Madelise Blumenroeder

Question and Answer

• What is your name?
  • Madelise Blumenroeder
• Where do you live?
  • Reunion Island
• What made you decide to become a translator or interpreter?
  • The contact with 3 different cultures and languages: french, american and senegalese. Playing with words and cultures in three languages (French, English, Wolof) opened new perspectives.
• List one strength that you think sets you apart from your colleagues.
  • Field experience with international development (one of my specializations) in West Africa.
• We all have worked on those not-so-perfect assignments. Write about one such assignment that was not ideal and what you learned from it.
  • I translated some articles for a French Business School, a field I was not comfortable with, mainly because they keep a lot of english words in french. I was inclined to translate those management words into french but realised that it was not in line with the school's style. After that I decided to stick with fields I feel comfortable with.
• If you could go back in time to when you were just starting out as a translator or interpreter, what advice would you give to your younger self?
  • Adopt a positive attitude towards feedback.
• Name one resource – such as a phone app, CAT tool, website, and so forth – that you find especially helpful in your translating or interpreting work.
  • SDL Trados Studio
• What's the best book you've read this year?
  • Révolutions by JMG Le Clézio