Onaiwu Destiny – Language Consultant | English – Pidgin Translator

'Where there is plurality of languages, there is often a lingual barrier to be surmounted and that is where the language consultant comes in. Often times a polyglot himself, he stands as the bridge between the parties with opposing languages with the aim of bridging the existing communication gap'
Onaiwu Destiny | Language Consultant | Pidgin Translator

Professional Experience

Onaiwu Destiny is an experienced language consultant and a renowned English – Pidgin translator.  He has the passion and proficiency for Translation, Interpretation, communication and administration. He has over 12 years of active teaching and translation experience at various academic levels and at varied walks of life.

He currently serves as a Language Consultant at DY+ Language Solutions, a translation agency he founded in 2011 and has since then rendered translation and interpretation services at various capacities and for numerous foreign and local organizations.

First name Destiny, he has in the past served as a Nigerian Pidgin translator and transcriptionist for an Europe-based non-governmental organization in the realization of several original true-life based documentaries of over 50,000 words and over 40 hours respectively. He has also help to organise several international meetings held in Nigeria alongside notable multinational organisations like the African Union, UN Women, ECOWAS, ACCA, The International Chambers of Commerce, (ICC) among many others.

Until recently (2020), he was employed as a Senior Linguistics Officer at the head office of the largest cement brand in Africa – Dangote Cement. There, his major responsibilities included translation of legal and official documents, contracts, correspondences etc. (all from English to French and vise versa) for the Deputy Group Managing Director (DGMD). He also managed and prioritized the DGMD’s correspondences, manage and maintain a database of all his approvals and other important documents while carrying out other administrative duties on his behalf.

Often referred to as DY, he has over the past 3 years (from 2016) decided to focus his attention on primarily working as a translator of the Nigerian Pidgin to English (and vice versa) due to the limited number of professional translators in that domain, and also due to the recent spike in demand for the services from numerous international organization.

He has so far translated documents of over 150,000 words and transcribed over 200 hours of audio files. He also mentors and trains young enthusiasts who  nurse the ambition of becoming translators themselves.

Language Interest

A Nigerian who grew-up in Lagos, he speaks Bini – his mother tongue, Yoruba, Pidgin, French and English fluently. He obtained his first degree in French language from the department of Foreign Languages, at the Lagos State University in Nigeria. In addition to the five languages that he speaks effortlessly, he considers himself a language enthusiast and constantly seeks out new language opportunities and he is always open to new challenges that any other language might present.

Who is a Language Consultant?

simultaneous interpretation services

The main objective that a language consultant is the elimination of any form of  language barrier that may exit between individuals or organizations of different language background. Where there is plurality of languages, there is often a lingual barrier to be surmounted and that is where the language consultant comes in.

Often times a polyglot himself (or herself), he/she stands as the bridge between the parties with opposing languages with the aim of bridging the existing communication gap. He/she goes above and beyond, pulling every available resources at his/her disposal to ensure, at all cost, that all pressing language needs are met.  

An example would be, In a situation where an international multilingual conference is scheduled to hold in a country, the language consultant in such a scenario is charged with the responsibility of organizing the necessary professional interpreters, the supplier of the interpretation equipment (along with other necessary audio devices) as well all other necessary logistics to make for an overall successful multi-lingual  deliberations at such a conference.

A language consultant is also an individual that is vast in multiple languages and more importantly, knows how to pull all available human and financial resources together to achieving the desired goals of a given language related project.

Conclusion

The scope and true nature of the duties and responsibilities of a language consultant cannot be spelt out in its entirety, especially at these times of unprecedented technological advancement and the recent phenomenon of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. The extent and responsibilities of a modern-day language consultant goes far beyond the 9 opportunities open to translation agencies as I, Onaiwu Destiny earlier enumerated.

It is however worthy to note that a professional language consultant thrives off his vast language related experiences and manages to put all necessary resources together to ensure that your language barrier is a thing of the past.

Some Frequently Asked Questions

A language consultant is a trained professional whose main objective is to resolve any form of language challenge that may exist between individuals or organizations of different language backgrounds. As individuals and businesses go across different international boarders, there is a tendency that there will be a language/communication barrier, and that is where a language consultant take up the responsibility of matching the appropriate person(s) to provide solution to the problem at hand. He is equipped with the knowledge and competence of other linguists and other language services providers and therefore stand as the middle-men between the linguist/language service provider and the client for the purpose of leaving both parties satisfied at the end.

On the average, most organizations expects a language consultants to have at least a bachelor’s degree in any of the predominant international languages (English, French, Portuguese, Arabic, German etc) with a reasonable understanding of other widely spoken languages of the region in question. Other added advantages to such a position would be a good communication skill as well as other leadership qualities.

Most language consultants often render their services as freelancers and therefore earn a commission based on an agreed percentage. In other cases, their earnings are purely based on how well such a consultant can negotiate.

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