Did you happen to think about this?

As far as I am concerned, I never really did. I thought about my strength and weaknesses but not so much about what differentiates me from others.

I am not advocating the concept of working on your weaknesses when it comes to your profession. I rather encourage to concentrate on what you do best, because at the end this will make you happy and fulfilled. If you spend years to improve your weaknesses you miss the occasion to really use your talent(s) to the max, along with the downside that you will never be able to compete with someone who is really gifted. Therefore, use your strengths and build them up!

But what is your forte? And what is mine?

As you might know, I was in India lately. There, I met an Australian marketing expert that asked me what I do for a living. “I am a translator. I translate from English, French and Italian into German.” Then he surprised me by stating: “Well, that’s a lot of languages. Usually translators have 1 max. up to 2 source languages they work with.” I answered that I knew this and that I studied several other languages but I only had 4 working languages, in which I really feel comfortable and familiar, especially in my areas of specialization.

Then he stated with a smile: “Well, I guess that’s your unique selling point then!”

I never thought about it that way. I was always justifying the amount of working languages with my working experience in several European Countries for more than a decade. Likewise, I am on the defensive when it comes to my bilingualism. I see the flaws rather than the advantages. But this is silly, isn’t it?

Besides what I received as a gift by being born and raised in a different country than my parent’s country, I never considered my 9 years Italian School one afternoon a week. Since my earliest childhood, I was browsing amongst the Italian children’s’ books and the encyclopedia that my parents had, not understanding a clue. Sometimes, I also forget to mention that I went to Law School in Italy (with unfortunate results), but in return I eagerly learned so much about the country, its history and people. Consequently, I have a strong background in law. Ultimately, I guess, that being bilingual, specialized in law, and working with 4 languages is my unique selling point.

If a client hires me, I can be a “3-in-one”. They do not need an English to German translator, a French to German translator or an Italian to German translator and point out the same things repeatedly. They hire me and are sure that the same style and tone of voice is kept consistently. This is a very strong skill that I use since years with my long-term clients (win-win-situation for both, client an me).

As an eclectic person, I am interested in an infinite number of topics and subjects, but, there was always, always, always one constant: My passion and love for foreign languages and cultures. Not only I learnt them, but I brought them to an active and, above all, passive level – the so called “Receptive language skills” – that includes listening and reading comprehension, which is vital for a translator.

And how about you? What is YOUR unique selling point?

What distinguishes you from your colleagues? Why is it difficult to copy you? Why is it advantageous and more convenient to hire you?

I would be happy if you share your story with me.

Illustration: Sara Herranz