Hello! I’m Liam Hink

I’m a technical writer and editor specializing in documentation for a global audience and working with non-native English speakers.

It can be a challenge to curate your documentation to an audience with different cultural and linguistic background than yourself. Understanding the struggles of those who are learning English as a second or foreign language, the troubles of translators dealing with your copy, and the needs of your users is key to creating documentation that is effective for your users. It is my goal to help you create documentation that helps everyone use your products as efficiently as possible.

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My toolkit

My professional background is quite diverse, centralized in language services including translation, copy editing, teaching, and writing. As of now, I am confident in:

• Translating Japanese to English

• Interpreting between Japanese and English

• Copy editing non-fiction, business documents, and technical documentation

• Vetting translations into English for accuracy

• Producing reports

• Coaching English as a foreign language for formal venues

My professional background

Since 2018, I’ve worked in several different sectors of language services. While I now focus on technical communications, my past work has helped form the professional standards I apply to my current work. Until now, I’ve:

• Translated promotional materials from Japanese to English

• Translated standard operating procedures from Japanese to English

• Interpreted for individuals and at corporate events between Japanese and English

• Produced documentation related to installation and maintenance of custom marine systems

• Produced voyage logs for marine vessel operations between Alaska and Washington

• Taught English as a foreign language to young learners and adults

• Copy edited non-fiction, business documents, employment documents, and academic essays

• Vetted translations for accuracy against originals and provided feedback for adapting to native English

My professional Interests

It’s important to me to help people around me through language services. I am a firm believer that many issues in life could be solved if we all we’re just a bit better at communicating. Unfortunately, communicating effectively is sometimes quite hard, and that’s what I strive to help people in. Particularly, I am interested in:

• Helping those who are trying to English as a foreign language, especially those who have relocated to a new country and now need to learn a new language

• Easing the burden on translators when dealing with copy that isn’t optimized for translation, and alleviating translation errors that stem from ambiguity in the source text

• Boosting the accessibility of new technology by producing documentation that can be easily read and understood by a general or specialized audience

• Understanding how cultural and linguistic background influences interpretations and comprehension of specific documentation

With my background in translation, I have always pursued an interest in how communication works between different language groups and people. In my time as a teacher, one of the most interesting linguistic phenomena I observed was how traits of the student’s source language would affect their use of English, contributing to their unique accent.

My personal interests

Outside of my professional life, I still pursue my love of language. Independently, I research the history of English and language acquisition. Otherwise, I love hiking and seeing the world, so I spend most of my weekends in the outback or driving around. One of my favorite ways to spend a day off is with a map, a compass, and someplace I haven’t been to before. When weather keeps me home, I tend read both non-fiction and fiction, repair hiking gear and the car, or find new ways to stay warm!