John michalis
Translator / Subtitler
ExperiencE
2009 - Present
Freelance Translator / Subtitler
Translating, editing and proofreading various types of documents. Also working regularly on creation, adaptation and quality control of subtitles. Mainly focused on: Finance, Law, Politics, Tourism and Cinema. Major clients: Google, Qatar Airways, Metropolitan College, U.S. Language Services, Plint and VICE News for HBO. In addition, translating diverse material through Proz and CIOL. Daily volume: 3,000 source words / 40 minutes of video.
2024 - Present
Expert Examiner
Marking GCSE, A-Level and other papers for Pearson/Edexcel.
2011 - 2015
Translations Project Manager
Kosmos Languages - Greece
Overseeing translation projects consisting of research articles, websites, student papers, dissertations and various other documents. Performing admin duties and translating/editing when required. Ensuring deadlines are met and high-quality standards are maintained.
2009 - 2010
Teaching English
KELT - Indonesia
Teaching English to children of 8 to 17 years old.
Preparing teaching material, filling out progress reports and communicating with parents.
2004 - 2008
Freight Market Business Analyst
The Baltic Exchange - UK
Monitoring the dry and tanker markets (and other markets that affect their performance e.g. Oil, Coal, Iron Ore etc.) in order to evaluate the accuracy of the data received. Acting as the bridge between the business side of the company and IT. Identifying the needs for new products & writing out development specifications.
2002 - 2004
Teaching Greek
N. Warwickshire College - UK
Teaching Greek to adults who wished to visit or move to Greece. Effectively preparing and delivering lessons.
Other Positions
Prior / In conjunction with the above
Private English Lessons (Indonesia, Greece, Spain, S. America). Business Analyst for COLT Telecommunications (Spain). Writing travel reviews for hostelz.com (in English – worldwide). Teaching English at Euroglossa Language Centre (Greece).
Education
Degrees
2018 - Open University / UK
BA in Politics, Philosophy & Economics
2006 - London Metropolitan University / UK
MSc in Financial Markets & Derivatives
2004 - Coventry University / UK
BA in Financial Economics
Certificates / Diplomas
Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) / UK
Diploma in Translation (DipTrans): GR-EN
Instituto Cervantes
DELE - Proficiency in Spanish (C2)
Cambridge ESOL
Proficiency of Cambridge in English (C2)
Oxbridge / Spain
Teaching English (TEFL) Certificate
IT Skills
Other Software / Skills
• CAT tools: SDL Trados 2024
Also experienced in Matecat, MemoQ, Across
• Microsoft Office 2024, Subtitle Edit, Aegisub, Originator, Dragon Naturally Speaking, Express Scribe, Acrobat XI Pro
• Basic web design skills. Designed this website.
Languages
- English UK (Native) & US (Proficient)
- Greek (Native)
- Spanish (Fluent - C2)
- French (Intermediate - B2)
INterests
- Traveling
- Cinema
- Reading
- Basketball
About Me
My journey in translation started in 2009 and I haven’t looked back since. Growing up in a bilingual environment and spending substantial periods of my life in the UK, Greece, as well as the US, I have developed a deep understanding of both languages I translate into and their respective cultures. In addition to my degrees in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, I am also CIOL certified (GR-EN), fluent in Spanish (C2 – Dele), and I am currently learning French (B2 level).
My expertise encompasses the translation of contracts, calls for tenders, newspaper articles, EU documents, government gazette publications, memoranda and articles of association, court decisions, tax returns, financial statements, auditors’ reports, business plans, marketing materials, insurance and tourism-related documents, certificates, and more. I am well-versed in the intricacies of these specialised texts and ensure that the translated versions are linguistically accurate and culturally appropriate.
In addition to my translation services, I have been providing subtitling services since 2015, catering to major streaming services. This experience has honed my ability to convey meaning and maintain synchronization while working within the constraints of time and space.
I am a Member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (have been awarded the Chartered Linguist status), of Proz (have been awarded the Certified PRO seal), and of Subtle, the UK’s Subtitlers’ Association.
–