Out with the old, in with the new. After a somewhat (to put it mildly) unusual start, 2020 has been good to me. Of course, I could complain about the lack of travel or the various restrictions but overall, I have benefited from the opportunity to slow down and take stock.
As a conference interpreter, I was constantly on the move travelling to events in the UK and abroad. Now only memories remain from this lifestyle because my business has gone almost exclusively online. Unlike many others, I was able to continue in my career thanks to remote simultaneous interpreting. I work from my well-equipped home office and connect to events around the globe to provide professional interpreting services.
It’s interesting to look back at what has changed in my professional life over the past year. I’m not sorry to say goodbye to some aspects of my work but I’m equally excited to make new plans stand.
Out with the old
I love to travel. I listen to travel podcasts, follow travel stories on Instagram and I have even started writing my own travel blog. Although I always found travelling for work exciting, the frequency of my trips was harder to deal with. It predominantly involved air travel and thus increased my personal carbon footprint.
I still prefer the immediacy of in-person events but long-term, I would welcome a healthier balance between business trips (preferably by train) and remote work.
In with the new
Over the course of the last year, I had the opportunity to interpret at various remote events on topics such as zero emissions, electric vehicles, energy transition, climate protection, deforestation and decarbonisation. This has provided an excellent starting point to learn more about renewable energy and environmental issues.
To enhance my knowledge, I signed up for an online course on renewable energy sources at Open University. I will also continue to post more on the subject in my LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook accounts. Maintaining a consistent social media calendar has proven to be a major challenge for me during busy times. I intend to get better at it by scheduling regular writing and planning days.
Having interpreted at various sustainable development and renewable energy events, I would be delighted to expand my portfolio by taking on translation work in this area. I’m always keen to receive offers for collaboration or to hear about networking opportunities.
