A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MYSELF

Hello everyone! My name is Alifah, a Malaysian, and currently living in Penang, Malaysia. Penang is in the north region of Malaysia and one of the popular sightseeing locations for tourists. I have been living in Penang for almost seven years, and I enjoy the coziness of this place.

After graduation, I started working as a Quality Control Engineer in a Japanese company that specialized in Integrated Circuit socket design. My job as a quality control engineer is to perform evaluation and analysis of newly designed products. Besides that, I also perform other necessary tasks such as document translations and conduct training for the new employees.

Besides working, I spent most of my time watching Korean dramas. I enjoyed watching Korean dramas even though I know that it is not everyone’s cup of tea since I also managed to learn the basics of the Korean language from the dramas watched. I also enjoy watching Japanese dramas to deepen my Japanese Language and cultural knowledge. Most people underestimate the power of dramas and films, but it is the perfect hobby for a homebody like me since I can learn a lot from it.

I'm also keeping myself fit with activities like cycling and exercising at home. A healthy body is one of the recipes for success. You can trust me for this since I struggled with obesity for years, and my life changed after I started to change my lifestyle.

I graduated from Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan in Mechanical Engineering in 2014. My journey of learning the Japanese Language started after high school when I was preparing my A-level course to further my study in Japan. It was a challenging time for me since I need to master the language in a short amount of time before going to Japan. I determined to learn the language since it will give me broader prospects in terms of job hunting after my degree.

During my study in Japan, I also work part timely at various companies. From there I learned Japanese manners during work, and also gained new friendships with the community there. One part-time job that I clearly remember was the job of sorting postcards in Japan's post office during New Year. It was wintertime, and I needed to start working from the middle of the night till morning. It was a tough experience but also a valuable one at the same time.

I would like to move back to Japan again one day, permanently. I loved my time back then, and Japan will remain special to me forever.

WORKSHIFT

I stumbled across the website while casually browsing the Internet one day. Since then, this website has always been my first place to go when I feel like doing any freelance job. It is a very good platform for multilingual speakers. I found my first ever freelance job on this website and it was a translation job from Japanese to the Malay Language.

I joined the website not only for the money, but to learn as well. During the project, I learned to communicate with people across the world and to have the self-discipline to finish the work in the time given.

FUTURE PLANS

During these unprecedented times, there is not much that I can do to plan for the future. But despite the uncertainties, I am planning to grow my career by upgrading myself with various technical and soft skills. Not only for my permanent job but my freelance career as well. Improvement every day is the ultimate goal in my life.

BITS OF ADVICE FOR NEW FREELANCERS

For the new freelancers, welcome! I might not be the perfect individual to give advice, but what can I say is never give up even if your proposal is rejected the first time. It is a competitive world after all since there will be so many individuals with great talent out there. But, don't underestimate yourself as well!