I am feeling rather old.
I turned 47 last week, which in itself is not particularly old. Yet it has recently occurred to me that 2024 marks 29 years since I set off on my European adventures (and 29 years since I passed my driving test), 21 years since I left Spain, 16 years since I left France and 7 years since I left Italy. While the memories of these life markers are still surprisingly fresh in my head, the events themselves are busily receding into the past in quite alarming fashion.
And yet at the same time I am in the middle of a markedly rejuvenating period of rebirth (of the mind, at least – I am under no illusions about the state of the body…) fruit of the culmination of all those particular life markers. After over twenty years of being someone who translates because they “speak languages”, I am now a Qualified Translator – the capital letters I hope clearly reflecting the renewed sense of confidence this brings me.
Given my wanderings, it goes without saying that over the years I have met plenty of fellow linguists. The speaking of more than one language, however, does not engender a noticeable amount of fellow feeling or sense of community, especially in mainland Europe where it is far more common. No, as I have discovered very much to my advantage, it is within the translation community here in the UK that the love is to be found and most generously shared.
My greatest fortune in this journey has been to meet a fellow translator – in the very next village, no less, quite the miracle given our rural location… Ellen has given me endless advice over the last few years, all of it excellent and all of it motivating me to be braver. Most recently she dug me from my customary hermit-like existence and dragged me to a meeting of the East Midlands Regional Group of the ITI (Institute of Translators and Interpreters) at Leicester University.
It was a revelation.
I had already discovered to my cost that being able to translate, or even officially qualified to translate, is only a small part of the knowledge required to put that skill into remunerated practice:
In-house or freelance? How, when and where should I market myself? How much should I charge? Which translation bodies should I join? Which translation tools should I use? Which courses should I attend? What can I log as CPD (Continuing Professional Development)? How do I manage my time effectively as a freelance? Do I need an agent if I am trying to get into literary translation? How important is networking?
And that is only the tip of the iceberg.
Many of those questions were answered at the ITI meeting, both during the talks given by industry professionals (including Ellen) and as we all mingled afterwards. Which in itself answered the question I had most been grappling with: where do I turn when I am lost? It transpires that people in the translation industry are wonderfully supportive of their fellow translators. They are happy to share their experiences and always on hand to dispense advice, they are willing to mentor newbies and help them find their feet, they call on each other with tricky words and phrases. In short, they are a village.
So here I am:
Forty-seven years old, neither particularly old nor particularly young, who wandered for 22 years out of a love for foreign languages. Who has worked in hospitality, healthcare, real estate, marketing, yacht insurance, language schools, and more. Who, because she “speaks languages”, has translated things from shipping contracts to marketing websites, PHD theses to medical reports, books to acts of sale. Who loves to write but lacks the turn of phrase or the imagination to be an author.
Bringing all that together with renewed purpose.
Love Languages 
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