I am a freelance specialist legal translator based in Cyprus. I am a former lawyer with expertise in Corporate, commercial, Investment Services and Compliance as well as Public International Law and Human Rights After working in the legal sector (as a lawyer, legal advisor, compliance officer) teaching law and carrying out legal research for local NGOs, I found myself drawn to legal translations due to my love of accuracy, reading, writing, and running my own work schedule. I am a native speaker of both English and Greek, having grown up bilingual in London before moving to Cyprus in my late childhood. I moved back to the UK where I studied Law to postgraduate level, subsequently qualified as a lawyer in Cyprus and worked for almost 10 years in the legal sector in both Cyprus and the UK. As a young lawyer in Cyprus who was a native English speaker, I was often relied upon to produce accurate translations of legal documents from Greek-English and vice versa, or even to proofread translations produced by translation agencies which often lacked legal nuance. I rather enjoyed such work, which despite not being strictly legal in nature, nonetheless required a thorough understanding of both legal terminology (legalese), the relevant legal systems and language.
My professional methodology for a standard translation project is
Firstly, I will establish clear and open communication with the client in order to ensure the correct legal meaning is conveyed. This proves especially important in case I notice any inconsistencies or concepts which are defined differently in the Greek, Cypriot or English legal systems which may lead to ambiguity. Due to my legal background and expertise I am able to use the correct terminology in cases where a direct technical translation would be lacking and potentially incorrect. Next, I will translate the required text within the required timelines as agreed with the client. Lastly I make sure to always proofread the draft translation in order to correct any potential typos or errors and ensure that the final text is accurate but also captures the spirit of the original.
This is how I manage terminology consistency in my area of expertise
Ensuring terminology is consistent can literally ‘make or break’ a translation and especially a legal translation in which accuracy is paramount. Managing this sometimes involves clarifying aspects of the original text with the client - as at times I have noticed different terminology being used used to describe the same concept. This is something which is better to avoid. Therefore I will firstly clarify with the client which is the correct terminology to be used in the original language. Once that is clear then I can refer to legal texts such as legislation, court decisions, official regulator/competent authority websites in order to confirm that the translated term I will use is indeed accurate, meaning that it corresponds to the same legal relationship in both countries. Sometimes when translating large documents, I will create a small glossary of the key terms in both languages.
Zoe Pavlou, Cyprus State Health Services Organisation
The State Health Services Organisation is very satisfied with Ms Diomidous’ translation services. She always comes back to us promptly and provides high quality of work.
Katerina Stephanou, Step Up Stop Slavery , STEP UP STOP SLAVERY
We chose to work with Maria as our translator for all the work we have that entails translation between English and greek. Maria is professional and punctual in all the work she delivers. Her background as a lawyer and compliance professional renders her extremely capable ion producing expert level work in a variety of areas including the legal arena. She has worked with us on very complicated texts regarding human trafficking, compliance and anti money laundering and her work is always of an exceptionally excellent standard.
I am very pleased with Maria’s level of professionslism and high-quaility translations. I have used her services twice and I have no hesitation in recommending her for your translation requirements.