This “about” page is heavily inspired by Manu’s. It will be updated occasionally.
TLDR version
You can call me Benny. I was born in Santarém, Portugal in 1997. I've been living in Lisbon since 2015. I work as a freelance translator. I write the subtitles you see on your TV while you're munching on your dinner.
Extended version
I was born in March 1997. Despite being born just an hour away from Lisbon, I lived in a town that's small enough for me to value it more now that I’m older. Still, I have a weird relationship with my hometown, as I no longer feel like I “belong” there after living in Lisbon for the past nine years. Oddly enough, I have mixed feelings about living in Lisbon as well. The duality of man, I guess.
I was never a studious child, but I always had good-enough grades. When the time came for me to choose what I would like to do for the rest of my life, I had barely any idea what to do (still don’t) and ended up studying English and North-American Studies. I took Subtitling 101 for extra credits and enjoyed it so much that I ended up doing an academic internship. This led me to my current career.
I was a waiter for two years during college and started working as a freelance translator in June 2018. This made the initial pandemic lockdowns weird for me because I was already stuck at home at the time and, if anything, I had more work than ever, which led to a burnout.
Currently (November 2024), the industry is (still) being affected by the 2023 Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA’s strikes and AI developments, so I feel like I’m at a crossroads when it comes to my professional life. If you can relate to this, feel free to reach out to me! I've loved discussing this issue with other people, since we always get new perspectives.
When it comes to my personal life, I’m extremely fortunate to live with a wonderful partner with whom I share a four-legged son named Haruki, the best cat in the world.