I am a freelance translator working from Portuguese and Spanish into English. I started freelancing part-time around three and a half years ago and went full time nine months ago.

I studied for a BA in French and Hispanic Studies at the University of Nottingham and spent time in France, Portugal and Argentina during my year abroad. An internship in a Porto translation agency made me realise I wanted to be a translator, so after graduating I decided to move to Leeds to study for a MA in Applied Translation Studies.

During my MA, I realised I enjoyed translating technical and scientific documents much more than legal or literary texts. I decided to specialise in medical translation and international development because I wanted to work in areas that really affect people in a positive way. In 2013 I worked as a translation intern at the UN in Geneva and was lucky enough to work with some of the finest translators in the world. I’m currently engaging in a lot of formal and informal CPD to get my knowledge and skills up to scratch.

When I went full time, I was worried that the life of a freelance translator would be a solitary one, but I’ve found that nothing is further from the truth. I’m an active Twitter user (@swanwickroa) and a CPD junkie, and I’m gradually getting more involved with my regional and subject ITI networks and meeting some great people. I also work one day a week as a CAT Demonstrator at the University of Leeds, and it’s actually really energising and motivating to work with such dedicated and enthusiastic students.

This will be my first ITI Conference and although I’m only attending on the Saturday, I’m really looking forward to meeting new people, learning new things and catching up with people I’ve met both in person and online. I’m staying in the centre of Newcastle so if anyone knows of any nice cafes for breakfast then let me know!