I
was a creative and driven journalist with 10+ years of experience.
Seven years ago, I hit a plateau and had to take a long break from
work. I first underwent training to become a mountain guide, and for
the next two years, I traveled in South America. Before the pandemic
hit, I returned to Taiwan and began working as a part-time translator
for Portico Media (English to Mandarin).

Portico
Media launched its own niche LGBTQ+ OTT streaming platform called
GagaOOLala, which proudly houses over 1,600 licensed and original
LGBTQ+ and BL content from around the world. I work for the website
GagaTai bringing the latest gay entertainment news from the US,
Europe and Latin America, and the latest releases from major
streaming platforms to Taiwan.

Among
the translators for GagaTai over the years, I was the only female
employee. I am not part of the LGBTQ community, so I had to
accurately grasp gay culture and terminology to make the articles
feel both grounded and professional to queer readers. To attract
readership, most of the articles on GagaTai were in the 18+ category,
often featuring explicit content. Besides ensuring the accuracy of
the translation, I had to adjust the text according to Taiwanese
cultural backgrounds and incorporate popular or internet slang. My
writing had to be vivid and sensual, making the erotic content
readable and satisfying to the reader’s
senses.

However,
sometimes readers inevitably get tired of explicit content, and
mastering the art of wording is a big challenge. I greatly enjoyed
honing my language sense and writing skills, making my translations
fluent and lively. I remember in June 2022, with six months of
experience in this work, I was asked by the company if I would be
willing to write film reviews after translating the thriller gay film
"Swallowed." At that moment, I felt a sense of joy that my
work was recognized.

Last
April, I finally returned to my beloved South America while working
as an overseas translator for Wanin Visual, introducing
South American films from Spanish to Mandarin. At that time, I was in
Argentina and wrote articles introducing Netflix's film "La
sociedad de la nieve," the 2023 Argentine national film top box
office "Muchachos, la película de la gente" and the
official documentary of Argentina's World Cup victory "Elijo
creer." I watched these three films in the cinema, and I also
interviewed the audience, which made the translation more impactful.

In
addition, this time I started doing volunteer work in South America,
visiting many places I had never dreamed of reaching and establishing
deeper interactions with the local people. In Lonquimay (Chile), I
helped a travel agency translate travel brochures from Spanish to
English. In El río de los Sauces (Argentina), I helped with
household chores. The host is a film subtitle translator (English to
Spanish), which allowed me to understand the work and lives of other
translators.