ITI East Anglia: Meet our Member Hazel Hayman

I am very excited to have been interviewed for the ITI East Anglia website. ITI East Anglia is my regional branch of the ITI. We support each other by meeting regularly, virtually and in person. You can view our brand new website here.

If you’d like to know more about me professionally and personally have a read of the interview below: 

Could you tell us a bit about your professional background?

I always had a passion for both languages and medicine. When I left school I studied Spanish at university, however, after that I trained as a nurse. I worked in the NHS for around 10 years in various posts. In 2019, I couldn’t ignore my passion for languages anymore and I returned to translation. I worked as an interpreter at the Monaco Grand Prix, which was amazing, but I prefer working with the written rather than the spoken word. I then went on to take on some stand-alone projects and humanitarian work, before settling in pharmacovigilance, clinical trials and medical journal work.

 What services do you provide and in what areas?

I offer medical translation and editing services from Spanish to English (all variants). My translation work is primarily with pharmacovigilance and clinical trials. I also peer-review edit and/or translate academic articles for publication. 

In addition, I have an interest in literary translation and academia, particularly in the areas of constrained translation and humour. This is an area I have been working on out of hours and is something I am looking to expand into in the future.

What makes you stand out?

My background as a nurse means I have experience and understanding that goes beyond solely linguistic knowledge of the subject. This, combined with my linguistic training, enables me to quality control documents more thoroughly and ensure attention to detail at all times. However, I am always mindful this is the client’s project and may be the culmination of many months of hard work. I understand this and respect the different skill sets each professional brings to a project.

When working in the medical sector confidentiality is crucial; I maintain many of the confidentiality practices I was taught whilst in the NHS to ensure no-one other than myself has access to my client’s data whilst it is in my care.

What do you like most about your job?

I love the problem-solving aspect of my job. Words across different languages don’t always map together equally, and sometimes it can be a challenge trying to find the right word. For example, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, new words were being generated and they also had to be re-created in the other language. For me, every word is like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. Individually it may not mean much, but the right words, fitting together in the right way, have the ability to paint a powerful image.

What do you do when you’re not working?

I love being in the water! I spend much of my time kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding and swimming. Lowestoft is a great place for this! (I recently built a paddlesports translation glossary too.) I also love sitting in a café on the seafront with a good book and a nice cup of coffee or three (latté for me please). If I’m not doing that, I’m probably going to be relaxing with my church family or spending time with my boyfriend.

What’s your favourite part of East Anglia?

I would say Lowestoft; it’s the place I have spent the most time in the region. I love the beaches, the broads, the café culture, and most of my family and friends are here. It’s where I’ve spent the last 15 years of my life. However, I’m spending increasing amounts of time in Stowmarket these days and I’m getting to explore other parts of the region. But Lowestoft definitely has a special place in my heart (plus it has the sea!).

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to send me a message and I will get back to you.