About Me

💓Hi, there, this is Thea Xu (Xu Liu Na). It's nice to finally e-meet you! I'm a self-employed translator/interpreter based in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.

I provide language consulting service between English and Simplified Chinese (Mandarin) on a freelance basis, tailored to individual and business needs, for the purpose of facilitating written and spoken communications. I pitch in whenever I can for a client in terms of personal development and product cycles, with a focus on marketing & legal fields. To reach out, please drop me a line at : xuliuna@theaxu.com

Before embarking on the freelancing journey in January 2017, I:

- worked as an in-house translator at a local translation agency for one year and a half; passed the China Accreditation Test for Translators and Interpreters (CATTI) and obtained the Level 2 certificate;

- before that, landed my first full-time job working as a technical writer at an IT company for one year, assisting engineers in offering antivirus solutions for clients outside China.

Back then, no one around me understood why I suddenly changed my course. Me, neither. But, deep down in my heart, I sensed that I wouldn't be making the most of opportunities presented until I tried.

Reasons I like being a freelancer:

  • 📚learning new things centering around my curiosity and interests (like this blog I set up reading step-by-step guides; some may call it plain, I would argue that it's "minimalism-style"🤣);
  • 🖥️working on projects that excite me and follow branches of a certain knowledge system a little bit deeper;
  • ⏰cultivating routines to better allocate time among various aspects of my life;
  • 🚆commuting only when it's necessary;

Things I've had the chance to try as a freelancer, or, a digital nomad:

  • switched locations to live for a certain amount of time, experiencing mini culture shocks and acting like a local;
  • worked in another country on short-term contracts, experiencing longer culture shocks on both life and work fronts;
  • took the time I needed to grief when I lost loved ones;
  • built up a clientele who value efficient communication, mutual respect, and appreciation;
  • practice principles of living as a minimalist;
  • caught up with my to-read/to-watch/to-listen list and immersed myself in mini time-travels;
  • a green hand gardener, taking care of 13 plants somehow surviving & thriving under my clueless reign🤣.

I always crave for practical twitches to improve workflows, practices, and knowledge systems in general, in order that I'm able to live my life to the fullest before I, you know, that...so If you don't mind, please share yours with me :D.

P.S. You'll never overstay your welcome here! :)