Company and Job title:
IBM, Nordics Global Business Services Lead Accountant

Sector:
Accounting

Background:

• MA in French, Swedish & EU Studies from Edinburgh University, with an additional degree subject in Swedish, Danish and Norwegian translation. 
• During my degree I studied and lived in France for 9 months and Sweden for 3 months.
• I also took an Postgraduate MSc in Translation & European Studies from Heriot-Watt University.

Language skills:
Fluent in French and Swedish – also able to translate Danish and Norwegian.

How would you describe your job?
I work as a Services Accountant for IBM and at present I am the Nordics Lead Accountant for Global Business Services.

How do your language skills help you do your job?
There is a volume of contracts we sign in the Nordic region. Many are not in in English and require translation so that I can asses their accounting needs. There are also other business lines that require translations of contracts.

What do enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy my job for so many reasons! Being able to use my languages and help other people from different departments within IBM gives me a great sense of satisfaction. The great thing about IBM is that there are so many career paths available. I was originally hired as a translator in the Accounting department when I graduated, then one year later went through the Graduate Scheme and was hired into Accounting permanently. IBM fund my studies to become Chartered Institute of Management Acccountants (CIMA) qualified and I am currently halfway through my qualification, which really does show that languages can also be a foot in the door for many other career options.

What other skills and qualities do you need?
I would say that good communication skills are very important – by studying a languages degree you certainly get a strong acumen for communication. Being able to collaborate and work as a team often on a global level is another key skill – again languages really help here as can make relationship building much easier. I think that approaching challenges with an open and determined mind also goes a long way!

What's the best thing about knowing another language?
The best thing is being able to communicate with more people than you would otherwise, and also it helps to build relationships more easily.
On a professional level it means that you are highly employable, because languages are viewed as a really good skill.

How do you use your languages socially?
I have a number of friends in the Nordics who I have visited over the years and it is great to be able to communicate with them and in their native languages too!