On-line Dictionaries

The three on-line dictionaries I recommend are:

Spanish Dictionary: www.rae.es

English Dictionary: www.answers.com

English Slang Dictionary: http://www.urbandictionary.com

If you know of any other that you consider to be highly recommendable, feel free to suggest it.

I may add more to this list in the future.

Are Editors Really Needed?

Mmmm...


“Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe.



cehers"

On Commas

I invite you to have fun with commas. I almost hear you saying: WHAT?
Trust me: we will have fun.

Take a look at these two texts. The meaning is turned around by the different placement of punctuation marks. Isn’t it fantastic?

Dear Jack,
I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we’re apart. I can be forever happy –will you let me be yours?
Jill

Dear Jack,
I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men I yearn! For you I have no feelings whatsoever. When we’re apart I can be forever happy. Will you let me be?
Yours,
Jill


The source I took this from is the magical book called Eats Shoots & Leaves, by Lynne Truss: http://eatsshootsandleaves.com/
Lynne Truss has the awesome ability to make a book on Punctuation funny. I laughed out loud while reading this book, which I finished in less time than a hooking novel.

Hopefully those texts exemplified clearly that punctuation marks are important. Now, have you ever made the use of commas a conscious thing?

This list of simple rules was taken from a book that has been my Grammar guide ever since. I’m a big fan of simple rules, so here I place them in the hope that they may be of use to you.

Source: “Practical English Usage,” by Michael Swan. Available at: http://www.amazon.com/Practical-English-Usage-Michael-Swan/dp/019431197X

1. Commas are not used before noun clauses (in other words, before that, what, where, when, if, etc in reported speech, after verbs of saying and thinking).

* Everybody realized that I was a foreigner.
* I didn’t know where I should go.
* Tell me what you’re going to do.
* Frederick wondered if lunch was ready.

2. Commas are not used with ‘identifying relative clauses’. Compare:

* Mrs Grange, who was sitting behind the reception desk, gave me a big smile.
* The woman who was sitting behind the reception desk gave me a big smile.

3. Commas are often used after ‘adverbial clauses’, when these come first in a sentence. When they come after the main clause, it is more usual not to have a comma. Compare:

* If you’re ever in London, come and look me up.
* Come and look me up if you’re ever in London.

4. Commas are used to separate items in a series or list, but they are often not used between the last two items.

* I’d like to visit Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Yugoslavia.

If the last two items are long, we are more likely to use commas.

* I spent yesterday playing cricket, drinking beer, and talking about the meaning of life.

5. Commas are used to separate “sentence-adverbs” when these come between parts of the verb, or between the subject and verb, or the verb and complement, of a sentence.

* My father, however, was determined to continue.
* He had, surprisingly, kept his temper all day
* We were, believe it or not, in love with each other.

6. Commas are not usually used between grammatically separate sentences (in places where a full stop would be possible). In these cases, we normally use either a full stop or a semi-colon.

-------

I'll place one sentence here without punctuation. You get 2 opposite meanings by placing and using different punctuation. Do you want to try?

Helping hint: you'll need in total: 3 commas, 2 full stops and 1 colon.

A woman without her man is nothing

If you are a little bit like me, you'll rush to check the commas I placed and you'll probably find some mistakes. Please do feel free to tell me about them in the comments section. I will understand it and accept it because that's exactly what I would do.

Curriculum Vitae en español

Datos Personales:


Nombre completo: Patricia Schiavone Rosenfeld
Fecha de nacimiento: 21 de diciembre de 1969
Edad: 39
Nacionalidad: Uruguaya
E-mail: patricia@AtoZEdit.com
Web site: www.AtoZEdit.com

Estudios:


Estudios secretariales:

Secretariado Ejecutivo Bilingüe (Español – Inglés). Instituto Crandon. Montevideo, Uruguay.
(1987 - 1988)
Cubriendo las siguientes áreas:
- Mecanografía
- Taquigrafía (Español e Inglés)
- Redacción Comercial (Español e Inglés)
- Traducción
- Archivo
- Manejo de Personal


Idioma Inglés:

· "Certificate of Written English for Industry and Commerce, Advanced Level", London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (1994)
· "Certificate of Spoken English for Industry and Commerce, Advanced Level", London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (1994)
· "First Level Single Subjects", London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (1994)
· “Certificate of Proficiency in English”, University of Cambridge. (1993)
· "Anglo Higher", Instituto Anglo. (1988)
· “First Certificate in English”, University of Cambridge. (1987)


Idioma Portugués:

· 1 mes de curso de inmersión en la Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brasil. Curso avanzado diseñado para estudiantes de lingüística. (Ene 1998)
· 2 semestres con profesor particular. (1996 - 1997).
· 4 semestres. Brasil Club de Portugués. Montevideo, Uruguay. (1994 - 1995)


Idioma Alemán:

· 1 semestre: Gramática correspondiente al 6º y 7º semestre. Goethe Institut. (1997)
· 5 semestres. Goethe Institut. (1991 - 1995)


Idioma Francés:

· "Certificat", Alliance Française de l’Uruguay. (1982 - 1986)


Linguística:

· 13 materias aprobadas (equivalente al 56% del programa). Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación, Universidad de la República. Montevideo – Uruguay. (1996-2000)


Informática:

A pesar de no contar con estudios formales, trabajo permanentemente con Microsoft Office para Windows e Internet.


Logística:

· Transporte Internacional de Mercancías Peligrosas.
Curso de actualización solicitado por I.A.T.A. (International Air Transport Association).
Duración: 2 semanas. Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano. Montevideo, Uruguay. (2002)

· Transporte Internacional de Mercaderías. Curso básico. P.L.U.N.A.. Montevideo, Uruguay.
Curso solicitado por I.A.T.A. (International Air Transport Association) para recibir la membresía IATA. Duración: 4 semanas.

· Transporte Internacional de Mercancías Peligrosas, P.L.U.N.A. Montevideo, Uruguay. (1991)
Curso solicitado por I.A.T.A. (International Air Transport Association) para recibir la membresía IATA. Duración: 2 semanas.

Los cursos IATA incluyen los siguientes aspectos de Transporte Aéreo: embalaje, etiquetado, tarifas y medidas de seguridad.

· Curso de 5 semanas en Herzing Internationale Spedition Gmbh, Frankfurt, Alemania. (1990).
Este curso de entrenamiento fue ofrecido por la Casa Matriz de d-t-d Cargo S.A. en Frankfurt, Alemania, cubriendo áreas de flete marítimo, aéreo, transporte multimodal, procedimientos de importación en el aeropuerto de Frankfurt y en el puerto de Hamburgo, embalaje, transporte terrestre y ventas.


Enseñanza de Español como lengua extranjera:

· Certificado de Enseñanza de Español como Lengua Extranjera. INTERNATIONAL HOUSE- LONDON Institute. Montevideo, Uruguay (2002)


Enseñanza de Inglés como lengua extranjera:

· Anglo Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. INSTITUTO ANGLO URUGUAYO. Montevideo, Uruguay (2005)


Experiencia Laboral:
(Como he trabajado en más de un puesto al mismo tiempo, algunas fechas se superponen.)


. ASISTENTE VIRTUAL FREELANCE
01.09.2008 - Presente

Tareas:

- Búsquedas en internet (noticias, datos, clientes potenciales, etc.).

- Traducciones español-inglés-español (de correspondencia, folletería y libros).

- Organización de viajes (reservas de hotel, de auto, agendas, etc.).


. CORRECTORA DE TEXTOS EN INGLÉS Y ESPAÑOL

Corrección de textos literarios en diferentes niveles: ortografía, gramática, sintaxis, elección de títulos, etc. de acuerdo al Chicago Manual of Style.


· CASA PARTICULAR
Gerente de Familia y Asistente Personal 07.03.2006 – 31.08.2008

Tareas:

Gerenciamiento total de la casa y sus empleados; asistencia personal a la dueña de casa:
- Responsabilidad total del personal (6 empleados), incluyendo dirección, pago de salarios, selección, contratación y despido. Tanto en Montevideo como en Punta del Este (en verano).
- Organización de viajes de placer o negocios.
- Organización de fiestas y eventos.
- Tareas administrativas.


· FUNDACIÓN A GANAR
Asistente Administrativa 10.10.2005 – 04.03.2006


· TRIMBLE S.A. – INVERSIONES URUGUAYAS
Asistente Personal del Presidente. 07.10.2003 – 07.10.2005

Inversiones Uruguayas es una consultora de asesoramiento financiero. Como asistente personal del Presidente, el espectro de mis actividades fue muy amplio:

- Cajas personales y de la oficina
- Compras y Mantenimiento de la oficina
- Archivo
- Escritura y corrección de informes
- Agenda personal y comercial
- Traducción de documentos de/a Español, Inglés y Portugués. Traducciones simples del Francés al Español.
- Búsqueda diaria de noticias en Internet
- Organización de viajes de negocios: agenda, pasajes aéreos, reserva de hoteles
- Relaciones públicas


· SDV URUGUAY S.A.
Gerente de Operaciones. 01.12.2001 – 10.03.2003

Mis responsabilidades incluían:
- Operaciones aéreas y marítimas de importación y exportación (reservas, documentación, coordinación con proveedores nacionales e internacionales y con clientes)
- Reclamos y seguimientos de facturación con el exterior
- Gerenciamiento del Departamento de Operaciones (2 empleados)

Perfil de la empresa:

SDV International Logistics es un grupo líder reconocido mundialmente, especializado como agencia de transporte internacional y logística.
De origen francés, ahora opera en 85 países con 8.000 empleados y pertenece al Grupo Bolloré, que emplea a 30.000 personas en todo el mundo.
Es especialista en todas las áreas del transporte y la logística. Ofrece soluciones personalizadas usando la tecnología más avanzada.
Cifras principales: 85 países, 500 filiales, 7.897 empleados. Posición: IATA No. 1 en Francia, 6º en el ranking europeo.


· FERNÁNDEZ INSÚA (URUGUAY) S.A.
Empresa importadora de repuestos Caterpillar. Mis responsabilidades incluían: control contable, manejo de operaciones de importación, control de stock, cálculo de costos y manejo de personal. Trabajé aquí en dos períodos:

Tel: (598-2) 400-0942 01.02.1998 - 02.07.1999
01.04.2001 - 05.09.2001

Perfil de la empresa:

FERNÁNDEZ INSÚA S.A. es el importador más grande en Argentina de repuestos no originales para maquinaria Caterpillar y motores Cummins, con 80 empleados y 5 filiales en el país. En 1998 decidió expandirse y abrió una filial en Uruguay.


· INSTITUTO CULTURAL ANGLO URUGUAYO
Profesora de Español como lengua extranjera.
Tel: (598-2) 902-3773 (int. 147) Julio 2000 - Marzo 2001


· TAHAL CONSULTING ENGINEERS - SEINCO SRL
Consultora de ingeniería del Gobierno de Israel contratada por el Gobierno uruguayo para hacer el plan de ingeniería de la “Quinta Línea de Bombeo a la ciudad de Montevideo”.
Tareas de Secretaria Ejecutiva. Traducciones de diferentes idiomas, organización y edición de informes mensuales. Por ser la única persona uruguaya del equipo, ofrecí apoyo permanente al personal que venía del exterior.

Tel: (598-2) 916-1565 916-4463 20.01.1995 - 28.02.1998


Perfil de la empresa:

El grupo de ingeniería TAHAL es el más grande en Israel y figura entre las principales empresas de su tipo en el mundo. TAHAL se fundó en los primeros tiempos del Estado de Israel con el objetivo de resolver uno de los problemas más graves de Israel: la falta de agua, y desde ese entonces ha jugado un rol principal en el aprovechamiento del desierto.
El grupo, con el correr de los años, evolucionó y se transformó en una entidad internacional dinámica y creciente, ofreciendo un rango amplio de servicios de ingeniería, incluyendo estudios de reconocimiento, planeamiento, diseño, supervisión de construcción y gerenciamiento de proyectos.

· AMETEX UK
Representante de ventas en Uruguay. Responsable de compras, cotizaciones e importaciones.
Bradford, England. 01.11.1995 – 28.02.1998


· AMETEX FABRICS, INC.
Representante de ventas en Uruguay y Paraguay. Mismas responsabilidades más viajes a Paraguay.
New York, United States of America. 01.07.1991 - 28.02.1998

Perfil de la empresa:

Ametex pertenece a The Robert Allen Group http://www.robertallendesign.com/ y es el principal diseñador y comercializador de telas finas para tapicería. Por más de 60 años ha creado diseños hermosos y únicos.


· BRASIL CLUB DE PORTUGUÉS
Secretaria. Recepcionista, venta de cursos, elaboración de material & programas y manejo de la biblioteca.

Tel. (598-2) 408-1163 - 409-5474 02.08.1993 - 28.02.1995

Perfil de la empresa:

Segundo instituto de enseñanza de idioma Portugués en Uruguay.


· d-t-d CARGO S.A.
Secretaria Ejecutiva y Gerente de Logística. Operaciones de transporte aéreo y marítimo de exportación e importación. Responsable de cotizaciones de fletes (con medios de transporte multimodal), reservas y ventas. Customer service.

Tel. (598-2) 901-1942 - 902-2946 22.05.1989 - 27.03.1992

Perfil de la empresa:

Empresa de Forwarding Agent abierta en Montevideo, Uruguay, en 1989, como filial de HERZING INTERNATIONALE SPEDITION Gmbh. Número 1 en exportaciones de telas de Uruguay a Europa, principalmente Alemania e Inglaterra, usando transporte multimodal.

What Can I Do For You?

The array of possible services I can do on-line, for you, is quite varied. Feel free to ask and I will honestly reply if what you need is something I can help you with and something I would like to help you with.

Take a look at my CV and you will have a good picture of what I know.

I look forwards to receiving your e-mail.

All the best,

Patricia

Résumé

Personal Information:

Full name: Patricia Schiavone Rosenfeld
Birth date: December 21st, 1969
Age: 39
Nationality: Uruguayan
E-mail: patricia@AtoZEdit.com
Web site: www.AtoZEdit.com

Education:


Secretarial Studies:

Executive Bilingual Secretarial Course (Spanish – English). Instituto Crandon. Montevideo, Uruguay. (1987 - 1988)
Covering the following areas:
- Typing
- Shorthand (Spanish and English)
- Business writing (Spanish and English)
- Translation
- Filing
- Personnel management

English Language:

· "Certificate of Written English for Industry and Commerce, Advanced Level", London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (1994)
· "Certificate of Spoken English for Industry and Commerce, Advanced Level", London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (1994)
· "First Level Single Subjects", London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (1994)
· “Certificate of Proficiency in English”, University of Cambridge. (1993)
· "Anglo Higher", Instituto Anglo. (1988)
· “First Certificate in English”, University of Cambridge. (1987)

Portuguese Language:

· 1 month immersion course at Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brasil. Advanced course specially designed for Linguistics students. (Jan. 1998)
· 2 semesters of private tuition. (1996 - 1997).
· 4 semesters. Brasil Club de Portugués. Montevideo, Uruguay. (1994 - 1995)

German Language:

· 1 semester: Grammar corresponding to 6º and 7º semester at Goethe Institut. (1997)
· 5 semesters at Goethe Institut. (1991 - 1995)

French Language:

· "Certificat", Alliance Française de l’Uruguay. (1982 - 1986)

Linguistics:

· 13 subjects passed (equivalent to 56% of the Programme). Faculty of Education and Humanities, University of the Republic. Montevideo – Uruguay. (1996-2000)

Information Technology:

Although I have no formal IT training, I work permanently with Microsoft Office for Windows and the Internet.

Logistics:

· International Air Transport of Dangerous Goods.
Update course required by I.A.T.A. (International Air Transport Association).
Duration: 2 weeks. Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano. Montevideo, Uruguay. (2002)

· International Air Transport of Goods. Basic course. P.L.U.N.A. Airlines. Montevideo, Uruguay.
Course required by I.A.T.A. (International Air Transport Association) in order to receive IATA membership. Duration: 4 weeks.

· International Air Transport of Dangerous Goods, P.L.U.N.A. Airlines. Montevideo, Uruguay. (1991)
Course required by I.A.T.A. (International Air Transport Association) in order to receive IATA membership. Duration: 2 weeks.

IATA courses include the following aspects of Air Transport: packaging, labelling, rates and safety requirements.

· One-month training at Herzing Internationale Spedition Gmbh, Frankfurt, Germany. (1990).
This training course was offered by the Head Office of d-t-d Cargo S.A. in Frankfurt, Germany, covering seafreight, airfreight, multimodal transport, import procedures in Frankfurt airport and Hamburg seaport, packaging, inland delivery and sales.

Spanish Teaching as a Second Language:

· Certificate of Spanish Teaching as a Foreign Language. INTERNATIONAL HOUSE- LONDON Institute. Montevideo, Uruguay (2002)

English Teaching as a Second Language:

· Anglo Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. INSTITUTO ANGLO URUGUAYO. Montevideo, Uruguay (2005)


Work Experience:
(As I worked in more than one position at the same time, some dates overlap.)


. FREELANCE VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
09.01.2008 - Present

Tasks:

- Internet searches (news, data, potential clients, etc.)

- Translations (English - Spanish - English). Correspondence, catalogues, books.

- Travel arrangements (tickets, hotel & car reservations, agenda, etc.)


. EDITOR OF LITERARY TEXTS IN ENGLISH & SPANISH

09.01.2008 - Present

Edition of literary texts: spelling, grammar, syntax, title choice, etc. Copy-editing according to the Chicago Manual of Style.


· PRIVATE HOME
Household Manager & Personal Assistant 03.07.2006 – 08.31.2008

Tasks:

Full management of the house, its personnel and personal assistance to Mrs. T.:
- Full personnel responsibility –6 employees-, including management, salaries, hiring and firing. Both in Montevideo and Punta del Este.
- Business and pleasure trips organisation.
- Organisation of events.
- Administrative tasks.


· FUNDACIÓN A GANAR
Administrative Assistant 10.10.2005 – 03.04.2006


· TRIMBLE S.A. – INVERSIONES URUGUAYAS
Personal Assistant to the President. 10.07.2003 – 10.07.2005

Inversiones Uruguayas is a Financial Consulting firm and as the Personal Assistant to the President, the scope of my activities was very wide:

- Office and Personal accounting
- Purchasing and Office Maintenance
- Filing
- Report writing and report correction
- Business and Personal Agenda
- Document translations from/into Spanish, English and Portuguese. Simple document translations from French into Spanish
- Daily news search on Internet and reporting
- Business trips organisation: agenda, airplane tickets, hotel reservations
- Public Relations


· SDV URUGUAY S.A.
Operations Manager. 12.01.2001 – 03.10.2003

My responsibilities included:
- Seafreight and Airfreight import and export operations. (Booking, documentation, coordination with national and international suppliers and clients).
- Checking, claims and follow-up of invoices from abroad.
- Managing of the Operations Department –2 employees.

Profile of the company:

SDV International Logistics is a worldwide-known-and-leading group, specialized in international freight forwarding, transportation and logistics.
Of French origin and now operating in 85 countries with 8000 employees, SDV International Logistics belongs to the Bolloré Group , which employs 30 000 people worldwide.
Specialist in all areas of transportation and logistics, SDV International Logistics provides customized solutions using the most advanced technologies.
Key figures: 85 countries, 500 stations, 7.897 employees. Position: IATA Nr. 1 in France, ranking 6 in Europe.


· FERNÁNDEZ INSÚA (URUGUAY) S.A.
Import firm of Caterpillar spare parts. My responsibilities included accounting control, handling of import operations, stock control, costs calculation, and personnel management.

Tel: (598-2) 400-0942 02.01.1998 - 07.02.1999
04.01.2001 - 09.05.2001

Profile of the company:

FERNÁNDEZ INSÚA S.A. is the biggest importer of non-original spare parts for Caterpillar machinery and Cummins engines in Argentina with 80 employees and 5 branch offices in the country.
In 1998 it decided to expand and opened a branch office in Uruguay.


· INSTITUTO CULTURAL ANGLO URUGUAYO
Teacher of Spanish as a Foreign and Second Language.
Tel: (598-2) 902-3773 (int. 147) July 2000 - March 2001


· TAHAL CONSULTING ENGINEERS - SEINCO SRL
Engineer consulting firm from Israel contracted by the Uruguayan Government for the engineering plan of the “Fifth Water Line Supply to the City of Montevideo”.
Tasks of executive secretary. Translations from different languages, organisation and editing of monthly reports. Due to being the only Uruguayan member of staff, I provided permanent support to staff from abroad.
Tel: (598-2) 916-1565 916-4463 01.20.1995 - 02.28.1998


Profile of the company:

The TAHAL Group is Israel's largest engineering concern and ranks among the top companies of its kind in the world. TAHAL was established in the early days of the state with the aim of addressing one of Israel's most acute problems - lack of water - and has since then played a key role in the legendary blooming of the country's desert.
The Group has over the years evolved into a dynamic and progressive international entity, offering a wide range of engineering services, including reconnaissance studies, planning, design, construction supervision and project management.


· AMETEX UK
Sales Representative in Uruguay. Responsible for purchasing orders, quotations and import.
Bradford, England. 11.01.1995 – 02.28.1998


· AMETEX FABRICS, INC.
Sales Representative in Uruguay and Paraguay. Same responsibilities plus travelling to Paraguay.
New York, United States of America. 07.01.1991 - 02.28.1998

Profile of the company:

Ametex, a division of The Robert Allen Group, is a leading designer and marketer of fine fabrics. For more than 60 years, Ametex has created beautiful and unique textile designs.


· BRASIL CLUB DE PORTUGUÉS
Secretary. Receptionist, course sales, materials & syllabi preparation and library management.
Canelones 1722
Tel. (598-2) 408-1163 - 409-5474 08.02.1993 - 02.28.1995

Profile of the company:

Second biggest Institute of Portuguese Language in Uruguay.


· d-t-d CARGO S.A.
Executive Secretary and Logistics Manager. Operations of sea and airfreight (export and import). Responsible of freight quotations (with multimodal means of transport), booking and sales.
Mercedes 937/ 501
Tel. (598-2) 901-1942 - 902-2946 05.22.1989 - 03.27.1992

Profile of the company:

Forwarding agent company opened in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1989, as a branch office of HERZING INTERNATIONALE SPEDITION Gmbh. Number 1 in fabrics exports from Uruguay to Europe, mainly Germany and UK, using multimodal means of transport.