This issue\u2019s interviewee and Volunteer is Markus Meisl. Markus has been working as a part of the Sponsorship Team for Translators without Borders (TWB) for 5 years, always ready to communicate with sponsors and ensure they get the recognition they deserve.<\/p>\n
Here is what Markus shared with us about himself and his work for TWB.<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up in Berlin when the Wall was still up, so I grew up in the coolest place on earth\u201d, says Markus, when asked to tell us about his story. \u201cI\u2019m a trained conference interpreter, I studied in Heidelberg and lived in Vancouver, Canada, for more than 8 years- and I didn\u2019t really want to come back!\u201d<\/p>\n
Markus, who has been working at SAP since 1998 and is now \u00a0manager in its language department, tells us how he found out about TWB and why he decided to volunteer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was at a Localization World conference, and Lori Thicke held a presentation about TWB (which she founded). I was at an age where what you do in your work life ideally also satisfies your moral needs of doing something good for the world every day, and this seemed to be a really worthwhile cause. I had volunteered for an immigrant settlement agency in Vancouver before, and I thought it was a good time to get back into something similar, so I contacted Lori and asked if there was anything that I could help with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of his role at TWB Markus says, \u201cI work as a liaison between TWB and the companies who provide it with sponsorships on a yearly basis, such as translation agencies. When an agency pays the money they pledged, I make sure that they provide us with their logo, a short description of their company, and all their social media ID, so that we can recognize their contribution and that they can support us through their channels.\u201d
\nMarkus says that getting people to respond to his emails quickly is the trickiest part of the job, but this doesn\u2019t stop him from enjoying volunteering for TWB: \u201cI find it really satisfying to be helping an organization that does social work in a broader sense, it\u2019s where I get that moral satisfaction that in my regular day job I don\u2019t always have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aside from working at SAP and volunteering for TWB, Markus spends his free time doing a lot of physical exercise (such as running, playing soccer, and skiing) which he needs in order to stay balanced, \u201cAt least that\u2019s what my wife says!\u201d. He doesn\u2019t just play football, he also supports Berlin\u2019s own team, Hertha BSC. Most importantly, Markus enjoys spending time with his wife and his kids. “We love taking the dog out in the forest and hanging out at coffee shops\u201d.<\/p>\n
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