Experience
I am a French national and a French mother-tongue speaker, but lived and worked in the UK for 22 years as a full-time professional translator, and from time to time as a teacher and lecturer. I acquired a number of diplomas and a great deal of experience in the UK, but moved back to France in August 2006.
A wealth of experience
Over all these years, I have built up a wealth of experience in the fields of translation, teaching and management:
- In 1989, I wrote the acceptance speech given by actor Peter O'Toole when he was awarded the Légion d'Honneur (France's prestigious order of merit). I also taught him French at his home in London.
- In 1996, I was a member of the City of Manchester's translation team working on their bid to host the Olympic Games.
- In 1997, working as part of a team of four translators, I translated and proofread 150,000 words of documentation in three days, so that the giant British-based companies GrandMet and Guinness could complete their merger within the timescale agreed.
- In 2004, the UK Institute of Translation and Interpreting asked me to make a presentation to MA students on "How to market yourself successfully as a freelance translator", at a conference organised in association with the University of Leeds.
- From 2003 to 2004, I taught French to students preparing for the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (DPSI), at the University of Bedford.
- I have also translated privatisation proposals for the Deutsche Telekom group and financial reports for a number of major banks.
- Working with a German colleague, I designed and organised an exhibition stand at Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to promote the translation business, educate clients and market my services.
I am a member of two professional institutes (the Institute of Translation and Interpreting in the UK and the Société Française des Traducteurs in France), and several networks and forums of translation professionals. I stay in constant touch with the English language and British culture, via frequent visits to the UK.
Proven skills
My status as a Qualified Member of ITI and a certified translator in the UK means that I am authorised to certify legal translations in that country. I am also an expert près la Cour d'appel d'Aix-en-Provence, enabling me to work with the courts and to produce official and certified translations with legal validity in France.
I have degrees from four different universities and schools:
- the University of Westminster (London): MA in technical and specialised translation (1988).
- École de Traduction et d'Interprétation de Genève: I was offered a place as a third-year student in 1984, but went to study at the University of Westminster in London instead. During the second year, I spent study periods at the University of East Anglia (UK) and the École de Traduction et d'Interprétation de Vienna (Austria).
- University of Saarbrücken (Germany): BA honours degree equivalent (1982).
- University of Dijon: DEUG (1981).
Nevertheless, I still go on training courses at regular intervals to make sure I maintain the high level of quality that my clients have come to expect:
- University diploma in Advanced legal training for Expert Translators (2 x 2 years) from the University of Nice.
- 4e Université d'été de la Traduction financière [Financial Translation summer school] organised by the Société Française des Traducteurs in Brussels in July 2008.
- Wordfast (translation memory program) training course in Nice.
I am a member of the Société française des Traducteurs and the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (United Kingdom), as well as various professional translation networks:
- the ITI French Network
- the ITI LIFT Network (for members specialising in legal, insurance and financial translations) (I was the LIFT Network Coordinator from 2001 to 2002)
- le Réseau des Traducteurs financiers
- Member of the SfT PACA (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region) Translators Network
- Member of the SfT Experts Network
- Member of the SfT Interpreting Network
Click here to download my CV in PDF format.
