Dr Hilda M. Zayas was born in Camagüey, Cuba. She received a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from University of Havana and worked as a registered pharmacist until she and her family immigrated to the United States in 1961. She worked as a research scientist at a major New Jersey based pharmaceutical manufacturer, and then for the International Regulatory Affairs department, where she specialised in product registrations in Europe and Latin America. It was during this period that she utilised her scientific knowledge and her command of the Spanish language to translate thousands of scientific documents. She has since retired from an active role in the pharmaceutical industry and currently serves as a freelance scientific and chemical translator.