After graduating
in languages (German and Italian) I completed an intensive course in TEFL
before moving permanently to Italy. My first job was teaching English to both
adults and children, which I continued for five years. I found the experience
rewarding and enjoyable, while gaining valuable insight into the needs of the
various ages I taught, in terms of language acquisition and the learning
process in general.

After my period of teaching English I went on to train as a technical
translator in a large translation agency in Italy. Having reached fluency in
Italian, this career move enabled me to acquire an in-depth knowledge of the technical
and theoretical aspects of the language, along with a high level of IT
proficiency, using all standard Microsoft applications and specialist
translation memory software. Furthermore, working in a multi-cultural
environment gave me insight into a variety of other languages and an awareness
of the diverse problems that can arise when learning and translating foreign
languages.

On my return to the UK in 2010 I decided to consolidate my experience as a
translator and attained the Diploma in Translation, to then return to teaching
in an international sixth form college. While teaching, I obtained my Masters
in TESOL and Applied Linguistics, with my major project focussed on the aspects
of translanguaging in the classroom (entitled “Translanguaging in the classroom: benefits and risks,
attitudes and awareness”) .