I think it’s an absolute privilege to have a job that allows you to do something you thoroughly enjoy. So I feel extremely lucky to have been able to establish myself as a freelance interpreter. I love languages and can use them in a job where no day is ever the same. I get to meet lots of interesting people, gain insights into a variety of intriguing topics and professions and travel all across Europe and beyond. The fact that this is my second career makes me appreciate it even more. However, I think that if someone had told me about the interpreting profession at a younger age, I would have gone for it straight away.
So my hope is that if I share my experience with students here in the UK, I might make those with a love and gift for languages consider this career as well. That is why I volunteer for Inspiring the Future events. I really enjoy giving presentations to students (and parents) and showing off with pictures of all the cool places I’ve worked at. But showing off is obviously not the point. This is about recruiting future talents. In the North West, there are very few conference interpreters, and currently none whose mother tongue is English! So it really is a nice market. We need fresh blood, and I hope I can give someone the bug for this great job by sharing my insights.
The UK is currently at a crossroads. What exactly Brexit will entail is uncertain. But one thing is for sure – the need for international negotiations is already increasing, and thus the need for language service providers, which is what interpreters and translators are. As I said, I get to work with lots of interesting people. If one day I get to work with someone who found out about the profession through one of my presentations as an Inspiring the Future volunteer that will be the cherry on the cake!