After having finished my degree in French and Spanish with Interpreting at the University of Sheffield, I knew where I wanted my career to go. Since the age of 16 I have wanted to be a conference interpreter. I took the entrance exams for the University of Geneva, and I was accepted.
The only problem was that Geneva is not the cheapest city in the world, to use a good old British understatement.
The money I received from the John Speak Trust enabled me not only to survive through my Master’s but also to grab as many experiences as I could firmly by the horns.
Conference Interpreting is a career path which requires deep cultural understanding of the countries whose languages you study. Geneva being a French speaking city, the francophone side was already covered, but the money from the John Speak Trust also allowed me to travel to the south of Spain for two weeks during my Christmas holidays and to travel around Switzerland, both French and German speaking during Easter.
As it currently stands, I have just passed my second semester and am gearing up to face my third and final semester here in Geneva. This bursary has enabled me to discover a city that I love, and one which I hope will be my home for a few years to come.
My experience in Geneva has confirmed me as a citizen of the world, as Geneva serves as a cross roads for many languages, cultures and ideas thanks to its International Organisations, including the UN, which I have been lucky enough to work in as a volunteer over the past few weeks. I had already experienced life in a French speaking country through my Erasmus in Bordeaux, but Geneva offers a different, unique perspective, being a town that is French speaking only in name; I regularly hear French, English, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese and goodness knows how many other languages that I do not even recognise, and that is just on the tram!
My advice to anybody considering a bursary to travel abroad would be to grab the opportunity while you can!
It is a unique experience, and one which is not always easy, but it provides you with excellent skills for the jobs market, and more importantly broadens your personal horizons and opens doors that you never knew existed. The most important thing to do is to go native so to speak. Eat where the locals eat, drink what the locals drink, chill out where the locals chill out, and above all, make every effort to speak what the locals speak!
J’ai été selectionné pour l’équipe d’Ile de france moins de 26 ans ce mois, alors le weekend de pâques- je suis allé à Béziers pour jouer contre Languedoc Roussillon. J’étais le seul joueur de Noisy le Grand alors j’étais nerveux car je ne connaissais personne, mais tout le monde était accueillant. Le samedi, on a rencontré à Gare de Lyon à 11h, nous étions 24 joueurs, 3 entraîneurs et beaucoup de dirigeants (je pense qu’ils sont venus pour leurs vacances). Nous sommes montés dans le train pour notre voyage de 800 km- de 4,5 heures! On a passé le voyage jouer aux cartes et écouter de la musiqueNous avons passé le voyage jouer aux cartes et écouter de la musique. Quand nous sommes arrivés à l’hôtel nous avons eu une réunion d’équipe à propos du match, la tactique et le plan pour le week-end, puis nous avons fait un entraînement. Le terrain a été encirclé de palmiers, que nous ne voyons pas en Angleterre! La ville de Béziers est vraiment agréable et totalement différente de Paris. Après la session d’entraînement, nous avons dîné puis eu de temps libre avant de dormir, je me suis détendru avec quelques-uns des autres trois-quarts au salon de l’hôtel- nous avons trouvé un journal local qui avait une double page sur notre match et comment cela ils veulent nous battre car nous sommes le plus grand committé de rugby en France !!
Le matin, nous avons pris le petit déjeuner, puis a promené autour de la zone locale. Il faisait vraiment beau, 25 degrés! Ensuite, on a déjeuné et a eu un peu de temps libre avant d’aller au stade, j’ai passé ce temps à la piscine (pas ma préparation normale). Le match était proche, mais nous avons perdu 12-8 et a eu beaucoup de chances de gagner alors nous étions très enervé. Après le match nous avons eu la nourriture avec l’opposition qui était sympa, et beaucoup avaient des accents très prononcés !!
Nous sommes arrivés dans le train pour rentrer à la maison et le conducteur nous ont envoyé dans la direction de l’équipe de rugby féminine de Caen qui étaient également à bord du train. Nous avons passé la plupart du voyage avec eux, en chantant des chansons de rugby français. J’ai eu un très bon week-end, j’étais vraiment anxieux, mais c’était une expérience que je ne oublierai jamais!
ENGLISH TRANLSATION:
I was picked to play for the Ile de France u26 regional team this month. This meant that on the Easter weekend, I went down to Béziers to play against Languedoc Roussillon. I was the only person from my club to have been selected to I was quite anxious to go without knowing anybody- but it was fine and very body was welcoming. We met at Gare de Lyon on the Saturday at 11am, 24 players, our 3 coaches and quite a lot of regional representatives (I think that they came for a short holiday!). We then boarded the train to Béziers, which is 500 miles and 4.5 hours on the train from Paris!! We spent the journey playing cards and listening to music. When we got to the hotel we had a team meeting about the match, tactics and the plan for the weekend which was followed by a training session. The pitch was surrounded by Palm trees, which we don’t see back home in England! The town of Béziers is really nice and completely different to Paris. After the training session, we had tea and then had a bit of free time before we went to bed, I spent this time with some of the other backs in the hotel lounge- where we found a local newspaper which had a double page spread about our match and how that wanted to beat us as we are the biggest ‘rugby comité’ in France!!
In the morning, we had breakfast and then had a walk around the local area. It was really sunny, 25 degrees with no clouds in the sky! We then had lunch and had a bit of free time before we went to the stadium, I spent this time by the pool (not my normal pre match preparation).
The game was close, we lost 12-8 and had a lot of chances to win so we were all quite annoyed. After the game we had some food with the opposition who were friendly, and many had very strong accents!!
We got on the train to come home and the conductor pointed us in the direction of the Caen female rugby team who were also on the train. We spent most of the journey with them, singing french rugby songs (none of which I can repeat). I had a really good weekend, I was really anxious before hand but it was really enjoyable and an experience that I’ll never forget!
Thank you to the John Speak trust for their invaluable support during my time in Barcelona
As I chose to study French, Spanish and EU Studies (MA Hons) at the University of Edinburgh, I was aware that this would involve a year working or studying abroad in 2014-2015. The idea of working had always appealed to me, as ideally I wanted the opportunity to use my languages in a professional working environment.
From June to November 2014, I spent six months working as the Social Policy and Public Health assistant for Commission 2 of the Assembly of European Regions (AER) in Strasbourg, France. Working as part of an international team, my duties included translation, event management, speech writing, building and managing websites, contacting MEPs/ speakers and managing social media. I also conducted research which contributed towards consultations for the European Commission. In this post, I learnt how to prioritise different tasks and successfully worked on a number of high-profile projects simultaneously.
I cannot emphasise enough just how educational and enjoyable this experience was, and I was delighted to be awarded a lot of responsibility in this post.
Leaving Strasbourg, AER and a group of wonderful friends and colleagues was absolutely heart-breaking, but I knew that I still had an exciting time in Spain to look forward to!
I was fortunate to gain a post in the centre of Barcelona from January to April 2015, working for a wine and spirits merchant called ‘Decantalo’, focusing on marketing, communication and translation. This involved communication with English-speaking clients, fulfilling orders, responding to queries and providing detailed advice on a wide number of wines, champagnes and spirits. Moreover, I was fortunate to further my marketing and translation skills through working on the website and the blog, including writing a number of articles. I also became confident using ERP systems and obviously my confidence and Spanish language skills improved immensely.
I am now commencing my last 2 weeks in Barcelona and simply cannot believe how quickly the past year has gone.
I have now been away for a staggering 41 weeks, although it seems like yesterday that I was boarding the plane to Strasbourg, terrified at the prospect of a new language, a new country, a new city and a new job!
Over the past year, I have made friends from around the globe, had a wealth of enriching experiences and developed as an individual, both on a professional and a personal level. I know that the skills gained over the past year will remain with me for the rest of my life.
Thank you to the John Speak trust for their invaluable support during my time in Barcelona.
Without their help, this opportunity simply would not have been possible and I am incredibly grateful to them for allowing me to achieve my goals.
As this will be my last report for John Speak, I would like to thank the trust for their invaluable support during my time in Barcelona. I am immensely grateful, as without them, this highly educational and exciting experience would not have been possible.
¡Mis últimas semanas en Barcelona pasan volando! La Pascua y La Semana Santa son tiempos muy importantes en España, y tuve la suerte de presenciar varias procesiones el día de Ceniza antes de pasar tres días en el Reino Unido. Es común para llevar una túnica penitencial durante estas procesiones, que se llama el nazareno. Este consiste en una túnica, una capucha con punta cónica que oculta la cara de la persona y un manto. El color de la ropa depende de la procesión particular.
Monas de Pascua son increíblemente populares en Barcelona, se puede comprar su mona de una miríada de panaderías, ¡se consumen unas 600,000 monas cada año sólo en esta ciudad! Hay competiciones para crear las monas más espectaculares, aquí se puede ver la Sagrada Familia hecha de chocolate.
Desde mi regreso del Reino Unido durante la Pascua, ¡he metido la mayor cantidad posible de actividades! La semana pasada, visité La Seu, una catedral construida a partir del 13 al 15 siglos en el Barrio Gótico. El claustro, alberga un pozo de los gansos (Font de les Oques). Los gansos tenían una tarea importante: advertían contra los intrusos y los ladrones. Por otra parte, esta pandilla de trece gansos representa la vida joven de Santa Eulalia, cuyos restos mortales se encuentran en la cripta.
También tuve la suerte de ver el monasterio de Pedralbes, uno de los mejores ejemplos de la arquitectura gótica y catalana en Barcelona. El edificio, todavía se utiliza por las monjas y fue construido a principios del siglo 14. Aquí se encuentra el arte religiosa conservada impecablemente desde el siglo XIV hasta el siglo XX. El monasterio es sereno y tranquilo, fuera del circuito turístico habitual y definitivamente vale la pena visitar.
En Decántalo, la empresa de vinos y licores donde trabajo, me he centrado en los espíritus, junto a pedidos de los clientes y la traducción, y recientemente escribió un artículo sobre la historia de la ginebra. Se puede encontrar este artículo en español, inglés, catalán, francés y alemán en la página web de Decántalo.
Como este será mi último informe de John Speak, me gustaría dar las gracias a la fundación por su apoyo inapreciable durante mi tiempo en Barcelona. Estoy inmensamente agradecida, ya que sin su apoyo, esta experiencia educativa y emocionante no habría sido posible.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
My last few weeks in Barcelona are sadly flying by! Easter and Holy Week is a very important time in Spain, and I was fortunate to witness several processions on Ash Wednesday before I spent three days in the UK. It is common to wear a penitential robe during these processions called the ‘nazareno’. This consists of a tunic, a hood with conical tip which hides the face of the individual and a cloak. The colour of the clothing depends on the particular procession.
Monas de Pascua (Easter eggs and scenes made out of chocolate) are incredibly popular in Barcelona, you can pick up your ‘mona’ from a myriad of bakeries, some 600,000 monas are consumed each year in this city alone! There are competitions to create the most spectacular monas, here you can see the Sagrada Familia made entirely of chocolate!
Since returning from a long weekend in the UK over Easter, I have been cramming in as much as possible! Last weekend, I visited La Seu, a cathedral constructed from the 13th to 15th centuries in the Gothic Quarter. The cloister, houses a well of the Geese (Font de les Oques). The geese used to fulfill an important task: they warned against intruders and thieves. Moreover, this gaggle of thirteen geese represent the young life of Saint Eulalia, whose remains can be found in the crypt.
I was also fortunate to see the monastery of Pedralbes, one of the finest examples of Catalan Gothic architecture in Barcelona. The building is still used by nuns today and was constructed in the early 14th century. Impeccably preserved religious art from the 14th to the 20th century can be found on display. The monastery is serene and peaceful, off the usual tourist track and definitely well worth a visit.
At Decantalo, the wine and spirits company for whom I am currently working, I have been focusing on spirits, alongside customer orders and translation, and recently wrote an article regarding the history of gin. This article can be found in Spanish, English, Catalan, French and German on the Decantalo website.
As this will be my last report for John Speak, I would like to thank the trust for their invaluable support during my time in Barcelona. I am immensely grateful, as without them, this highly educational and exciting experience would not have been possible.
Since arriving in Barcelona at the beginning of January, I have visited Tibidabo a number of times. Tibidabo is s mountain located in the northwest area of Barcelona. The top of the mountain houses a Catholic church, a telecommunications tower and a theme park. This mountain, some 1,679 feet tall, is the highest of the Collserola mountain range.
Tibidabo
The name ‘Tibidabo’ comes from the Latin meaning “I will give to you” and was said to Jesus by the devil as they looked down on the world from a high mountain.
The views from here really are incredible, you are able to see the whole of the city and the Mediterranean sea.
Le weeekend dernier, mes parents sont venu à Paris. Nous avons passé un weekend agréable, malgré les intempéries. Ils sont arrivés à 14h qui était idéal parce que j’enseignais le matin. Une fois tous les quinze jours j’enseigne Matteo, qui est un ami familliale de mon patron. Le samedi, je l’ai aidé avec ses devoirs qui était les verbes irréguliers dans le passé. Après nous avons fini, je suis allé à Gare du Nord pour rencontrer mes parents. C’était la première fois que je les ai vus depuis Noël donc j’étais vraiment heureux quand ils sont arrivés (avec des oeufs de Pâques). D’abord nous sommes allés à l’hôtel à La Defense. Trois personnes me ont demandé aux directions, mes parents ont ri et dit que je suis l’image d’un vrai Français. Après avoir laissé les valises à l’hôtel, nous sommes allés au Sacré-Cœur qui est le monument préféré de ma mère. Nous sommes arrivés juste avant le coucher du soleil, donc nous avions une belle vue de la ville. Le Sacré-Cœur est spectaculaire, la décoration des murs et des fenêtres est magnifique. Je partage le point de vue de ma mère qu’il est le meilleur monument de Paris. Nous avons mangé dans un petit bistrot de Montmartre où mes parents ont pris moules frites qui était si grand qu’il leur a fallu une heure pour manger!! Puis, nous nous sommes promené sur les Champs-Elysées et mes parents ont acheté quelques souvenirs pour ma sœur et mes cousins. Ma mère a été impressionné par la station de métro ‘Franklin D. Roosevelt’, elle a dit <<Elle est belle, beaucoup mieux que les stations de Londres’. Le Dimanche, nous avons visité la grande Arche de la Défense avant d’aller à la place de la bastille pour le déjeuner. Heureusement, il n’y avait aucune moules à Bastille parce que mon entraîneur m’a envoyé un message disant que notre match allait commencer plus tôt. Après avoir mangé, nous avons pris le RER a Noisy. Mes parents ont regardé le match (on a gagné) et mon père a été impressionné, mais ma mère avait peur tout le match!! Après le match ils ont dû aller à la gare parce que leur train est parti à 19h. Je suis resté dans le club-house avec mes coéquipiers et on a regardé le match de la France sur la télé. J’ai passé un weekend génial. Aussi, hier, j’ai joué mon premier match pour l’Ile de France et j’ai marqué un essai!
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Last weekend my parents came to Paris. We had a really nice weekend, despite the weather. They arrived at 2pm which was ideal as I was tutoring in the morning. Once a fortnight I tutor Matteo, who is a familly friend of my boss. This week, I has helping him with irregular verbs in the past tense. After we had finished, I went to meet my parents at Gare du Nord. I hadn’t seen them since Christmas so it was really nice to see them (with easter eggs). Firstly, we went to the hotel at La Defense> On the way, 3 people asked me for directions which made my parents laugh as they said I look like a Frenchman. After leaving the suitcases at the hotel, we went to the Sacré-Cœur which is my mum’s favourite monument in Paris. We got the just before sunset so we have a great view of the city. The Sacré-Cœur is amazing, the paintings on the walls and glass are really impressive. I agree with my mum thatit is the best monument in Paris. We ate in a little bistro in Montmatre where my parents had mussels and chips and their portions were so big that it took them an hour to finish them! We then took a walk down the Champs-Elysées where my parents bought presents for my sister and cousins. Mum was really impreesed by the metro station there, ‘Franklin D. Roosevelt’, she said «It’s beautiful, much better than what we have in London», On sunday, we visited the Grande Arche at La Defense before we went for lunch in Bastille.Fortunately, there was no mussels this time as my coach messaged me and told me that our match had been moved forward half an hour. After eating, we took the RER to Noisy. My parents watched the match (we won) and my dad was impressed but mum was scared for the whole game ! After the game, my parents had to head back to the station as their train left at 7pm. I stayed at the clubouse anbd watched the France game on TV. I had a great weekend. In addition, yesterday, I played my first game for the region- and I scored !
I’ve been to football games in Austria, France and Switzerland and they are all different experiences when compared to games in England.
Germany was no exception.
From the atmosphere where a conductor dictates the chants, spending the game facing the crowd rather than the on field action and the noise doesn’t really relate to what’s happening on the pitch.
We went to the Sacré-Cœur which is my mum’s favourite monument in Paris.
We got there just before sunset so we have a great view of the city. The Sacré-Cœur is amazing, the paintings on the walls and glass are really impressive.
I agree with my mum that it is the best monument in Paris
Han terminado mis 6 meses en Francia y hace 2 semanas me mudé a Palma de Mallorca para comenzar mis finales 6 meses en el extranjero. Se puede decir sin temor a equivocarse que aunque este es mi tereco vez en un país extranjero, las cosas siguen siendo difíciles cuando se llega por primera vez. Las semanas pasadas han sido muy agitadas y muy estresante para mi, no pienso que fue un buen idea para comenzar mi nuevo trabajo la próxima día después de llegando aquí; estaba muy cansada y sentía un poco ansiosa.
Mañana seré la mitad de mi tercera semana trabajando por Melia Hotels International, no lo creo como rápido el tiempo ha pasado. Hasta hoy, estoy disfrutando mucho mi trabajo porque es muy interesante, las tareas que tengo que hacer están muy variadas y también todos mis compañeros están muy simpáticos y amables. Me llevo muy bien con una chica en particular porque ella me ha ayudado mucho con todo, si se trata de trabajo o algo mas no lo importa.
Me alegra mucho que he obtenido este puesto en Palma, primero porque me ha dado el oportunidad de vivir en un lugar muy bonita, donde hace sol todo al ano y por no hablar del hecho que hay muchos otros estudiantes de Sheffield Hallam que ya viven aquí que esta bien porque cuando vivía en Montpellier no me conocí nadie y me parecía muy difícil estar solo la mayoría del tiempo.
Lo bueno es que cuando llegué aquí la compañía me permitió de alojarse en un de sus hoteles por dos semanas, que estaba muy útil porque es tan difícil para buscar un apartamento cuando no sabes nada de el área. Al final, la última fin de semana que me queda en el hotel busqué un estudio en una población se llama Santa Catalina a través de una inmobiliaria. A mi parece que es muy bonita y me gusta mucha la ubicación; esta cerca del centro pero también no esta muy lejos del mar y el puerto, hay paradas de bus, muchas tiendas, restaurantes y barres todo en poco distancia.
Tengo ganas de vivir aquí y creo que estas próximas 6 meses van estar muy bien no solo para mejorar mi nivel de español sino también para ganar experiencia laboral en una empresa muy bien conocida y por supuesto disfrutarse.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
My 6 months in France have come to an end and 2 weeks ago I moved to Palma, Majorca to start my final 6 months abroad. It´s safe to say that although this is my third time in a foreign country things still seem to be difficult when you first arrive. The last few weeks have been very hectic and stressful for me, I don’t think it was a good idea to start my new job the next day after arriving here; I was very tired and felt a little anxious.
Tomorrow will be half way through my third week working for Meliá Hotels International, I can´t believe how quick it´s gone. So far I’m really enjoying my job because it’s interesting, the tasks that I have to do all very varied and all my colleagues are really kind and friendly. I get on particular well with one girl who has helped me a lot with everything, whether it´s been about work or something else.
I´m really glad that I got this job in Palma, firstly because it has given me the opportunity to work in a beautiful place, where its sunny all year round and not to mention the fact that there are lots of other students from Sheffield Hallam that already live here, which is good because when I lived in Montpellier I didn´t know anybody and I found it hard being alone all the time.
The good thing is that when I arrived here the company allowed me to stay in one of their hotels for 2 weeks, which was really useful because it´s so difficult to find an apartment when you don’t know anything about the area. In the end, the last weekend that I had left in the hotel I found a studio situated in an area called Santa Catalina, through an estate agent. I think it´s really nice and I really like the location; it´s near the centre but it´s also not very far from the sea and the port, there’s bus stops, lots of shops, bars and restaurants all close by.
I´m really looking forward to living here and I think that these next 6 months are going to be great, not only for improving my level of Spanish but also to gain work experience in a well-known company and of course enjoying myself!
Nunca he estado en unos bares tan increíbles en mi vida como los bares de madrid. Una tarde, se puede visitar a un iglú, o a una playa y otra tardes se puede entrar en un bar que se parece como un salón de IKEA. Hace una semana, mi compañera de trabajo me mandó un link para un coupon de Groupon de dos entradas para entrar al bar de hielo de Madrid, un coctél de entrada y otra bebida cada una. Decidí ir un sábado por la noche con una amiga que estaba visitando a Madrid desde Murcia, no hicimos una reserva entonces tuvimos que esperar sobre una hora pero valió la pena. Hacía menos ocho grados en el bar entonces nos dieron un abrigo térmico para poner en el bar – hacíá tanto frío. Recomendo que llevaís un par de guantes para disfrutar a las bebidas! El tiempo ha sido genial por las últimas semanas y estabamos vestidas para salir entonces no tuvimos guantes L.
Si te apetece hacer algo más diferente puedes ir a Ojalá. He estado una vez pero tienes que reservar una mesa aquí también entonces solo he estado en el restaurante de la segunda planta pero la segunda vez recordábamos reservar una. En la primera planta hay otro sitio para comer algo, parece como una playa, hace bastante calor y las luces están sombrías, por lo tanto, había un ambiente relajante. Hay unas sofás y mesas casí en el suelo entonces os aviso que no cenaís en la primera planta como lo hicimos nosotras jaja, tuvimos que tener mucho cuidado para no tener arena en nuestra cena. La comida es international entonces pedí una empanada de pollo que me recordó de mi casa en Inglaterra.
El fin de semana pasado no teníá nada organizado solo queria hacer los deberes de la Universidad pero mi compañera de piso me convenció a tomar algo en La Ciudad. No creo que es un bar muy conocido porque no habíá tanta gente cuando lleguemos entonces sentamos en unas de las mesas de abajo. La zona de sentar está decorada como un salón de casa, hay sillónes grandes, pinturas y arte en las paredes y también hay estantes de libros en las dos plantas lleno de guías de viajes para varios países y libros en todos los idiomas. La comida es include mejor que el décor y muy barata! Pidimos un plato turco para compartir y una ensalada como verano se acerca.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
I have never been to such incredible bars in my whole entire life like the ones here in Madrid. One night you can find yourself in an ice cold igloo, or a beach and other nights you can wander into a bar that resembles an IKEA living room. A few weeks ago, my work colleague sent me a link for a Groupon voucher for two entrance tickets to go to the Madrid ice bar, a free entrance cocktail each and a second drink. I decided to go one Saturday night with a friend that was visiting from Murcia, we hadn’t booked so we had to wait around an hour but it was definitely worth it. It was -8 degrees so they gave us a thermal jacket to wear inside – it was absolutely freezing. I definitely recommend taking gloves to enjoy the drink! The weather has been pretty great for the last few weeks and we were dressed to go out after so we didn’t take any. 🙁
If you want to go to a completely opposite bar then you should check out Ojalá. I’ve been once before but you have to reserve a table here too so I’ve only eaten in the restaurant area upstairs but the second time we remembered to reserve a table. Downstairs there is another eating area which is like a beach, it’s quite warm and the lights are dimmed so it has a relaxing feel to it. There are little sofas and tables off the ground so I don’t advise you to eat there like we did haha, we had to be extra careful not to get sand in our dinner. The food is international so I ordered a chicken pie which made me miss home a little.
This weekend I hadn’t planned to do anything but university work but my roommate persuaded me to go for a drink at La Ciudad. I don’t think it’s a very well-known bar as it wasn’t very busy when we arrived so we got a table downstairs. The sitting area downstairs is decorated like a living room, there are huge armchairs to sit in, paintings and wall art and there are bookshelves on both floors full of travel guides for different countries and story books in all different languages. The food is even better than the décor and very cheap! We ordered a Turkish dish to share and then a salad as the Spanish summer is approaching.
