PERSONAL/ABOUT ME


My name is Birgir Johannsson

I am a full time professional freelance translator in English > Icelandic and on occasions in Icelandic > English. I was born and raised in Iceland. I currently live in Reykjavik, Iceland, but have lived and studied for four years in Edinburgh, Scotland, and one year in Tianjin, China.

I believe in lifelong learning and I always strive to be ever better as a linguist, and as a translator. I thrive on the opportunity to expand my abilities and to use them to provide first class unrivalled translations.

EDUCATION

• BA in English
• BA in History
• MSc in International Business and Emerging Markets
• MSc in Chinese Studies

MISSION STATEMENT

Serving your business needs by providing a professional service, supplying a quality product, offering competitive prices, and delivering projects in a timely manner.

LANGUAGE PAIR & TRANSLATION DIRECTION

I offer translation services in a number of working fields (please see above). My language pair is Icelandic > English and on occasions English > Icelandic.

RECENT TRANSLATION PROJECTS

Some of my most recent work has involved:
1. Website localization for a major hotel operator (20,000 words)
2. Translation of online learning material (10,000 words)
3. Translation of a software for a major worldwide software company (45,000 words
4. Translation of a monitoring questionnaire (40,000 words)
5. Translation of a software user manual (15,000 words)
6. Translation of a book on philosophy (40,000 words)
7. Translation of a patient information label (10,000 words)
8. Translation of a press release (3000 words)
9. Translation of a marketing text (10,000 words)
10. Translation of a camera manual (25,000 words)
11. Translation of a smart phone software (5000 words)
12. Constant subtitling work, movies and TV shows
13. Translation of a Key Investor Information Document (35,000 words)
14. Translation of a tender document (10,000 words)
15. Translation of a EULA (20,000 words)

SOURCE LANGUAGE/TARGET LANGUAGE

I am fully proficient in my Source Language (English) I began studying it in childhood and continued to study it for over half my life (so far). I have also spent a lot of time in Scotland and England and lived in an immersion situation (speaking only English on a daily basis) in Scotland and England. In addition, I have a BA degree in English. My Target Language (Icelandic) is my native language. Icelandic was always my strongest subject and I have always had an affinity for language and talent in particular for my own language.

RATES

I offer fair and competitive rates for my language pair. Although I list my rates on my profile they tend to vary on a case-by-case basis due to a variety of considerations:
• Type of document
• Complexity of subject matter
• Turnaround window (rush jobs etc.)
My preferred payment method is by Bank transfer or Paypal. However, I may accept alternative payment methods if required.

POLICY ON "RUSH JOBS"

A “rush job” is defined as any project which would require me to translate an average of 4000 words or more per day to meet the deadline or any project which is awarded to me last minute with an imminent deadline. Whilst I do like to challenge myself as a translator, all rush jobs will be subject to certain restrictions:
• The added stress/inconvenience will be reflected in the rate negotiation.
• Issues of Priority: a rush job may not automatically gain precedence over any existing projects.
• Quality remains the primary concern, if quality is likely to be compromised for the sake of a (perhaps unrealistic) deadline, then the job shall not be accepted.

ETHICS/PROFESSIONAL INTEGRITY

All client details, data, information and source texts shall be handled with the upmost integrity and I am guided by the following principles:
• All sensitive information shall remain strictly confidential unless otherwise stipulated.
• No information shall be communicated or disclosed, in whole or in part, to any third party.
• The information supplied by the client shall not be used, either directly or indirectly, for any purpose other than in accordance with the translation remit.
• No liability whatsoever shall be accepted for unencrypted data sent over unsecured channels.

I am willing, in principle, to sign any non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that the client wishes to impose.

HOW TO CONTACT ME

Preferred:
I can be reached by email through Proz (see “Send Email Icon” at the top of this page). I will reply to all emails within 60 minutes (including weekends) – Although please be aware of my time zone as I cannot ensure a prompt answer to an email that is received here in the middle of the night
Possible:
For rush jobs / emergencies I can be contacted by telephone: +3548410456 (time zone warning as above).