Bonjour !

I am an English-French translator based in Warrington (Cheshire), and have been working freelance for around 18 months now. My career as a translator is quite recent – I used to be an English teacher for some years in France, initially in Champagne, where I come from, and then in Normandy.

After obtaining my MA in Translating at Salford in 2010, I found an in-house job in Manchester, and for three and a half years I worked on marketing, legal and technical translation (Tourism, Travel & Accommodation) on all sorts of media, from website to video and social media. I also did some management. It was a valuable first experience because of the variety of translations we had to do, and it was enriching as well because we were part of an international team of translators and marketing executives, exchanging methods and techniques, exploring the differences and similarities between our languages, and sharing loads of cultural experiences and travel tips!

I love networking, meeting new people, and exchange experiences and ideas with colleagues, whether they use French or not. Working from home has not prevented me from doing this. I still meet colleagues and students I met at Salford University during events organised by the North-West Translators’ Network or the Yorkshire Translators & Interpreters group.

I joined the NWTN in 2005 as a student, to meet translators and attend the many events they organise, either training or social. The ITI Conference will be an excellent opportunity to learn, network and socialise.

Although I have visited a lot of places in the UK, the North East of England is unknown to me. So I am looking forward to visiting Newcastle, and if possible some of the historical places in the region.

See you in Newcastle, or before that on Twitter (@LBLaurence)