Winnie Aromata

I was born and grew up in Taiwan. After four years of education and training in film production at World College of Journalism in Taipei, I immigrated to the United States in 1995 and enrolled at the Community College of Northern Virginia, polished up my English skills, and moved to New York City the following year, supporting myself as an waitress while gaining new and diverse experiences. I returned to Taiwan in 1999 for four years of employment as a program acquisitionist and international affairs coordinator, responsible for purchasing and marketing a broad range of copyrighted content and live broadcast events for a cable and satellite TV company, Era Communications, Taiwan. I have worked as a part-time English-Chinese translator since 2001 for various TV programs and documentaries.

In 2003, one month after quitting my job, I met my life partner, anthropologist Chris Anderson, PhD, and embarked on a life-changing journey conducting ethnographic and historical research on betel nut chewing in Taiwan and Hainan. As my free-lance career was flourishing, I completed and published my first series of English language books, contributed articles to paper and electronic magazines as writer, provided foreign research teams with local logistics, performed instantaneous interpretation and cultural advisement on Taiwan and China, and further worked with my partner to provide high quality language services for translation companies, media production companies, corporations, non-profit organizations, and international conference organizers. Besides pursuing my lifelong interest in languages and cultures, in both Chinese and English, I am currently conducting independent research on low-impact living, utopias, anarchism, global indigenous renaissance, ethno-medicine, human migration, pilgrimage and tourism, cultural diasporas, nomadic lifestyles, and intentional communities.

Writer, Translator, Editor and Proofreader. Self-employed, March 2008 – present.

Free-lance case by case working on translating various types and styles of documents between Traditional/Simplified Chinese and English, including subtitling for movies, TV series and documentaries, documents including surveys, reports, mail correspondences, contracts, legal documents, with specialized focus on humanities, social sciences, literature, education, commerce, mass media, communication, arts, music, craftsmanship, design, aesthetics, tourism, leisure, service industry, environmental awareness and human rights.

Researcher. Research the contemporary Indian cultures, religions, gender relations, social castes, economics, tourist development and environmental issues. Rotary  International,  January - October 2007.

Observing, participating, photographing, and video recording everyday interactions between locals and tourists in pilgrimages, festivals and temple activities to foster mutual understanding across ethnic, religious, social-economic and political boundaries.

Research Assistant, Cultural Advisor & Interpreter. Digital Home Hand-held Device Research Project in Taiwan. Intel Corporation. February to March 2006.

Understanding cultural and gender specific relations among hand-held mobile device users in domestic/pubic social spaces. Recruit participants, coordinate ethnographic interviews, arrange logistics, provide instantaneous interpretation, contribute research data on Chinese cosmology, spirituality, weddings, funerals and market commerce.

Telephonic Interpreter & Cultural Advisor. United Health Care Advisory Conference Project. Language Services Associates, USA. February 2006.

Informing Western medical specialists on traditional Chinese, cosmology, customs, family values, preferred communication styles and diets for Chinese patients with terminal diseases, to enable better quality health care for Chinese immigrants in the U.S.

Research Assistant & Photographer. Assisting Christian Anderson, Ph. D. Candidate, Anthropology, University of Southern California on "Betel Nut Chewing Culture: The Social and Symbolic Life of an Indigenous Commodity in Taiwan and Hainan." June 2003 - September 2006.

Conducting ethnographic fieldwork on Taiwan (June - August 2003, June 2004 - May 2005), Hainan (September 2003 - February 2004), and surrounding islands including Penghu and Orchid Island of Taiwan, West Island of Hainan. Managing logistics, transportation and accommodation prior and during fieldwork trips. Conducting interviews and provide on-site instantaneous oral interpretation between Chinese and English. Researching and collecting relevant sources of historical documents and news articles in Chinese, and translating them into English. Assisting in video, audio and photographic productions. Transcribing and translating interview segments. Organizing and composing research video, audio and photographic data for multimedia presentation.

Writer. Re-writing the classical American novel, Little Women. Cosmo Publishing Company, Taipei, Taiwan. March 2006 - March 2007

Writer. Intermediate English Vocabulary-Building Book (approximately 100,000 words total). Cosmo Publishing Company, Taipei, Taiwan. March 2005 - March 2006.

Systematically categorize 2,680 intermediate English vocabulary words into 179 groups, creating sample sentences for each word, including its various usages, and designing exercises for ten chapters. The book aims to help Chinese ESL (English as Second Language) students build up their vocabulary by associating different words with related concepts. 

Translator. Oral Chinese to written English subtitles for television series and documentaries.

Tan Sierra Pictures, Inc., Los Angeles, California. Transcribe and translate Chinese content of Yao Ming documentary TV series into written English. August 2005.

Wal-mart: The High Cost of Low Price Price  - The Retail Project Inc., Los Angeles, California. Transcribe and translate interviews shot in Shenzhen, China from Chinese to written English. June 2005.

Translator. GQ Magazine, Taiwan. English to Chinese translation of travel articles:

In the Pink, Mexico City: A traveler's file, GQ Taiwan, September 2005.

Ferrari: The Hitchhiker's Guide to Super Car Valley, GQ Taiwan, September 2005.

The Colour of Money, Moscow: A traveler's file, GQ Taiwan, August 2005.

Think Globally, Drink Locally: A travel guide to local bars in London, Chicago, Rome, New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Hong Kong. GQ Taiwan, May 2005.

Hong Kong Foodie: A travel guide to great restaurants, pubs and nightclubs in Hong Kong. GQ Taiwan, March 2005.

Translator. BMG Records, Taiwan. Oral English to written Chinese subtitles for television program, Avril Lavigne, Bonze Tour - Behind the Scene, March 2005.

Writer. Freelance Entrepreneurs in Taipei (approximately 15,000 words total), Netz Publishing Inc., Taipei, Taiwan. March 2005.

This project began with front-end research and interviews with ten successful freelance entrepreneurs living in Taipei and three freelance job agents in Taiwan. Selected freelancers of different fields, from television commercial director to fashion designer, share their experiences and know-how on how to start a prosperous self-employed career from small home offices. The article includes an in-depth analysis of the current trend in out-sourcing and self-employment, and provides practical examples of starting various self-employed careers in Taiwan and beyond.

Translator. English to Chinese, The Watercolor Artist's Bible (approximately 40,000 words total). Visual Communication Publishing Company, Taipei, Taiwan. January - March 2005.

Writer & Photographer. Special Report on How to Start Your Own Small Business in Taipei (approximately 10,000 words total). Netz Publishing Inc., Taipei, Taiwan. January 2005.

Based on front-end research and interviews with eight entrepreneurs in Taipei, the article analyzes different business models for beginners to open their own businesses based on translating their own skills into providing a needed product or service, including successful stories from a make-up artist who opened a beauty salon, and a painter who sells his painted rocks on the streets of Taipei.

Writer. English Learning Textbook Series (approximately 25,000 words total), Soho Publishing, Taipei, Taiwan. September - December, 2004.

Contribute 30 useful sentence structures with ten samples sentences for each structure, and ten reading comprehension passages with exercises.

English Editor. Taiwan International Ethnographic Film Festival Program Brochure. September 2003.

Translator. Oral English to written Chinese subtitles for television series, cartoons and documentary interviews (approximately 120 broadcasting hours). Taipei, Taiwan. January 2001 - May 2003.

Associate Manager. Programming Acquisition for Satellite TV. Era Digital Media, Taipei, Taiwan. September 2002 - May 2003.

Promoted from International Affairs Coordinator position. Managing satellite and digital channel acquisition, selection and packaging of channel programming. Formulating new services for video on demand and interactive content.

International Affairs Coordinator. Era Communications Co. Ltd., Taipei, Taiwan. June 2000 - September 2002.

Program acquisition, negotiation of purchasing and selling broadcasting rights on cable, terrestrial, and satellite television. Manage program translation, subtitling, publicity and satellite coordination for live events including Oscar, Grammy Awards and FIFA World Cup.

Scheduling Producer. Xin Dong Bao Cable TV Channel, Taipei, Taiwan. January - June 2000.

Student. English as second language program. Community College of Northern Virginia, USA. 1996-1997.

Assistant. International Golden Horse Film Festival, Taipei, Taiwan. 1993-1996.

Student. Major in Film Production, Department of Television, Film and Radio Production and Mass Media Communication. World College of Journalism & Communication (Shih Hsin University), Taipei, Taiwan. 1993-1996.

Homestead Host. YMCA Asia Pacific Language Exchange Program. Host Canadian language exchange students in Taipei. 1990-1991.

Contact winnie at omnivoyage dot org.