Communication makes the world go round
Through language we spread ideas. emotions. discoveries. revolutions.
TransLABtion exists to make sure none of that gets flattened in transit
The story behind TransLABtion
My name is Almudena López, and I’ve been working with words and languages since 2011.
I started my career in-house at international translation agencies. It was a very good place to learn the machinery behind multilingual communication: project management, international clients, deadlines, quality control, glossaries, translation memories and all the coordination required to keep large volumes of content moving.
It also showed me what happens when language starts behaving too much like a production line.
Speed and productivity inevitably matter in an agency environment. But I wanted more room to understand the brands behind the projects, follow their terminology and choices over time, ask better questions and give the work the attention I felt it deserved.
I had always known I wanted to build something of my own. The freedom to make those decisions myself was a large part of the appeal.
So I did.
Background and Expertise
- Bachelor’s Degree in Translation & Interpreting
- Master’s Degree in Medical & Health Translation
- Certification in Branded Content and Transmedia Storytelling
- Court Expert in Forensic Linguistics
- Certification in Copywriting
- Certification in Transcreation
- Certification in Consumer Neuroscience & Neuromarketing
- I have written for The Independent newspaper (UK)
- Webinar speaker for the Spanish Association of Translators
- Translated publications:
- CEVA Guidance for the Rational Use of Antimicrobials, the 1st European consensus about the treatment of the most common infectious diseases in dogs and cats
The Superyacht Book, teNeuesVerlag, 2016
- A Hole in my Tummy, Knappenforeningen, 2017
The LAB in TransLABtion is there for a reason
The name combines translation with the idea of a laboratory: a place to experiment with language, test possibilities and find the best way to carry an idea from one language into another.
That still describes the part of the work I enjoy most: getting inside a brand’s universe; pulling apart a line that refuses to travel neatly; finding a way to preserve a double meaning or inventing a new one when the original trick simply will not survive the journey.
Sometimes the solution appears quickly. More often — and I love this part — it takes ten versions and a walk around the room.
I am much more interested in the right answer than the fastest one.
There is no shortcut to getting a brand right
There are, however, plenty of shortcuts to making it sound generic.
I have very little affection for language treated as a commodity: empty briefs, impossible timelines, work handed to whoever clicks accept first, or quality reduced to how many words can move through a system in an hour.
Efficiency has its place, and so do technology and AI. But some work benefits from time, context and somebody caring enough to notice when something is slightly off.
TransLABtion is intentionally small and specialised for that reason.
I kept plenty from my agency years: organisation, terminology management, reference material, translation memories and the slightly obsessive instinct to document decisions so that the next piece of content does not start from zero.
The conveyor belt I was happy to leave behind.
Small ≠ Limited
I personally lead the Spanish work and stay close to the projects that come through TransLABtion.
When other languages are involved, I work with native professionals chosen for the work in front of us. A language pair on a CV is only the beginning. I look at how someone writes, their experience in the field, how they communicate, the questions they ask and the care they seem to bring to their work.
And when they join a project, they get context: terminology, brand references, tone of voice, audience, previous decisions and the reason the content exists in the first place.
Because giving someone three files and a deadline has never struck me as much of a creative brief.
The kind of work I want to put in the world
TransLABtion tends to click best with people who care about craft and understand that good work sometimes needs time.
I am especially drawn to brands and organisations with a sense of purpose beyond simply producing more: people thinking seriously about sustainability, culture, social responsibility and the effect their work has on the world around them.
Perfection is not a requirement. Caring is.
Working with TransLABtion
A few things you can expect from the way TransLABtion works.
-
No telephone game.
You stay close to the person doing the thinking and the work. Context has fewer places to disappear. -
A brief is a starting point.
I want to know what sits behind it: the audience, the brand, previous decisions and what the communication actually needs to achieve. The useful questions often start there. -
Good work leaves a trail.
Terminology, references and decisions are documented so the next project can build on what we already know instead of starting from zero.
Languages and sectors
Spanish is always one side of the conversation.
I work with international brands communicating in Spain and Spanish brands reaching audiences abroad. For languages beyond Spanish, TransLABtion brings in native specialists selected around the market, sector and work itself.
Core areas of experience:
Beauty & Fragrance • Travel & Hospitality • Life Sciences • Arts, Culture & Lifestyle
Enough about TransLABtion.
Tell me about your brand
If the way I work sounds like a good fit, send me the rough version. No polished brief required. We can work out the rest from there.