training, then, I shaped it according to the needs, whilst trying not to stay within the limits set by my current translation/ interpreting assignments. As a part of my training, I have spent hours on self-study based on medical textbooks, have carefully chosen a few university programmes to ensure I acquire necessary skills (academic writing and statistics, for example), and - courtesy of heads of departments in different hospitals across Poland - I have spent weeks job-shadowing consultants in different medical specialties, both in inpatient and outpatient setting (which is unique for a translator/ interpreter in Poland). 

In the medical and translation world I am known as a quality-driven professional, striving for perfection, who relentlessly challenges all low-quality translations should they come up in the industry. Quality-wise, I have set the bar (for myself and others - colleagues, mentees...) very high and I have the zero-tolerance policy for any attempt to lower it. It is due to the fact that a patient is my top priority and I understand that the quality of translation (interpreting) I deliver, when working with medical records, clinical trials, research papers, conference presentations or medical textbooks, may significantly affect the life, health and wellbeing of an individual or entire groups of patients. By definition, therefore, I refuse to accept assignments, which are beyond the scope of my current knowledge and professional skills, as it is both safe and fair to do. I believe that the primum non nocere (first, do no harm) principle applies to me, as well.