Societies, Cultures and Modern Languages

Floriane Morel - freelance translator (French, English, Spanish)

Master in Specialized Multilingual Translation, Université Grenoble Alpes (formerly Stendhal University), "Dream Team" Class of 2014

Thanks to the TSM master's program in Grenoble, I was lucky enough to do my first very formative three-month internship as a translator in an agency in Spain. This enabled me to understand the inner workings of this type of company and to improve my translation skills. I then used this new knowledge not only during my second year of the Master's program, but also to land my final internship, which I carried out at the translation agency E2f Translations, right in the heart of Silicon Valley. It was a unique experience, both because of the length of the internship (12 months) and because of the diversity of the tasks I performed. I was regularly asked to work on language assignments in the offices of major high-tech companies, and I was lucky enough to spend the last four months of my internship at Apple's Cupertino offices on a major language project. This experience also gave me the opportunity to discover other activities linked to the translation industry, such as quality assurance, telephone interpreting and voice-over recording.
The translation course atUniversité Grenoble Alpes was decisive in my success as soon as I left the Master's program. The highly professional approach of the course and the quality of the teaching and lecturers, who are often professional translators themselves, made me aware of the realities of this profession and of the translation market.
Thanks to this training and a rather full CV for a young graduate, I felt confident enough a year and a half after graduation to set up as a freelance translator in the UK. I'm still living in London and continue to work as a freelance translator, which suits me perfectly. I work mainly in the pharmaceutical and electrical (turbines) sectors.
If you have any questions about this status or this way of working, please do not hesitate to contact me: floriane.morel.23@gmail.com

Claire Michelon - freelance translator (French, English, German, Spanish)

Master's degree in specialized multilingual translation, Université Grenoble Alpes (formerly Stendhal University), "Les Insécables" class of 2012

Following my Master's degree, I worked for 6 months at the International Labor Office in Geneva on a paid internship, which gave me both a new experience of corporate life and an insight into the world of international organizations.
I then decided to go freelance, because it's the way of working that suits me best, as I'd been convinced since a seminar on freelance translation offered as part of the master's program in Grenoble. So I've been self-employed since August 2013, working mainly for agencies and international organizations. This status enables me to translate a wide range of texts, from technical documents to business reports to "news people" (it's worth noting that I've always been very afraid of routine and the boredom that comes with it, but there's no risk here!), while retaining the freedom I lacked when I was working for a company. A good network (including some of my classmates, whom I'd like to thank for their support!) and a pinch of discipline enable me to make a living out of it, so I really don't regret my decision.
The Master's degree helped me find my way (thanks to the internships and the translation dissertation, I realized that translation was really for me), while at the same time allowing me to approach a wide variety of text types and learn to be passionate about the smallest details of a text.
If you have any questions about this status or this way of working, please do not hesitate to contact me: claire@c-m-traductions.com

Itia Dufau, freelance translator, (French, English, Spanish)

Master's degree in specialized multilingual translation, Université Grenoble Alpes (formerly Stendhal University), "CPE" class of 2006

To cope with a job market that is generally reluctant to take on young graduates with no experience, I decided to take a break between my two years of the Master's degree in Specialized Multilingual Translation. With the agreement of the teaching staff, I therefore carried out two long internships abroad (a translation agency in Spain, then an organization in the UK). These very different experiences gave me a more concrete idea of what it's like to be a translator, by exploring some of its many facets.
During my final year of studies, I was able to see for myself just how closely the training provided at Grenoble Alpes University was in line with professional reality. My final year internship was with the International Baccalaureate Organization in Cardiff, where I was lucky enough to work for almost two years. This experience confirmed my taste for translation that was more editorial than purely technical, and it was thanks to it that I specialized in pedagogy and teaching. I then returned to France with a view to setting up my own business.
To familiarize myself with business creation (accounting, legal status, professional communication, etc.), I joined the Case Départ business incubator in Cran-Gevrier (74). This enabled me to benefit from high-quality support and training, complementing my Master's degree. After testing my project for a few months, I went out on my own in 2008. Since then, I've been working as a freelance translator in the Drôme region of France, producing translations, revisions and proofreading for a wide range of clients (translation agencies, associations, private individuals, NGOs).
Since 2009, I have been a member of the French Society of Translators (SFT)which promotes the translation profession and defends the interests of translators and interpreters. Thanks to the many training courses and meetings organized on a regular basis, it is possible to keep abreast of the many areas specific to our profession, to continue training on an ongoing basis and to keep in touch with other translators. So, contrary to popular belief, being a freelance translator does not mean being totally isolated!
If you have any questions about this status or this way of working, please do not hesitate to contact me: id.traductions@gmail.com