Go behind the scenes at CNET to meet some of our employees and what they do to make our site a success.
Hey guys! I'm here with anotherMeet the CNET familyTo assess. I have with me Laura Martínez, senior editor of the CNET en Español team. I had the pleasure of working with Laura when we started CNET en Español four years ago - not only did she help with translations, but her great sense of humor made stress so much easier to deal with. Thank you Laura!
Laura occasionally switches to the English site CNET to write articles. Her story that I will always remember is this: "My name is Laura. I'm a compulsive copywriter. I just fell flat on my face.“The headline alone is hilarious! I admire her not only for having the courage to write about the incident, but also for the great interaction she had with CNET readers. Also, do you want to know why she was given the title "Queen of Taco" by her co-workers? Read on to find out.
P:What is your job title and what do you do?
A: I'm a senior editor atcnet in spanish. I live in New York City but work with a team of bilingual writers, editors and video producers in Mexico, Spain, Venezuela and San Francisco. We translate much of the content on CNET.com, but we also create our own original content aimed at Spanish speakers in the US, Spain and Latin America.
P:What's a fun fact about you about work?
A: I'm the only person on the entire CNET en Español team who works in the New York office, which is really sad because I don't see my colleagues on a daily basis. The good thing, however, is that I've been "adopted" by the CNET.com team here, so I can hang out with them, attend their meetings and happy hours so I don't feel alone. My love - and undeniable knowledge - of tacos earned me the title of Taco Queen.)
P:What is the most challenging part of your job?
A:I'm three hours ahead of my West Coast teammates; an hour ahead of my Mexican correspondent and six hours behind our correspondent in Spain, so it's a little difficult to juggle everyone's work on time and efficiently, but it's fun. Across all time zones, translating, creating and editing tech stories remains my biggest challenge, not just in terms of transitioning from English to Spanish and vice versa, but also in terms of keeping things clear and (hopefully) explained in a fun way.
P:What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?
A:I work with the funniest people ever and because it's technology it never gets boring. But perhaps more importantly, while most of my work is editing other people's work, I'm lucky enough to work on more personal projects and human interest stories, like this story above.The Family Reunion Project, a startup that helps immigrants reunite with their families at homevirtual realityTechnology. I can also write about less serious things likemariachi music for geeks. Last but not least, being fully bilingual, I can see my stories being published in both English and Spanish!
P:What was the first piece of technology you owned?
A:AFabulous Fred(Google it). Yes, I'm so old...
P:After your phone, what is the most influential technology in your life?
A:My fabulous Fred! After growing up around dolls and things like My Little Kitchen and then Barbies, here came a... machine!the fabulous fredit was a kind of electronic puzzle that contained many games in one: an electronic organ, a music machine, a memory game and a roulette wheel. I spent hours playing with it (and I can tell you my mom didn't like the constant annoying noise). As for the toys, I found this toy to be fun, but more importantly, it helped train my brain.
P:Are you a Mac or PC user and why?
A:mac. Because in Spanish, “MacOS” rhymes with TACOS!
P:What's your favorite CNET video?
A:One about VR porn. In truth. CNET in spanishjoined Kink Studios.comto find out how the adult content creator uses VR in their movies. It's so interesting that it's become CNET en Español's most watched video of all time!
P:When you grow up what do you want to be?
A:A full-time writer.
P:If you could choose to stay at a certain age forever, what age would it be?
A:33. Then I will have my mother forever.
P:What's your favorite karaoke song?
A:Any Shakira would do. I love her not just because she has a great voice, but because she sings in English *and* Spanish. Give me the right crowd (and the right amount of white wine) and I'll go from Gypsy to Gitana and back again.
P:If you had to play one song on an infinite loop, which one would it be and why?
A:anything lessThis. Seriously. I'm tired of listening to this song - and its 1 million versions (mainly theJustin Bieberthe same).
P:What is your favorite TV series?
A: Seinfeld(Anything else?).
P:If you didn't work at CNET, where would you like to be?
A:Somewhere on the Pacific coast of Mexico, playing guitar, drinking wine - and tweeting...
P:soup or salad? Why this and not the other?
A:Tacos.
P:Who would you most like to be stuck in an elevator with?
A:Don Draper (mad Menis Jon Hamm) - not because he's gorgeous, but because I've heard he's a great conversationalist.
P:What is your life motto?
A:Don't leave for tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.
P:Favorite and most ridiculous app ever downloaded?
A:flutterbird. I became obsessed.
P:If you could have one magical power, what would it be?
A:make jokes likeScott Stein.
P:Do you speak any foreign language?
A:English and French. I'm not a stranger to Spanish.
P:What do you have in your pocket now?
A:Plectrum; subway card; 5 dollar bill.
P:What is your favorite food?
A:Tacos, and not just because I'm Mexican.
P:Who is your favorite actor or actress and why?
A:Maria Felix. Because she was beautiful and she didn't care what people thought of her.
P:If you could only keep five possessions, what would they be?
A:Guitar. Bicycle. Skateboard. Passport. Telephone. In this order.
P:Where do you like to go on vacation?
A:Greece, Mexico and France.
P:If you had to choose a place right now, where would you like to be?
A:Amorgos, Greece. It was the first Greek island I saw and I fell in love with the country forever. My boyfriend and I have been back every year since and are now planning our fourth visit in October.
More questions and answers for employees
There you have it, Laura Martinez, aka Taco Queen! I hope you enjoyed her Q&A and got to know her better. If you're a taco connoisseur or have walked down the sidewalk like an absent-minded pedestrian, give Laura a shoutout in the comments. I'm sure she would love to chat about tacos and share war wounds with you. Thank you all for reading and thank you Laura! peace people!
If you missed the previous Q&As from CNET contributors, you can find themeverybody here.