assignments, projects, comprehension, etc. and always enjoyed it. But the opportunity to actually work as a translator only came up in 2014 when I was still working as a Human Resource analyst at a bank. That year, I started working on projects translating novels as a side job. I enjoyed it so much and realized that it was actually my dream job. From there, I decided to be a translator full-time, and I think that was one of the best decisions in my life.

Do you like to listen to music while you work? If so, what kind?

Absolutely! I mostly listen to '60s to '70s rock, like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and The Beatles -but I'll never skip a Jason Mraz song.

What led you to join Lilt's translator community?

I was looking for an opportunity to work with foreign clients. Up until then, I was only working with local publishers and organizations. One day, I came across a job opening on ProZ's website for freelance work at Lilt, so I sent out my CV immediately and the rest is history :).

What does your day to day look like?

I usually wake up at 4 or 5 AM, get chores done before my toddler and baby wakes up (they're all early risers!), and get myself ready for the day. Then I'll spend the majority of the day taking care of my kids, homeschooling my kindergartener (since schools are still closed), nursing/playing with my baby, and cooking.

I usually manage to work while they nap during the day for a few hours, but the real work begins when they go to bed at night. I typically start around 8 PM and finish at 1 AM - in total, I will aim to work for 5-7 hours a day. It's not ideal to only have 3 to 4 hours of sleep and sometimes sporadic naps during the day, but I believe this will change once the kids are older. And honestly, I have been a night owl my whole life who functions with little sleep, so I'm used to it!

What do you like to do outside of work? How do you maintain a good work/life balance?

I love cross-stitching. Every time I'm not working and the kids are sleeping, I love to get my hands on cross-stitching. When it comes to work/life balance, for me, it takes practice. I've found that the most important thing is having a schedule and be efficient. When I'm working, I will not do anything else, not even checking my phone. On the other hand, when I'm with my family, I'm not looking at my laptop to check on a work progress etc.

I also owe it to my husband and mom when it comes to having this balance. My husband and I have always been a great team, and my mom would take care of my kids occasionally during the day when something comes up that requires me to do some quick work.

What's one fact or skill that you've learned recently?

It's not necessarily a new skill, but I have been practicing guitar playing again recently. I learned to play guitar when I was 7 years old then had a tutor from junior high up until the beginning of my college years. I somehow didn't find time to even touch my guitar in the last four years, so now I started to "re-learn" everything and hopefully be able to play as smoothly as I once could.

Has the translation industry changed in the last 10 years? Do you think it will change in the next 10 years?

Definitely. The most significant change in my opinion is the growing popularity of machine translation (MT). When I started working full-time professionally as a translator, MT was not as common. But now, working at Lilt, I've realized this advanced technology is nothing but a very helpful and beneficial tool.

I believe in the next 10 years, with MT becoming more advanced and intelligent, its utilization will most likely be the norm for all language professionals.

What's the best career advice you've ever received?

I think it's more of a general life advice, but I always apply it to my work life as well - follow your passion and never stop learning. There's always going to be someone smarter, more experienced, and more successful, and that's a great thing - because from them, we learn.

• • •

Keep an eye out for our upcoming posts in both our Translator and Employee Spotlight posts! We'll continue to highlight people from across the company and our wonderful translator community.

Learn more by following us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook!