Hi there, I’m Katie, a Spanish and Portuguese-to-English marketing translator, copywriter, subtitler, aspiring travel writer and (very occasionally) voiceover artist.

I was born in a quiet, picturesque corner of the UK countryside, fell in love with Spanish at school, and my Spanish and Portuguese degree gave me the chance to spend a year in Brazil and another in Mexico.

I then decided that Granada, Spain, was the place for me and my burgeoning freelance career. Once I was there, I quickly collected two Spanish companions to share my life and home with: my husband and Monty the podenco. We all moved to Zaragoza in 2021.

As with everyone else who’s shared their days here, mine are very flexible beasts, liable to turn out all kinds of ways. But here’s how an average one unfolds in the autumn, when I’m at home rather than flitting around and working from anywhere.

This time of year is all about hibernation, preserving my energy levels and focusing on what I want the year to come to bring. Spring is about networking and getting out of the house, but autumn is for taking it easy, whilst also finally ticking off those on-the-business jobs I’ve had on my list all year.

Around 8 am: I generally let myself wake up naturally, which happens soon after it gets light outside (pretty late in Spain for most of the year). I’m not a human being until I’ve had breakfast, so it’s straight to the kitchen for a hearty one.

Brain and body fuelled for the time being, I either head for the sofa or my desk, fire up my laptop and spend a little too much time faffing on LinkedIn, commenting and scrolling, probably composing a post if I haven’t had a rush of blood to the head the previous day and got one ready.

The rest of this time is dedicated to emails, and perhaps a final proofread of a translation or copywriting job from the day before sending it into the ether.

Around 10 am: We get out earlier in the heat of the summer, but at this time of year, neither Monty nor I are interested in heading out for his walk before the sun’s high in the sky, and we can feel the benefit.

We try and squeeze in at least 45 minutes out and about, longer if I can swing it, or it’s a particularly beautiful day. I’ll then either do some exercise on the terrace, or if it’s a quiet day workwise, head to the gym or the pool for a more intense workout (sometimes followed by a quick spa session). 

Around 1.30 pm: After a shower and finally putting on something that’s not pyjamas or active wear (on a good day), I might have time for another quick blast of work. Or, if my stomach’s already complaining, it’s time for lunch on the terrace (weather permitting) with an audiobook.

I’m still firmly British at heart, so there’s normally no cooking for me at this time, as the day would run away with me. It’s leftovers or something quick. I won’t lie, a nap often sneaks its way in at this point, especially if it’s sunny.

Around 3 pm: This is when the magic happens. I’m at my most creative in the afternoons, and if my brain is cooperating, I can really get into the zone.

That being said, my butterfly brain takes a while to calm down, so I’ll bounce around for a little while, working on marketing, ticking off random admin jobs, doing things writing this blog, or pitching travel articles once a week. But eventually I’ll do a deal with myself and get stuck into whatever big project I’ve got on.

It might be a CRM translation, a film to subtitle, or website copy to craft for a fellow freelance translator, but this week it’s a blog post for a creative agency based in the US.

I write two blogs for them every quarter, and they provide the most incredibly detailed briefs, so a lot of the work is trimming down all the information and deciding what to include and what not to. Night and day compared to my other blog post retainer, who literally send me the title, nothing more.

Around 7 pm: I don’t take a Spanish approach to lunch, but I do take a Spanish approach to when the working day ends, and am often at my desk till about 7. It’s the payoff for those slow mornings, and suits me.

I actually really like working after dark with a candle in the winter, as I get far less distracted. Add a crackling fireplace on YouTube in the background for my very best work.

After that, it’s a quick 15-minute walk for Monty, then pulling together a nutritious veggie meal from whatever’s in the fridge whilst my audiobook plays, or I watch a series in Portuguese (quite enough Spanish exposure around here).

Dinner’s on the terrace May-September, but cosied up in the living room now autumn is upon us. Then it’s time to play with Monty whilst he has his crazy half-hour before he collapses under a blanket, and perhaps do a spot of crochet with recycled t-shirt yarn in front of a film.

Around 11 pm: Time for bed and a few pages of a book before sleep claims me, which never takes long.

It ain’t a glamorous life at this time of year, but the calm is just what I need. With the pressure off, I can really lean into the season, and still surprise myself with what I can achieve.

Let’s stay in touch?

I do a lot of oversharing on LinkedIn, come join me:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katieuniacke-spanish-and-portuguese-to-english-translation-seo-copywriting/

And here’s my website:

Home Page