My Biography
I have always been interested in all the layers of language. These include not only the technical aspects - such as grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, and translating and interpreting - but also the feeling for words, and for the emotive power of storytelling.
My services are language-based, and my experience was gained in the UK, Europe, Hong Kong, and Canada, through teaching English as a Second Language, translating, editing, and doing voiceover work. My mother tongue is English, and I also speak Russian and German.
My educational qualifications include a BA degree in Russian and German, an MA degree in technical translation, and a teaching certificate to teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) also known as a CELTA certificate (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults).
My fascination for language comes alive in my work as a voiceover performer, translator, teacher, and editor.
You can read comments on my work, as well as references from clients on my testimonials page.
Outside the professional sphere, I enjoy dancing, walking, yoga, tennis, and travelling.
Educational Qualifications
I completed the language degrees and courses listed below while living in England, Russia, and Canada.
Education
- Bachelor of Arts (2-1): German and Russian - University of Keele, Staffordshire, England
- Master of Arts in Technical Translation (Pass with Distinction): German and Russian - University of Kent at Canterbury, England
- Teaching Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), equivalent to CELTA - International House (IH) London, England
- British Columbia Ministry of Education (Independent Schools Branch) Teaching Certificate - Victoria, Canada
Other Courses
- Effective Editing - Langara College, Vancouver, Canada
- Manuscript Assessment - Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada
- Writing for Women's Magazines - Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada
- Travel Writing - Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada
- The Narrative Scene - Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada
- Effective Report Writing - City of Vancouver, Canada
- Russian Language Course - Voronezh University, Russia
- Russian Language Course - St. Petersburg University, Russia
- Various voiceover workshops - Vancouver, Canada
Languages Spoken
English (mother tongue)
Russian
German
The focus of all these courses was on developing - and in the case of the TEFL course, on teaching - the four language skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
The degree courses covered a range of German and Russian literature, as well as translation techniques. For my master's degree, I wrote a dissertation on the problems that can arise when translating Russian instructions to English.
The writing and editing courses focused on creating a piece of writing, be it a company report, a scene from a memoir, or a travel article, that produces a clear picture or message for the intended audience, while accurately expressing the writer's voice.