The Linguist

@CIOL_Linguists AUGUST/SEPTEMBER The Linguist 23 FEATURES Where are they now? Fast-forward nearly two decades and Jo's diverse professional life has seen her set up Poynton Languages – a language services company in Cheshire – and continue to work as a freelance translator, precis-writer and reviser within the UN system, combining this with private translation work and local tutoring for students from GCSE to degree level. Despite such a daunting task list, Jo is in no doubt that juggling these different roles is what she enjoys most, as someone who "can't imagine working every day in the same environment. It is all I have ever wanted to do, not least because there is rarely a 'typical day' in terms of work." One highly cherished aspect of that work has led her to take up a new language. As one of three co-leads of the Language Services Team at the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), she recruits, trains and manages volunteer translators and interpreters who work in the movement. Indeed, her decision to take up Arabic was motivated not just by its status as a UN language but because it was added as the fourth official language of WAGGGS in 2017 and she wanted to be able to greet her colleagues in their own language. Marcos 'blames' his love of a new language squarely on Bradford. With help from the Polish government before Poland had even joined the EU, the course leaders organised a compulsory Polish course for its MAIT students. It proved a valuable investment: "The two semesters of lessons we had with a native Polish teacher left an imprint on me, and since then I have been working extensively on all aspects of the language." The gift of travel Before the pandemic, Jo travelled regularly to Geneva for work, but it is her role with the Guides that has given her the broadest opportunities for travel, enabling her to visit Berlin, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Muscat, Oslo and Split to provide language support at conferences and events. The travel aspects are also a major plus for Marcos, whose early professional days saw him combine freelance work with part-time employment as a translator/interpreter for a technical textile company in Madrid. However, he soon realised that "freelancing was my thing and I decided to go for a lifestyle that I have been enjoying for almost 20 years now". Like Jo, he has added various strings to his professional bow and now also works as an audiovisual translator and teacher, as well as a voice coach for interpreters. His interpreting work has seen him travel to Brussels, Geneva, Lourdes, Malta, Rome, Stockholm and Oporto, although he admits that freelancing "can bring its challenges in terms of striking a balance between a successful professional life and a stable private life". Daniel's years at the European Parliament "meant lots of travel, and not just the monthly trek to Strasbourg. I found myself in Papua New Guinea and Fiji within a few months of joining the staff! Other missions took me to Ethiopia, Turkey, Suriname, Beijing, Hong Kong… the list goes on." His current job is something of a contrast to those of his Bradford contemporaries: he combines interpreting from French, German, Dutch and Swedish into English with his relatively new management role as head of the Swedish booth. Although he is still getting to grips with this "completely different challenge", he insists that it is good to have an interpreter managing other A VARIED CAREER Freelance interpreter, audiovisual translator and teacher Marcos Randulfe working in the booth PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT The students are debriefed after a mock conference during their MA course (left); and (far left) Daniel Pashley interprets for former European Commission President Jacques Delors

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