My Ciklopea Story: Andrea Mataija

How did you get into the language industry?

Back in 1995, I moved from Germany to Zagreb to pursue my studies in German language and culture. I was looking for a job  to support myself during the studies and I quickly realized that, given the fact that I was a native German speaker, professional translating might just do the trick.

I contacted every LSP in Croatia that I was aware of, and pretty soon I found myself working on translation projects.

I mostly translated materials for the tourism industry, exclusively from Croatian to German, and it came naturally to me. That is how I acquired my professional experience and entered the language industry.

How many languages can you speak and/or understand?

German, Croatian, English.

How did you become a controlling and account manager at Ciklopea?

I was a vendor for Ciklopea. In 2008, I was looking for a new job and it happened by chance (or it was a touch of destiny) that Ciklopea was expanding and looking for reinforcements at the same time. As I say, I had already known the Ciklopea team for a few years at that time. We arranged a meeting and we quickly agreed that, given my background and education in accounting and finances, my position would include more than just project management, so I have been involved in controlling and finances, project management and German translation from the very beginning.

As the company was expanding, we decided to keep my focus on controlling, finances and account management, so I stopped translating and focused on account management.

As German is my mother tongue, I am lucky to be able to use German in my daily work. I have always wanted to work with clients as figures and finances alone could never be my thing, and I have had that great opportunity to work with clients from the DACH markets since the very beginning. I happened to be at the right place at the right time and here I am, sharing the business challenges with Ciklopea for more than 12 years.

What is the driving force of your job?

Believe in your success and you will succeed!

What is your piece of advice to your younger colleagues?

Don’t begin a new thing before you finish the old one.

What is your secret superpower?

Curiosity, optimism and multitasking ability.

Who is your hero and why?

My mother! She raised 4 children to become beautiful human beings.

What is your motto or favorite quote?

Love what you do!

The three things you would take to a desert island?

Hammock, toothbrush, snorkeling mask.

Describe Ciklopea in one sentence.

A successful, goal-oriented and continuously expanding company.