My journey into world of translation as Hindi translator

Anuvaadika - the Hindi Translator

Monika Saraf, A Hindi English Translator @Anuvaadika.com

I am so delighted that I have landed into this wonderful world of translation as a Hindi translator. I am happy to be working with Amara, TED Talks and Translators without Borders. These organizations have given me the opportunity to be what I am today. Not only have they given me tremendous opportunity, but also phenomenal content to continue and do more. And help spread their message globally in Hindi.

Basically, I  a nature lover by heart. I am a home maker and proud mom of two teens. Dogs and gardening have been my passion. And now translation has become one too.

My Early Life

My journey into the wonderful world of translation starts Chamba, Himachal Pradesh. It is a quaint little town nestled in the lap of the Himalayas. I was a language lover from the beginning. Besides learning English and Hindi at school, I also learned Sanskrit and Udru. During high school, I translated teachers’ lectures into English. It was because English medium books were not available there. I did Masters in Economics from Himachal Pradesh University. Then, I taught Economics in high school and college for a total of eight years.

Amara

My husband’s job brought us to the US eight years back. Being on a dependent visa, I could not work here. So, I spent my time volunteering at kids’ schools. Besides household chores, browsing the internet was another thing that kept me occupied. And that’s when I came across Khan Academy. I learned one could volunteer to subtitle the videos on Amara. This brought me to the wonderful world of translation. After using Amara for a while, I realized it was an easy platform to learn and simple to work on. I have subtitled some of Khan Academy’s Economics and Elementary Math videos into Hindi on Amara.

TED Talks

Another milestone in my journey was TED Talks. I started watching Ted videos with my family and loved it! That’s when I thought about my students. My kids gained a lot from these videos. And I felt why shouldn’t my students back in India. Thus, I committed to being a volunteer Ted translator so my students could understand. My favorite TED Talk is “Speaking to the heart’ by Marleen Laschet.

Translators Without Borders

Moreover, I volunteered for Translators Without Borders. I helped translate and review 95,000 words for TWB. It was for a project on e-cancer, about palliative care for patients.

Anuvaadika…Hindi Translator

While all this was going on, I got my work permit. That’s when I decided to venture into the professional world of translation. Encouraged by my husband and kids, I am now a freelance Hindi translator under the name “Anuvaadika”.

Subtitling has given me a new lease of life. I am working with a dozen global companies as a translator, reviewer, subtitler and proof reader. But continue to do my work as a volunteer translator.

On 30th September, the International Translation Day this year, I was fortunate to be featured on the Amara blog along with other translators at https://about.amara.org