Chloe Vergine is Language Empire’s in-house Italian and French translator as well as the Linguist Careers Relationship Manager. She has a BA (Hons) in Translating and Interpreting in French and Arabic from the Salford University. We caught up with her to talk about her work.
MN: I wanted to start by asking about your first inkling that you wanted to be a translator. How did the decision come to you?
CV: I have always had a keen interest in languages as I am bilingual Italian – English. It fascinated me as a child that I could communicate in different ways with different family members. My interest in languages led me to pick up French in high school and also gain my Italian GCSE two years early. I then completed my French and Italian A-levels at college and went to do a BA (Hons) in Translating and Interpreting French and Arabic at Salford University. While at Salford, I did a year abroad, studying and working in the South of France and in Jordan. I was lucky to have found a best friend at university and we experienced our time in Jordan together, visiting The Dead Sea and Petra, staying in the desert with the Bedouins and diving in Aqaba. It was an amazing experience and I have some great memories of that time.
MN: Translating isn’t always the easiest of jobs. What are the most interesting challenges you have experienced in your work as a translator?
CV: The variety of documents I receive for translation, ranging from legal to medical, is a very welcome and positive challenge, as it requires constant learning and expanding of any terminology I use. I enjoy medical translations the most as there is a lot of research involved which I find fascinating. It really expands my horizons and enables me to engage in a variety of discussions.
MN: Speaking of day-to-day, how does working with languages all day affect other aspects of your life? For instance, what language do you dream in?
CV: My life has always been about languages. We have always spoken Italian and English at home so I don’t find it much different carrying on working with languages throughout the day. I find that it keeps me motivated and refreshed as I’m always working on something new whether it be at home or in the office.
My dream language depends on whether what I’m dreaming about has any relevance to any of the languages I speak. For example, I tend to dream about the last thing I did before I fell asleep, so if I was watching Netflix, it would probably dream in English. If I have been in touch with Italian family members or listened to French music, I will dream in those languages.
MN: What is your favourite part of the job?
CV: The flexibility of being able to work around my personal commitments and accepting as much or little work as I want. I do my freelance translations around my full-time employment, usually in the evenings until late. As I work as an in-house translator, it is very practical to be able to refuse freelance work after a particularly intense or difficult day.
MN: How do you relax? Do you know any language-nerd jokes?
CV: The past, the present and the future walked into a bar. It was tense.
I love spending time with my dog and family on long walks in my spare time and also catch up on some series on Netflix on the rare occasions I don’t work until late in the evening. I’m a real workaholic! I’m also a very creative person which has led me to take up furniture painting. I can paint for hours when I find the time, and when I do, I achieve total relaxation.
MN: And finally, what advice can you give to someone starting off as a translator?
CV: Experience, experience, experience! The best way to start off translating is to make sure that you have lots of experience under your belt, even if it’s from volunteering as a freelancer or in-house. Another tip is to shadow a professional translator and ask lots of questions to gain a better understanding of the field.
By Maia Nikitina
