I translate from French and Italian into English and specialise in Art History, Travel & Tourism, Food & Drink and Sport. Being able to include my favourite interests in my professional life is something I value greatly. Before becoming a translator I worked for several years as a Tour Leader across Europe, eventually settling back in London to work in the Educational Travel industry. All these things, including my academic background in Art History, have led me to where I am now. Away from my desk, I’m often to be found on the tennis court or walking the dog.

Newcastle in 2015 will be my second ITI conference after Gatwick two years ago. I’m delighted to be making the journey up north (I live in Buckinghamshire and was brought up in Cornwall so anywhere north of Birmingham feels decidedly “up country”!) and will be attending all three days, including two master classes on the Thursday. I’m particularly looking forward to being a part of Singing Translators again and to meeting fellow tweeters (I’m @culturetrans) at the Tweet Up on the Thursday night.

The three days of the conference itself are sure to be jam-packed. I’m a firm believer in the importance of attending industry events to combat the isolation of the independent working lives many of us lead. They are a wonderful opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues and to meet new faces. I find it can take a while to “decompress” after a conference (hopefully my 4-hour train journey home will get me off to a good start!) and that following up on tips and information acquired and new connections made is an important part of the process. I look forward to feeling suitably “Renewed, Rejuvenated and Regenerated” afterwards!