Part 6 of our Summer Blog Series ”Translators Around The World”!
My name is Molly Yurick. I’m a Spanish to English subtitler and translator, and I live in San Diego, California. My journey into the field is a long one! I was born and raised in Minnesota and went to Spanish Immersion Elementary School in my hometown. Strangely enough, in all my studies as a language student, neither translation nor interpreting were ever mentioned as possible careers for my future. When I was halfway through my double major in Spanish and Global Studies at the University of Minnesota, I found out my university offered a Certificate in Interpreting that I could easily complete alongside my degree. I quickly applied and got started on my certificate in my third year of college. Meanwhile, I started to work part time as a freelance medical and social work interpreter for an agency in the Twin Cities and immediately loved it.
But, as much as I loved interpreting in Minnesota, I wanted to spend some time living in a Spanish-speaking country to take my language skills to the next level. I moved to Spain in 2009 to work as an English teaching assistant for the Spanish Ministry of Education. In 2011, I was looking for a change, and started to play around with the idea of translating. I worked part time as a translator for almost three years with financial support from my job at the Ministry of Education before going full time.
I worked as a full-time, freelance translator specialized in tourism and travel until the pandemic hit in 2020. My work essentially disappeared, and that’s when I took a subtitling course to learn how to subtitle. I fell in love with subtitling, and I’d say about 90% of my work is related to audiovisual translation now. I’ve subtitled numerous titles for a wide array of streaming platforms, but the most popular ones I subtitled for Netflix include season 5 of Money Heist and season 1 of Berlin.
I have my office hours, which are from 8:00 to 16:00, Monday to Friday. I start my day by checking my email and move onto paid projects. If I don’t have any paid work, I’ll focus on unpaid tasks like marketing, updating my website, or doing accounting. I know a lot of translators who have set days or schedules for these unpaid tasks, but I find I’m most productive doing them when I don’t have paid work. The key for me is: I will fill my office hours with work, no matter paid or unpaid! This keeps me motivated.
One of the things I value most as a freelancer is flexibility. If I want to take Monday off for some reason, I’ll work Saturday or Sunday instead. I also often use my flexibility to travel without taking vacation, or while visiting family and friends in Minnesota or Spain.
I have built community through volunteering at the American Translators Association and attending their conferences. I have colleagues I can refer work to or ask questions of when I need help. These relationships are essential in a freelance career. Freelancing can be quite lonely, and it’s important to have people to lean on.
When I’m not working I enjoy traveling, doing yoga, exercising, watching TV series, and reading on the beach.
And finally: Freelancing isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s a real challenge. You have to wear a lot of hats and be disciplined yet kind to yourself. All this said, it’s worth it. I love being my own boss, making my own schedule, and living life on my own terms. Plus, I find subtitling to be so much fun!
Molly Yurick
Subtitler, translator
The writer is a freelance subtitler and translator living in San Diego, California. She specializes in Spanish language and has also worked in language teaching and interpreting before falling for subtitling. As a part of her portfolio, she also offers other translation and consultation services.
Website: www.yuricktranslations.com
Instagram: yuricktranslations