Emilie Declaron (Newcastle)
Hello, I’m Emilie, a French interpreter and translator, and adopted Geordie since 2005. I came here as an exchange student and never looked back!
In 2007 I completed a Bachelors Degree in contemporary language studies, which included studying Spanish and Polish, which I hope to integrate into my skills base in the future. In 2012 I completed Level 3 qualification in Public Service Interpreting and Linguistics, and I passed my Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (DPSI) in 2013. I also joined the CIOL in 2013.
I started working as an interpreter in 2011, doing conference work for Northumbria University, as well as media work for NUFC. I now mostly work in Court, although I also work as a community interpreter for the NHS, in Police stations, and for private companies such as Nissan.
Most of my translation work involves legal texts, as well as a variety of other documents including commercial websites, government documents, medical reports… I occasionally do transcription work and I hope to do more fiction work in the future.
I teach French at ‘Blah, Blah, Blah – International Languages’, at the Commercial Union House in Newcastle http://www.blah-blah-blah.org/about/, and offer private tuitions.
What I like about Newcastle…
Newcastle is such a lively city! One of the reasons that made me stay here was the art scene. There are so many lovely music venues all across the town, interesting art galleries, poetry and comedy events, there is never a dull moment in Newcastle. The football stadium is right in the centre of the city, which generates an amazing atmosphere. It is also a beautiful place to live, with the Quayside, the Ouseburm Valley, and of course Grey Street, which was voted the most beautiful street in Britain. And finally, it has to be the friendliest place I have ever visited!
My three favourite places:
The Ouseburn Valley is one of my favourite areas of Newcastle. It’s a lovely place to go for a nice walk on a sunny day, visit the animals at Ouseburn farm, have some traditional pub food… The Valley is even livelier at night, with many music venues to choose from, whether you fancy an intimate acoustic gig at The Shipp Inn, to see a folk band at the Cumberland Arms, or something more electric at The Cluny. It is also home to the craziest comedy night you will ever attend, the Silly Billies, welcomes many poetry events, art happenings, independent movie screenings at the Star & Shadow cinema, and you will find Small Change, the largest vintage shop of the region here too. If you venture a bit further towards Byker, you will find the rightly popular Al Baik Lebanese restaurant, which serves some of the best food in Newcastle.
Bar Loco is also a firm favourite of mine. It is a restaurant/bar/art gallery owned by an Italian family. The food is beautiful and served until midnight, the company is very international, and best of all, they put on great events most days and they’re all entirely free. Music, poetry, belly dancing, all art forms have their place at Bar Loco. The SYSTEM art gallery upstairs always displays interesting works of art, often by local artists, ranging from sculptures to conceptual art installations, photography, and of course paintings and drawings. They have recently joined the Late Shows line up and have organised for the second year a very successful musical poetry night.
A lovely hidden place in Newcastle is Blackfriars Court. You can still see the cloister buildings of a 13th century friary, which houses nice little craft shops and Blackfriars Restaurant. The courtyard is a great place to go on a sunny day, although it is situated right in the city centre it is very peaceful, and if you’re lucky you might spot bunnies hopping about!
I feel like I should also give a mention to the beautiful Quayside, with its many bridges, lovely scenery, Sunday market, and its very own Quayside Seaside 3 months a year.
My favourite Geordie word…
I like when people in shops or bus drivers call me ‘pet’ or ‘petal’! It sounds friendly. I also got in the habit of saying ‘dinner’ for lunch and ‘tea’ for dinner, which I guess may be very confusing south of Newcastle!
