About
I am a thirty something Indonesian who loves to read, write and is fascinated by foreign languages. I have learned to speak and write in English from the 7th to 12th grade of school, but other than that, I have not participated in any English language courses. I have learned mostly from my sister’s English songbooks, American tv series (with Indonesian sub-titles) and songs.
In 8th grade, I realized that I express myself much better in writing. This realization came to me when I found myself able to write long letters to my best friend who at the time was living in the US. At the same time, I would be left speechless when talking to her on the phone. This of course changed later on as I grew older, especially when she moved back to Indonesia and I became more and more talkative. 
Professionally, I have worked in the communication department of the Indonesian Red Cross for four years since 2002. During this time, I have learned and experienced how important it is to have bilingual promotion materials to reach various audiences. Equally important to support this promotion effort is the proper translation of those materials. My responsibilities during my tenure included writing and editing information, education and communication materials in my native language as well as translating it into English for our international stakeholders. Additionally, I often provided simultaneous interpretation for our foreign partners during internal workshops and meetings to allow them to participate actively in the discussions. In the last year of my employment, I took on a function as note taker at the monthly tsunami operation coordination meeting.
After I left the Indonesian Red Cross in 2005, I was offered a job with the Australian Red Cross, which function included translation of letters and legal documents, as well as simultaneous interpretation for my line manager and other expatriate staff during meetings with our local counterparts. At times, I was also often given the responsibility as note taker in important meetings.
In 2007, I left the Australian Red Cross to accept a job offer from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies as report editor and writer, and held this position from 1 August 2007 to 31 August 2009. My job function was to manage the reporting deadlines of the organization and carry out editorial function, ensuring timely submission of quality reports for delivery to donor or publishing to website.
Additionally, in 2005, then later in 2007 and 2008, I signed a freelance contract with translation/localization companies, namely EQHO Communications, Andovar and Admerix respectively. During this time, I provided translation services which included topics such as product manuals, websites, training materials, etc.
In August 2009, I decided to take a free fall and quit my job to become a freelance editor, writer and translator. Aside to providing editing, writing and translating services, I currently volunteer for the Indonesian Red Cross to maintain their (English) presence in social media such as Facebook and Twitter, and I provide editorial and coordination consultancy services to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.