Intro#

I don’t believe in a world where people are merely looked at through the lens of functions they perform. I believe in the power of personality. I believe that each and every one of us bears a divine creative spark inside. And the paths we travel, the people we meet, the things that bring us joy are the means to kindle this spark and share its creative flames with those close to us.

Here, I’m starting a series of stories that depict the world I live in, the paths I’ve taken, the joy they bring me, and my realizations on how all this interconnects with the career I’ve chosen.

These stories don’t have any particular order. You may jump to the one that resonates with you the most. And I hope that they will give you a better understanding of the person behind the craft, and maybe even inspire you to reflect on your own path and the things that bring you joy and kindle your inner spark.

Languages and Meaning#

I’ve never considered myself the brightest student across all disciplines (some of them felt rather boring), but I could always find my passion and become fascinated with it, engaging fully, whatever it may be.

During my studies, it was the language, or rather the art of conveying the meaning from one language into another, from person to person, from culture to culture. On the surface it might feel rather straightforward — just find the same words in the target language and put them together — why bother with complications.

Aspects of Translation#

But on the inside it is all about the peculiarities of the context, the larger picture — the person, their background, cultural and educational peculiarities, family upbringing.

Digging deeper you’ll find that all those tiny details have enormous meaning — the voice, the tone, the rhythm, the register, the imagery, the particular wording — all pieces of the puzzle that must be meticulously deciphered, recognized, and accounted for if you truly want to express the MEANING, to paint the same picture in the recipient’s world. It’s a hard and scrupulous but fascinating detective work, if you please.

Aspects of Interpretation#

In live interpreting, it’s even more so — on top of everything already mentioned, you have to learn how to read people — the tone, the look in the eye, the slight smile at the corner of your mouth, the subtle body language, the posture, the laughter — all provide a more encompassing context to unpack a particular worldview and transfer it into another person’s dimension.

THAT is the real magic behind the curtain. THAT depth of experience is where I’ve found my passion, and that is what I’ve been and still am so fascinated with.

Martial Arts#

“The Force is with me and I am with the Force. And I fear nothing, for all this is as the Force wills it.” — Chirrut Îmwe, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

On my road in martial arts I don’t even feel that I just walk it anymore — the lengths and depths we traveled together have made us a single inseparable unit, it flows through me freely and manifests itself in my thoughts and actions.

It was not always this way.

I’ve stepped into the world of martial arts when I was a kid. I have to say that I was left with no choice — I had to defend myself in the tough realities of industrial suburbs where I grew up. Good-hearted, sensitive, naive, introspective — the list of characteristics that right away made me an outcast in the eyes of the local kids, rough and mean like a pack of stray dogs.

It seemed like a nightmare in the beginning — who do you think I met in the nearest local gym, ha-ha? — but soon I found that despite everything, I was the most persistent, meticulous, and resilient one, and it became a blessing somewhere along the way. I realized that if I can withstand this kind of fear and pressure without breaking and turning back, then I could achieve anything I applied myself to.

Boxing (and later kickboxing and bjj) is what I mean when talking martial arts. After years in sports, the competition aspect of it became irrelevant for me, and I started to experience it as a way of life, a philosophy, a discipline that each and every day shows me the right way to live as a human being.

Motorcycles#

On this one I have to say thank you to my grandfather.

That was him whom I, the little kid, first saw riding a bike and wearing those motorcycle attributes — a helmet and a leather jacket — that stuck in my mind for decades. That was him who read my admiration, revived the old scooter with his own hands, gave it to me as a present, and shared that knowing spark in the eyes after my first ride.

And that first scooter ride on the village roads once and for all changed my perception of reality, left a deep imprint in my mind, and became my entry ticket into another world — the one with the wind in the face, the thrill of speed, the freedom of the open road, the excitement of adventure, and the joy of unity with the machine.

Moto and Tech Writing#

When the time came to buy my first vehicle, I had no slightest hesitation that it would be a motorcycle — life just made it happen. That time correlated with my first steps in Tech Writing. I had my share of struggles in the beginning, felt tremendous pressure transitioning into a new field, and experienced imposter syndrome as I had no clear understanding of the required steps to advance in the new domain.

And I didn’t realize it at first, but the motorcycle became my secret weapon and silent teacher. It all started with simple maintenance routines: you buy your first wrenching tools and start learning how to use them — you change the oil, adjust the chain, replace the brake pads.

Step by step you gain confidence in what you do. You roll your sleeves up and get your hands dirty — inspect how things work under the hood, research the problem and find solutions to upgrade the system for a particular application, and you have lots of fun doing it.

The Realization#

And then one day the pieces of the puzzle just fell into place — I suddenly realized that for quite a while I was applying the same approach to my new career without even noticing it — I was learning the Tech Writing craft head-on, getting my hands dirty, researching the problems, consulting best practices, and finding solutions to particular challenges.

Finally, I gained confidence in my abilities, found the right way to learn and grow in the new domain, and above all, found the way to have fun doing it.