Sophie
Job Title
Conference interpreter; freelance
Industry sector
Language Services
Background
Modern and Medieval Languages at Cambridge University with modules in German and Greek language and history. Also several linguistics modules combined with French translation.
What do you think is the reason for your interest in languages?
My mother is French so I grew up in a bilingual household. Speaking French was a bit like holding the key to a different world, one that most other people didn’t have access to. I think once you are bilingual, it’s easier to learn other languages. I think there is a magic about speaking another language and bridging the gap between you and another person.
Did your school encourage you to develop your language skills?
Yes: I had very good language teachers. At my schools there were many bilingual and trilingual people, and it was taken for granted that languages were important and that everyone should be able to master at least two languages.
Did you go straight into interpreting after completing your studies?
Yes. After university I was planning to go to Greece to teach English as a foreign language and improve my Greek, with a view to training as an interpreter the following year. But I received a call from the European Commission in Brussels and after attending their aptitude test, I joined the six month in-house interpreter training scheme. Afterwards I worked for the Commission for two years and then became a freelance interpreter. I don’t necessarily think this is the best way to do things. A few years’ work experience and/or travel would have given me greater maturity and useful knowledge of the world around me.
What do you like most about your work?
I like variety. As a conference interpreter you work with different colleagues all the time (in my experience, very intelligent and interesting people), and you interpret in all sorts of different meetings. I also like the (relative) lack of office politics and the fact that work doesn’t take over your life.
What kind of skills do you need?
The ability to keep cool under pressure and think on your feet; good public speaking skills, an analytical mind which can follow the logic of an argument and distinguish the critical from the trivial, sensitivity to linguistic subtleties. It helps to be interested in a broad range of subjects and to remember factoids. Above all you must want to communicate ideas.
What are the advantages of working freelance?
The lack of job security is outweighed by the fact that I can live in the UK and I have greater freedom to choose how much interpreting I want to do, and where. This has allowed me to combine interpreting part-time with other types of work (I teach interpreting at Leeds University), and has also given me time to pursue my own eclectic interests, including training as a sports massage therapist, personal trainer and complementary therapist, and millinery. Interpreting is intellectually very stimulating but sitting in a booth means you don’t have much personal contact with your clients; to balance this, I looked for creative activities which would give me one-to-one contact with people.