Cultures

I was never a typical Brit. While over the years my country has become ever more inward looking, I’ve always been fascinated by foreign cultures. The first language I learned was French, which I did up to the highest level possible at an English school. I’ve been a frequent and enthusiastic visitor to different parts of France ever since, made easier by now living less than two hours away from the border. And a considerable amount of my translation work is from French.

When I moved to Barcelona, I came to a city of two cultures – Spanish and Catalan. I learned to speak both languages fluently and soon realised that many Catalan people don’t consider themselves Spanish. I’ve also travelled around Spain and learned that it consists of distinctive regions, with big differences in climate and culture between, say, Galicia or the Basque Country in the north and Andalusia in the south. I’ve also discovered parts of Spanish-speaking Latin America, visiting Cuba and Argentina.

All this cultural understanding feeds into my work. It means you don’t need to tell me things you’d need to spend hours explaining to someone else. So tell me what you need instead – I’ll be listening.