Hi,
My name is Antoni, and I’m a professional translator based in the Chicago area.* I’m originally from Barcelona. I’ve also lived in places like Galicia and Aragon (Spain) and Ireland. Antoni is a familiar name in Catalonia and Poland. I’m Jewish, which means that I have a Hebrew name: אָמוֹץ חַיים (Amotz Chaim). Amotz means strong, brave; Chaim means life.
According to my parents—of blessed memory—the surname Maroto originated in the Balearic island of Mallorca. That surname is likely to have arrived there from the nearby Italian island of Sardinia. My ancestry is indeed Mediterranean: mostly Iberian and Italian, with distant Balkan, Northern African, and Middle Eastern roots. DNA tests assume that I could also have British/Irish ancestry.
Friends call me Toni, which might be confusing for some people in English-speaking countries because it’s thought to be a short form of female names such as Antonia or Antoinette. Therefore, some people will use Tony instead, even though Toni is a unisex name.
The suffix CT stands for Certified Translator. Only certified translators by the American Translators Association (ATA) are entitled to use this designation after their full name. I’m ATA-certified from English into Spanish. Although English is not my mother tongue, it has been my primary language for years. Catalan and Spanish are my native languages. I’m currently studying Hebrew. In the past, I’ve taken French, Galician, German, and Russian.
MORE: My Top 3 Languages
From 2003 through 2010, I was involved in several music bands, such as Conde Orlok. This band was featured in the book Music To Die For (Mercer, Mick; London: Cherry Red Books, 2009), which aims to collect underground music projects in the goth scene. My list of favorite musicians includes Kelli Ali, Cocteau Twins, The Cure, Curve, Dead Can Dance, Diamanda Galas, Portishead, Prince, The Smashing Pumpkins, Swans, and Tairrie B.
In 2007, I became a vegan. My chief motive is compassion for animals. I’m also a bird watcher and a former pet sitter. I used to have a cat called Buster—of blessed memory—which came via friend/matchmaker Lydia Lunch, who also introduced me to my husband: artist and writer Edgar Amaya. In 2018, we welcomed another cat named Batsheba.
CHECK: A Decade Of Vegetarianism
My top restaurants in Chicago and Evanston are Kal’ish, Vegetarian Express, Kitchen 17, Native Foods, Chicago Diner, Alice & Friends’ Vegan Kitchen, and Blind Faith Cafe. I love Italian, Mexican, and Middle Eastern cuisines.
Hiking, skating, and biking are some of my favorite pastimes. I use a Citizen Bike for long rides. For short trips and commuting purposes, I prefer to use Divvy. Some topics I like to read about and check are meteorology, snow and ice extent, time zones, and astronomy.
RELATED: Bicycle Sharing
Since 2014, I’ve been a proud ex-smoker. When people ask me how do I do it, I tell them that the key to remaining smoke-free is to give up the control fantasy. I feel that the only way to conquer addiction is by cutting it entirely off, so I don’t believe in social or occasional smoking.
I recently moved my website and blog from WordPress to WIX. That means I’ve revamped the design completely, but you’ll still be able to access most of the content that I had previously published. Thank you for reading me and welcome!
Best,
Antoni
*In June of 2019, I relocated to Salt Lake City.