We are thrilled to announce the recipient of our inaugural Linguist of the Year Award: Torsten Stein!
This prestigious accolade, instituted by translate plus, champions the outstanding efforts of linguists globally, underscoring their key roles in high-profile projects and commitment to advancing the language services sector.
Torsten emerged as this year’s winner following a rigorous internal evaluation conducted by our Quality Assurance, Vendor Management and Operations department, where his exceptional quality scores and dedication shone brightly.
Here are a few words from Torsten, whom we’d like to express our gratitude to for his ongoing dedication and invaluable contributions to language projects!
What made you want to become a professional linguist?
“I’ve always been a “language mind”. During my college and university years, I put my nose into virtually every European language that I could get hold of. I applied to become an interpreter in what was still East Germany, but due to the general turmoil and re-orientation after the wall came down, I went to live and work in London before finally deciding to study Scandinavian linguistics and Geography. Somehow, this wasn’t enough. So, I started to study Polish along the way, and the combination of Scandinavian languages and Polish actually became the foundation of my first job – translating business news about Poland from Danish into German.
I later founded my own business news platform online, covering all of Central and Eastern Europe. I ran it together with three colleagues for nearly 20 years. This work was a mixture of journalism and translation, but I always felt that the translation part was closer to my heart. Researching and writing news articles about virtually every area of economy meant that I learnt a lot about financial markets and various industries, be it the: automotive industry, construction, mining, real estate, renewable energies, medicine, and even … pension insurance. This in turn gave me the confidence to start working as a freelance translator alongside.”
How has translate plus helped you grow in your career?
“In 2012, translate plus became the second or third agency I worked for, and over the years they have undoubtedly become the most important one for me.”
What would you be doing today if you weren’t a professional linguist?
“The continuous workflow, variety of high-profile clients, and wide range of translation projects that translate plus entrusts me with is simply unbeatable. It’s enough to make me hope that I’ll never have to think of what I would need to do if I weren’t a professional linguist – even in today’s uncertain and challenging times!”
If you’re already one of our linguists and would like to participate in future Linguist of The Year Award initiatives, please reach out to our Vendor Management department to confirm your interest.