In the previous blog post of our Confessions series, we interviewed our Spanish analysts Dimitar, Ralitsa, Mariya, Milan, and Andjelka. They shared interesting insights about the difficulties of working with Spanish, one of the most widely used languages in the world which boosts a rich vocabulary.
They also revealed some of their best tactics to overcome the challenges they face every day and you can read all about it in the first part of the Confessions Series: Interviews with our Spanish analysts. Today we are sharing two more equally insightful interviews with Krasimir and Tatyana who also work with Spanish. Let’s jump right in!
What it is like to be a Spanish analyst (part 2)?
Krasimir Grozdev
(Part of A Data Pro since 2014)
We asked Krasimir how he got acquainted with Spanish, and he told us that:
“After having learned some Portuguese in Angola I decided to expand my knowledge in Spanish, a language I’ve been fond of long ago and started learning it on my own, mainly by reading books and publications with a grammar and a dictionary in hand. When I was nominated a military attaché in Spain I intensified my efforts and after that, my three-year term in Spain permitted me to improve my knowledge of the language.”
Krasimir explained in detail the biggest difficulty that he faces when working with the language:
“Although all the Spanish speaking countries claim to be using Castilian, the mode of its usage varies in those (mainly Latin American) countries which sometimes requires using different keywords while searching information about one and the same issue in different countries. Needless to say that some official documents, especially judicial ones, are difficult to understand to the extent that makes me think that I should have added a law school in my educational background.”
According to Krasimir, in order to work with Spanish, you should be open to learning and collaborating with your colleagues:
“Lifetime learning is the key and, something of great importance – one should always be ready to admit that they do not know something and ask for help because being shy to admit your ignorance is the best way to keep it for good in the future.”
Krasimir has been a part of A Data Pro for 7 years now and he says that his favourite part about the company:
“is definitely the people. Although working from home now gives me more flexibility, the one thing I really miss is meeting my colleagues in the office.”
Privately, Krasimir is a family-oriented person who is always ready for new challenges:
“I had some hobbies in the past and finally decided to have no hobbies at all to keep myself ready for whatever new experience I come across or whatever idea about doing something new crosses my mind. Otherwise, the most important thing in my life is my family, with my wife being the first followed by our children and their children and, let it be, maybe one generation more.”
Tatyana Stoyanova
(Part of A Data Pro since 2019)
Tatyana’s love story with Spanish began early in her childhood:
“I remember when I was a little girl, my grandma and I would turn the TV on to check out the newest episode of our favourite Telenovela. Even though I didn’t understand a single Spanish word then, I knew I was in love with the language. I was fascinated by the character’s gestures, mimics, and tempers. As a teenager, I would spend hours listening to Enrique Iglesias, Juanes, Aventura, or Bebe. Later, I got acquainted with the Spanish Cinema and mostly with Pedro Almodovar’s work of art. I spent four years at the Plovdiv University studying Linguistic and Marketing, with Spanish, falling more in love with the sound of the language, its pronunciations, and articulation.”
As part of the Due Diligence team, Tatyana says that the biggest challenge of working with Spanish is “translating and understanding the litigation court documents. For example, Spain’s litigation database contains lawsuits that are very long and not well described. I would have to read approximately 10 very long pages, to understand the nature of the lawsuit/appeal, which can be very time-consuming. Also, we as Spanish researchers, do not cover only Spain as jurisdiction, but also South America, and every Spanish-speaking country. As one knows, every country has its specifications in terms of laws, litigation procedures, and terminology.”
To ensure accuracy, Tatyana invests a lot of time in well-targeted research: “When dealing with complicated lawsuits, I apply the phrase “look before you leap”. I always search for explained terminology in English or use different translation websites to double-check if the terms in the lawsuit are exactly as I understand them.”
What do you like the most about your work in A Data Pro? “The thing I like the most when working for A Data Pro, is that I have the opportunity to improve and expand my knowledge of the Spanish language. As I only practised the language at the university, I thought it would be difficult to “maintain it” if I don’t use it on a daily basis. Luckily, A Data Pro gave me the opportunity not to “lose touch” with “la Lengua Española” and I can proudly say that for those two years in the Due Diligence project, my language skills have definitely improved.”
Besides being a linguist, Tatyana is also an artistic soul! “I love painting/drawing/sketching. My apartment is fully “decorated” with my work. I am also a film nerd, I love watching all kinds of films and series. A year ago we bought an apartment, so right now my new project is decorating it and making it look cozy and conformable. Additionally, I love travelling, reading, and cooking.”
Thank you for tuning in to this edition of the Confession Series! If you are interested, you can also read about the journeys and experiences of A Data Pro’s Japanese, Korean, Chinese, French and even more from our Spanish analysts!
