Meet the Community: Nicolas

In this installation of our Meet the Pride Series, you’ll meet Nicolas, a Lionbridge translator since 2000. Nicolas shares what his work life is like, why he loves being a freelancer, and how he got into the field. He also talks about why living in the Bordeaux region of France is wonderful. Read more in our blog.

Tell us about your work for Lionbridge.

My relationship with Lionbridge started in the early 2000s. I moved back to France after working for a couple of years for a Dublin-based translation agency, leading the French translation department and then acting as Quality manager. A college friend worked for Lionbridge and recruited me as a French translator and editor (I became lead linguist over time). I worked for about 15 years as Translation Unit Lead for various accounts and languages. It was a great opportunity to learn about project management and develop new skills. I also always kept a side activity as linguist, mostly focusing on QA tasks as a translator. I became the French Lead Linguist for one of Lionbridge’s key accounts, helping to improve the overall quality of French projects by communicating with the client and its reviewers, ensuring better alignment, and implementing necessary improvement measures. In 2023, I stopped my involvement in project management and resumed a purely linguistic activity for my former colleagues from the Translation Units and beyond. Currently, I mostly work as editor and QA specialist (sometimes doing translation, too).

How did you get into this field?

I come from a “multinational family” with a Belgian mother and an Italian father. Very early in high school, I decided to pursue a career in translation or interpreting.

How many languages do you speak, and do you want to learn a new one?

Besides my native French language, I speak English, German, and Italian. A few years ago, I took some Swedish classes, but didn’t really have the time to pursue it.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I most enjoy the variety of the projects I work on. I might do fashion projects in the morning, spend the afternoon on heavy engineering documents, and finish the day on IT matters. Also, freedom is key to my freelance life. I love choosing subjects and tasks I like most (while obviously still filling my schedule and reaching financial targets).

What does a typical workday look like for you?

A typical workday starts around 9 AM. I start by checking emails and job notifications that arrived overnight. Many communications reach us from different time zones or via automated tools that never sleep. I translate or edit projects for the rest of the day until around 7 PM. I generally keep a 1–2-hour slot for urgent requests during the day. As a former project manager, I know having resources to help with urgent matters is crucial. I try to keep a schedule allowing for such emergencies. In the evening, I complete editing or QA analysis tasks, then deal with invoicing and admin matters. I finish my day by reviewing and adapting my work schedule based on any last requests.

How long have you worked with Lionbridge? How have you seen the company evolve?

I’ve been working for Lionbridge for over 20 years. I’ve seen the company grow impressively in terms of tools and processes. When I started, we were still translating in Word with a plugin. Projects were assigned to linguists by a “real person” via email and FTP. Our current automated tools for job assignments, translation, and QA did not exist. I remember the arrival of Translation Workspace & Geoworkz. I actually had the opportunity to test the French Geoworkz interface.

What excites you the most about this industry?

I’m fascinated by the industry’s flexibility and adaptation. Its capacity to evolve with new technologies is impressive. Sometimes the changes can be daunting, but I’m quite excited to see it evolve further with AI.

Where do you live, and what do you enjoy most about it?

I live in Bordeaux, in France’s southwest. What I love most is its proximity to the ocean or mountains. I only need to drive for an hour to reach the ocean or a couple of hours to reach the Pyrenees mountains. It’s also the most famous wine region in the world.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I don’t have much free time outside of work, but I enjoy driving my daughters to their sports events. My older daughter has traveled around France and Europe for her fencing competitions. My youngest is actively competing in volleyball. Otherwise, I enjoy reading a book while sipping a glass of fine Belgian beer or Bordeaux wine.

What country would you like to travel to and why?

Strangely, I’ve never been to the US yet. My dream holiday would be to drive through the US, following Jack Kerouac’s trails.