From The Desk Of...

Administration

Strategy & Operation Manager: Ümit Özaydın

Translation Team

Interpretation Coordinator: Sibel Akçam Written Translations Coordinator: Çiğdem Mutlu

Operation Assistant: Özlem Yıldız

Senior Translators: Timur Özbilir, Buket Eroğlu, Deniz Demirtaş, Burak Benk

Editors: Bob Jester, Reena Sattar, Cemil Tarhan

Technology Department

Technology Manager: Erman Peremeci Software Developer: Hazar Karabay

Accounting

Accountant: Emine Meral

Ümit ÖZAYDIN

Founding partner and Operations Manager of Dragoman Ltd.

I started my translation career in 1997, first as a translator then as an editor and coordinator, working on different subjects and concepts at various companies. Jobs included anything from twenty-thousand page translation projects to three-sentence creative writing assignments. In 1999 when I turned twenty-five, by a stroke of luck and encouragement from my friends, no sooner had I stepped into the world of simultaneous translation than I found myself interpreting for global leaders, such as Bill Clinton, Madeleine Albright, and Amr bin Musa.

At the end of 2000, I threw myself into simultaneous interpreting almost without a safety net. Without a formal education in interpreting, I was forced to work much harder than my counterparts to quickly improve. The years passed on in a whirl of sleep-eyed all nighters and never-ending study all the while carefully listening, observing, and conducting comprehensive research.

Hinged on transparency, egalitarianism, dare, and speedy management sensibility, Dragoman Ltd. was founded in 2005 and has quickly become an industry leader in Turkey and a well- known player in Europe. I am grateful to our team, our partners and clients, and my family and friends who never withhold their support even though they may sometimes feel neglected because of my busy schedule.

I am a 19 Mayıs University graduate in mathematics. My analytical thought processes steeped in mathematics, along with my educated didactic attitude, are often felt in my work. I am also a national tourist guide, albeit inactive for five years. However, having worked in the tourism industry has positively influenced my friendly and outgoing personality.

Since I started translating, I have been compiling glossaries of terminology, which I began to publish in 2002 and continue to do so with the input of our editors under the sponsorship of our company. (See www.dragomanos.com)

I learned how to play chess at the age of seven; and ping pong at eleven, scoring high individually and as part of a team. I like playing ‘körleme’ and ‘yıldırım’.

I received an award for my research on 'Bir Başka Yunus Emre' from the Ministry of Culture in 1988; my critiques and recommendations on the Turkish scientific world were published in Tübitak Bilim Teknik Magazine (1990); I assumed the role of Honorary Representative of the magazine for two years; in 1999, three of my friends and I drew attention to the tragic-comic translation errors in our articles, mainly ‘chicken translations,’ in Çeviri Bülteni; in 2003-2004 I took on the editorial post at Guidelines International, the publishing body of the World Federation of Tourist Guides Association. I have also been penning articles for the Medikongre Magazine as a translator for some time.

As you can see, I make my living through speaking and writing. I live with my cats Irmak and Mohikan and my dog Maço in a house with a nice little garden.

The purpose of my endeavours at Dragoman are to bring superior translators and translations into the world of translation through effective HR policies, quality processes, and dynamic management, not through a stroke of luck or the desolate languor of the night.

Sibel AKÇAM

I was born on September 9, 1963, in Istanbul.

Having started my career in the banking industry, I was introduced to the world of translating after transferring to the private sector. For many years, I worked for a well-known translation agency. Following a short retirement period, I started working with Ümit Özaydın, with whom my friendship goes back a long way. At Dragoman, I am responsible for coordinating the verbal translation services we provide for corporations in Turkey and abroad.

I am pleased to have become a member of the Dragoman family where management is highly sensitive to equal opportunity and ethical standards in all its activities.

Çiğdem MUTLU

I was born on January 5, 1985. Having spent my childhood in different parts of Turkey, I started my education at Istanbul Malazgirt Elementary School, followed by Çemberlitaş Kız Lisesi, and then at Dokuz Eylül University, Department of American Culture and Studies.
With my training in Foreign Trade, I began my career in a part-time position in the import/export division at Polen Un ve Gıda Ltd. I was an active volunteer at the 23rd Universiade Summer Olympics in İzmir in 2005. I also held the post of consultant at the Mystic Aquarium and Institute.
I entered the translation industry as a written translation coordinator at Dragoman Ltd, one of the industry’s major players. I continue to perform my responsibilities at Dragoman which require discipline and extensive time management and communication skills.
My free time is devoted to my favourite books and cello.

Timur ÖZBİLİR

I was born in Germany in 1980. After graduating from İzmir Özel Türk Lisesi in İzmir, I went to Hong Kong for a year through AFS, a student exchange organization. Then I studied International Business Administration at Kensington College of Business, London.

When I came back to Turkey, I studied Psychology at Istanbul University. I have been working as a Turkish-English translator since I joined the Dragoman family in November 2007.

Buket EROĞLU

I was born in 1986. I lived in Istanbul until the age of 10, and then set on my international adventure. Together with my family, I lived in Switzerland for a year and then in Kazakhstan for four years. In 2003, I completed high school in Istanbul and moved to the United States for my undergraduate studies. Here, I attained an Industrial Engineering degree from Kettering University in Michigan in December 2007. During my undergraduate studies, I completed a total of about 2 years of co-op at a plastic PVC pipe connector manufacturer as an industrial engineer.

Since February of 2008, I have been a part of the Dragoman Dil Teknolojileri family as a Turkish-English translator. Since day one, through the workshops given by native editors, Dragoman Dil Teknolojileri has provided me with the opportunity to learn their styles and understand how to make texts appear as independent texts written in the target language rather than translations. Also, I am at a beginner’s level in Russian in addition to my fluent English skills.

I enjoy solving puzzles, reading thriller and action novels, listening to classical rock, and researching about other cultures and languages, as well as following economy, technology, and sports developments as closely as I can. I am also a Beşiktaş fanatic.

Deniz DEMİRTAŞ

I was born in Eğirdir in 1983. Because both my parents were teachers, we frequently moved throughout Turkey. Therefore, I started primary school in Niğde, but graduated in Şarköy, Tekirdağ. Then I attended Tekirdağ Anatolian High School for seven years before entering Boğaziçi University, Department of Translation Studies. With the help of my professor, Jonathan Maurice Ross, I translated various stories by Bilge Karasu into English as part of my graduate thesis.
Being actively interested in music since my high school years, I’ve never formally applied for permanent office work. I want to be free to devote my spare time to music. So, I began a career as a freelance translator! Having had experience during my university years, my first professional job was translating Nigel Morgan’s Advertising in Tourism and Leisure into Turkish in 2005. Then I translated the curriculum for the British International School (Turkey) into English.
After this project – literally hundreds of pages of translations – I looked for other freelance work and found Dragoman in 2007. The following year, I attended Dragoman’s writing workshops conducting by our editor, Bob Jester. These workshops were important milestones in my career as a translator. I am now a regular freelance translator for Dragoman, which is always challenging and fulfilling.

Burak BENK

I was born in Istanbul in 1976. I started studying economics in Istanbul and, following my ideals, ended up graduating from philosophy in Ankara.

While studying philosophy, I occasionally made English to Turkish subtitle translations for several film festivals and article translations for a cinematography magazine.

After graduation, my first career move was shaped by my interest in music and I began making jingle, advertisement and music productions for the university radio. Then I worked for an international engineering company as a project coordinator executing marketing research.

After a while, through several reasons, I decided to continue my career in translation business and started making English to Turkish translations for a TV production company. Since mid-2009, I am working as a translator at Dragoman, a company that values continuous learning and improvement in professional and personal dimensions.

Bob JESTER

Bob Jester has worked as a content and copy editor for well over 20 years to include working as a staff writer and editor while serving in the U.S. Air Force. He has a master’s degree in dramatic criticism and playwriting and has had several public readings of his stage plays. Mr. Jester is also a published writer, having had a short story, Mrs. Northsworthy, published in the Australian Women’s Weekly.

In New York, Mr. Jester is an adjunct English professor in the Continuing Education departments at Hunter College (City University of New York) and at New York University. His content and copy editing experience includes practically every sector: finance, public relations, advertising, print media, IT, science and medicine, construction, literature, fashion, education, and more.

Cemil TARHAN

Cemil Tarhan has over 20 years’ experience in the banking industry, and has been a senior manager at various national and international companies. Currently, he is lecturing in economics at Yeditepe University and provides support to several firms as a consultant and educator. Working as an editor at Dragoman for GE, Merrill Lynch, Yapı Kredi Bank, and Koç Holding projects, Mr. Tarhan uses corporate Turkish effectively, fluently and clearly – with the advantage of his keen insight into the Turkish business world. He also leads other members of the translation team in transforming beautiful Turkish into beautiful English.

Reena SATTAR

Reena Sattar has over worked for 10 years as an editor, both in the public and private sectors. At IT market research firm IDC she edited and proofread reports about firms in the Central and Eastern European and Middle East and Africa regions. While working at the United Nations, she gained experience editing court-related documents. In her freelance career, she has worked on all manner of texts from a wide range of sectors - financial, medical, pharmaceutical, IT, and legal, to name a few.

Erman PEREMECİ

Erman Peremeci I was born in Istanbul in 1973 and attended Kabataş Erkek Lisesi. After partially finishing my degree in Industrial Engineering at Istanbul Technical University, I began my career as a programmer and Microsoft Office programs trainer.

I am among the first of those who are interested in Internet publishing. I’ve been either the designer, programmer, or project manager for over 50 Web sites. Moreover, I’ve developed Help-Desk applications for multi-national satellite communication companies and have also worked as a project manager, trainer, or consultant for various other companies.

I have currently been working with Ümit Özaydın, my great friend, on developing business intelligence solutions for languages and translations. This year, we decided to work under one roof, so I joined the Dragoman family as the IT Manager.

I live with my cat, Elf, in Şişli. I am also an avid music listener and performer. History, science-fiction, and fantasy literature are among my other interests.

Hazar KARABAY

I was born in Istanbul in 1989. Before graduating from Şehremini High School, I participated in the Shell Eco-Marathon competition organized in France and represented Turkey with my team. Using the mechanical and electronic knowledge I acquired throughout elementary and secondary school, I helped my team build a solar-powered car, titled Turkey Storm, with the “Turn to the Sun” motto.
Although this project initially made me think that mechatronics engineering was right for me”, later I realized that the software developing and control portion of the project appealed to me more; hence, I decided to begin my career in this field.
I began working as a Software Developer at Peremeci D.Ç. and soon realized that I had made the right choice. Currently, I am working as a Software Developer at Dragoman. I try to be “multi-purpose”, like a Swiss Army knife, put my career first, and continuously improve myself.
I’m attending Anadolu University. Furthermore, I combine my musical experiences with my interest in electronics and run the HI-FI and sound electronics Web site, www.diyaudiotr.com with my partner. I enjoy making music as well; I began with a keyboard and continued with a piano and classic guitar. I am also trying to get certifications in system and network engineering.

Emine MERAL

I was born on June 14, 1975 in Çarşamba, Samsun.

I attended primary, middle and high school in Samsun. After graduating from Çarşamba Vocational High School for Trade, I began my career in an accounting firm in 1995 and worked there for five years. During that time I attended Anadolu University and graduated from the Department of Business Administration. I moved to Istanbul with my family in 2000.

My career in Istanbul started in a firm importing electrical household appliances, where I worked as an accounting supervisor for five years. I then worked for two years in the same role at a company that manufactures and exports office furniture. Thereafter I worked for a year and a half, still as an accounting supervisor, in a firm that imports and exports textiles and chemicals.
Since July 2009, I have been doing the profession that I love, accounting, at Dragoman.

Özlem YILDIZ

I was born in Istanbul in 1983.

I attended both primary and high school in Istanbul. After graduating from the Vocational High School for Trade, I obtained an associate degree from Kütahya Dumlupınar University and then transferred to Anadolu University and graduated from the Department of Business Administration.

I worked for four years in the accounting department of firms in the food and maritime industries.

I have been working at Dragoman Language Technologies as an Operations Assistant since March 2009.