Meet our German translator, Katja Goodlet!
Tell us a little bit about yourself - where are you from? What languages do you speak? How long have you been translating?
I was born in Slovenia, then moved to Austria at the age of six, so I grew up speaking Slovenian and German. In Austria, we start learning English in primary school, so by the time I was a teenager I was almost fluent. In senior high school, I also learned some French and got interested in Spanish. Then I studied Translation for German, English, and Spanish at the University of Vienna. Unfortunately, I never used my Spanish much, so I focused my translation skills on German and English. After graduating I didn’t pursue a career as a translator, but got into Administration and Event Management. Once I was at home with my first child, I got my first job as a translator for a publishing company in Austria, which I translated two books for. Shortly after, I found out that the Know Your Lemons Foundation was looking for a German translator and I offered my services. After that Corrine told me that she was looking for someone to manage the translation process on an ongoing basis, so I told her I’d be interested and got the job!
Have you worked on other healthcare translation projects? If yes, how did that background help with the Know Your Lemons project? If not, what were the challenges you came across with healthcare translations during this project?
I have never worked on another healthcare-related translation, but this didn’t cause any problems. Luckily the Know Your Lemons Foundation is focused on providing easy-to-understand information and steers clear of medical jargon.
We’re obviously highly visual when it comes to communicating about breast health, so I’m curious what piece of our work did you find most interesting to translate? Why?
I definitely find the 12 signs of breast cancer most riveting to translate. Translation can be very subjective, and trying to find the most suitable term for each of the symptoms, regardless of your personal preference, was very interesting for me. Because space is limited on that poster and each of the symptoms has its own specific label, the language has to be short and still convey the exact message of what we want people to know just by seeing that 1- or 2-worded symptom along with the visual.
Were there sections that were more difficult to translate into your native language? Why?
I am lucky enough to have had the opportunity to translate the Foundation’s app content and related audio and video guides, as well as their entire campaign. So out of the entire project, I would have to say that translating Mona Lisa’s 14-minute self-exam audio guide was the most challenging because I had to get creative. Corrine incorporates an entire visual landscape for the chest area which she calls Lemonland. Then for each part of the chest that needs to be examined, she came up with fun names like “Pitsburg” (armpit) or Lemon Peak (nipple). So getting the creative juices flowing and making sure the term correlates with the respective part of the chest and also makes sense as a term on its own was exciting.
Breast health hasn’t been on a lot of people’s radars, but that’s really starting to change with the work that Know Your Lemons has been doing globally. Were you thinking about breast health before taking on this project? What are your thoughts now?
I had a breast cancer scare at the tender age of 24 after—what seemed out of nowhere—finding a large lump on the side of my breast. Then just a few years ago I had another scare when, after finding a dimple in my breast, I had it examined and it turned out to be nothing. But at that same appointment, they found something suspicious on the other breast and the biopsy was inconclusive, so they had to get it removed surgically and checked. It all turned out to be benign, but I will never forget those 24 hours while waiting for the call from the surgeon.
Knowing the 12 signs of breast cancer can be life-saving. Knowing when to self-exam and how to do it can be life-saving. Knowing when to get a mammogram or ultrasound can be life-saving. The Know Your Lemons Foundation teaches all of these things—through their free app, their posters and social media, and through their volunteer educators worldwide. It’s fantastic!
Anything else you’d like to add?
Having worked for the Know Your Lemons Foundation for five years now, I know how privileged I am to have all this information at my fingertips, and because of that, I feel a tremendous responsibility to share it with all my friends, family, and followers over and over again. I will never stop sharing this information, because you never know when someone’s life might actually be saved because of it.
The 12 signs of breast cancer in German
