Conference interpreter, Paris-based member of AIIC, EN<>PL, EN<>FR, PL<>FR, RU>PL, RU>EN, RU>FR. Former semi-professional chess player, author of several original mathematical theorems, globetrotter. Canadian, Polish and British national, a Pole by choice. Monika: Jan, let’s first talk about your working languages and...
My fascination with English stemmed out of a year in a US high school, made me read the entire fiction section of the US embassy and British Council libraries in Krakow, ranked me high enough at a Polish English-language competition to get exempted from entrance exams which, combined with my laziness and mercantilism, led me to study English at...
As a child, I remember hearing stories about Poles who had emigrated to the US and within a few years were ”forgetting” the language. ”Nobody could forget their mother tongue” – people in Poland would comment, insisting that it was simply impossible and ascribing the Americanised accents of emigrants (when they spoke...
What is it like to be an interpreter in Brussels? Admittedly, not the most difficult of questions I was asked recently. The answer, however, is a whole different ballgame and does go beyond the average ”Fine, thanks!” It requires insight into multi-faceted demand for interpreting services, hugely fragmented supply and a healthy dose of...