Category Archives: Uncategorized

OK, I’ll admit it… When I arrived at University College London at the tender age of eighteen, I’d actually signed up to study a degree in German, I was irresistibly drawn to the Dutch department and swapping: in no small part because I then wouldn’t have to labour over German’s baroque case system with itsContinue reading “Basque in the glory”

Despite having lived and worked in Barcelona as a self-employed “autónomo” since 2016, one things still guaranteed to get my heart aflutter is any official communication issued by the tax authority. (to be continued)

Topping the EF English Proficiency Index for the fifth consecutive year is the Netherlands, ahead even of Singapore, where constitutionally-enshrined English acts a lingua franca and the de facto main language. An impressive feat, and a testament the country’s outstanding education system, as well as the population’s outward-looking pragmatism and its embracing vast quantities ofContinue reading “We need to talk about Dunglish”

Whenever anyone asks me the reason I chose to become a translator – which is a frequent occurence – I have trouble pinpointing exactly when and why. When did I first want to be a translator? I certainly don’t recall ever wanting to be a fireman or an astronaut I can remember being fascinated withContinue reading “So, you’re a translator…?”