A Czech proverb says: He who speaks many languages, lives many lives.
This longing to live more than one life was the reason I became a translator. I have now been translating into French from English, German, Swiss German and Italian for over eight years, six of which were spent working as an in-house translator for private and semi-public companies.
Born into a bicultural family (French and Australian), I grew up with two languages and inherited the desire to learn more. After my baccalaureat (French school leaving certificate) in literature and modern languages (English, German and Italian), a Bachelor's degree in German literature seemed the obvious thing to do. I then spent an Erasmus year in Leipzig (Germany) and another year learning Czech in Prague. I completed my education with a Master's in specialised translating and liaison interpreting at the Strasbourg Institute for Translators, Interpreters and International Relations (IT-RI).
Before becoming a freelance translator, I held several positions as an in-house translator and worked as a radio speaker and cultural journalist for the Swiss national French-speaking radio (Radio Suisse Romande).