After receiving my master’s degree in literature, I worked as a journalist and as a PR person for a French music festival in the beautiful Hautes-Alpes region (France).
But because I so love nature, and since journalism centres tend to be in big cities (such as Paris), I altered course to teach French as a second language, and got my first teaching job… way-off in Manitoba, Canada! There, the combination of forty-below weather and faux amis peppering my students’French essays fuelled my passion for bilingualism (and cold weather).
Continuing my journey, I taught in various (cold) European countries such as Czechia, Poland and Hungary. In 2018, I finally returned to Canada and trained to be a translator. By 2020, I was awarded a master’s degree in translation by Laval University and I was certified by the OTTIAQ, Quebec’s governing body for translators.
The sum total of these experiences enables me to provide you with expertise in these areas:
• Teaching—It’s a great way to stay in peak form with the many subtleties of French grammar! This allows me to feel confident about my translation and editing choices. Teaching also ensures I work on communicating things more clearly and inclusively.
• Translating—Did you know that translation was actually how foreign languages used to be taught? Fortunately, things have changed significantly since then. Translation means finding the way to express a perfect balance between two cultures, two worlds. Translation is all about context—it’s a fascinating way to bridge diverse cultures. And let’s not forget, it’s also a great tool for a teacher, to explain the nuances of grammar and vocabulary to Anglophone students.
• Editing—There’s never a perfect draft, only a final one. Context is key though, because language is ultimately subjective. Editing strengthens my translations—by taking a step back and forcing me to consider the motivation and goals behind a text. A true editor must boldly smooth out all the wrinkles while unflinchingly delving into a thicket of arcane grammatical rules.
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MY CREDENTIALS
Publication of Ellen Meloy’s Seasons: Desert Sketches’ translation (October 2021)
Third place in the “Translate in…Online” EN>FR contest (August 2021)
Master of Translation and Terminology, Université Laval, Québec (2020)
Microprogram in Law, Université Laval, Québec (2020)
Certificate in Teaching French for Foreigners, Université Stendhal Grenoble III/CNED (2013)
Master of Comparative Literature, Université Stendhal Grenoble III (2012)
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What am I up to these days? [in French only]