My homeland of Switzerland is a country of many languages with many differing dialects of multiple origins. Growing up, traveling, being educated, working and conducting research in incredibly culturally diverse places, I have been fortunate enough to learn and be conversant, read and write in three languages, including English, German French, and have an intermediate grasp of Polish as well as a basic grasp of Spanish. I truly love languages, communication in all its wonderful forms throughout the world. My travels literally around the world, living in the US, France, Poland and the UK, have shown me the wonderfully rich tapestry of languages and cultures we have on earth, a tapestry I would love to explore further.
Translation satisfies my passion for languages and writing. While law and business consulting are still of great interest to me, translation provides me with a flexible career that fits my mother-of-two lifestyle perfectly, a career that can be conducted from anywhere on the globe, and most importantly, around the schedule of my two little girls.
In order to bring my career goals, ambitions – my dreams – to fruition, I need to increase my depth of understanding, and build upon my existing foundation in languages and translation skills, ideally honing them to perfection; a goal I feel is highly attainable. Upon earning my Masters in Translation, I envision serving as, initially, a freelance legal translator and working from home. Eventually, I would like to work as an in-house translator at a law firm, governmental agency or international organization. Upon building my exposure in the field, owning my own translation agency would be truly fulfilling.
I bring with me to the student body and Translation program not just an aptitude in several languages, but a multicultural, multilingual experience, having worked and studied in German, French, Polish and English-speaking countries. True cultural competency can only come through an understanding of cultures, and customs, a skill that I have found to be indispensable in the translation process. Moreover, my extensive and decorated scholastic path is proof of my love of lifetime learning, as well as my ability to approach, excel and complete a challenging academic program, be the program in English, French German or Polish.
Additionally, I have maintained over a decade of specialized experiences, solid evidence of my ability to perform complex professional functions as a legal and business consultant, conducting research, and writing as a part of my work in a number of countries, functions that, at times, included translation. In the most practical terms, working with diverse colleagues and clients developed my interpersonal abilities, work ethic, flexibility as well as my self-confidence, self-efficacy, and ability to work autonomously or as part of a multidisciplinary team.
Since 1997, I have been translating legal documents, conducted translation services as a student, while working as a lawyer for a German-American law firm in Miami, and as a trade and legal consultant in Switzerland and Poland. These past two years as a translator, language tutor and market researcher in the UK has been a joy. Translating legal and business documents from English to German, in conjunction with my educational background and professional experiences have convinced me that I am on exactly the right path, as a translator specializing in these exact areas.
I would like to take this opportunity to express that while I do not possess an undergraduate degree in Modern Languages or an equivalent, I feel that my fluency in several languages, professional experiences combined with my graduate Law degree be considered as a suitable substitute. It is my intention to specialize in legal translations, am confident that my grasp of Anglo-Saxon common law system and the continental civil law tradition gives me the ability to understand the context of a legal text, and thus am capable to communicate information, in its entirety, with the same degree of competence as the original.
While the convenience of the distance-learning program cannot be underscored enough, I am eager to give of myself and my experiences to the student body, enriching their experiences as I learn from their own. The graduate Translation program will not only give me the practical training I need to succeed, but also a refinement of my understanding of the theoretical aspects that underpin Translation.
Thank you for your time and consideration.