Curriculum Vitae
PROFESSIONAL TRANSLATOR, EDITOR AND REPORT-WRITER
Ivy League-educated, published translator with expertise in political science, international organizations, sociology, human rights, and art history.
Terminologist with cultural localization experience, natively bilingual with multicultural sensitivities.
Superior drafting, summarizing, and editing skills in English and French. Significant experience leading and managing translation, localization, and report-writing teams.
Pedagogical and administrative experience in higher education, especially translation studies.
EXPERIENCE
Senior terminologist and editor, RWS (formerly SDL) 2019–present
I work with project teams, writers, and translators to maintain and continuously update a corporate enterprise terminology program for a multinational Fortune 500 technology company. I identify new concepts to fill in gaps in the existing terminology, authoring concise concept definitions following ISO standards in collaboration with project managers and engineers and in compliance with legal, geopolitical, and marketing guidelines. I prepare regular metrics presentations describing the state and health of the terminology landscape.
I maintain a corporate banned-word database (profanity, hate speech, geopolitical issues, accessibility concerns, etc.), identifying necessary additions and deletions as current events and linguistic trends dictate. I provide guidance on the promotion of inclusive language across all company communications.
In my role as senior editor, I act as the guardian of a corporate style guide and implement all necessary updates in the Azure and GitHub platforms. I organize and facilitate the meetings of an editorial board, helping to target and triage potential topics for discussion upstream and to provide moderation during meetings as well as communication with all stakeholders.
Freelance translator, editor, and linguistic consultant, Raillard Translations, 2011–present
I am natively bilingual in French and English and work from French and Spanish into English, as well as Spanish and English into French. I offer translation, editing, and foreign language and cultural consulting for international organizations, university presses, museums, authors, academics, and non-profit organizations.
Adjunct instructor, New York University, Center for Applied Liberal Arts 2022–2024
I act as a thesis advisor for graduate students working on terminology and translation-related projects. I help students to develop a thesis proposal, offer feedback and guidance during the writing process, and serve on thesis defense committees.
Translator and précis-writer, United Nations Headquarters 2013–2018; 2022–2023
As a consultant, I translated documents across a broad range of technical, political, scientific, social, economic, and legal issues from Spanish and French into English. I also prepared summary records for the meetings of many intergovernmental bodies including the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council.
I coordinated teams of report-writers during the General Assembly and was responsible for a variety of project management tasks, as well as the training of new précis-writers.
French translator and terminologist, Epic Systems Corporation 2018–2019
I translated Epic software into French for our international clients, spanning a variety of medical, reporting, and billing specializations. I was the terminologist for the French team, selecting and updating terms for the translation memory and glossary and acting as liaison with other language teams on matters of linguistic and terminological complexity.
French language project manager, Translations.com 2011–2012
I oversaw the entire lifecycle of translation projects (English to French), from finding external linguists, to proofreading, to file conversion, to delivery to client. I was responsible for a large number of commercial projects with national and international clients.
French instructor and course coordinator, Columbia University 2005–2011
I taught and coordinated language classes at levels ranging from beginner (1101) to advanced (3405) to undergraduates. I acted as the primary instructor and coordinated other instructors to design syllabi and exams.
I taught practical translation classes to graduate students needing to obtain reading proficiency in French for research purposes.
I designed and taught an advanced level translation class, which brought together elements of translation theory and practice as well as comparative translation and creative writing. I advised senior students on a final project examining dialectics and linguistic hybridization.
EDUCATION
Columbia University, New York, NY
Ph.D., French and Romance Language Philology: 2011
M.Phil., French and Romance Language Philology: 2008
M.A., French and Romance Language Philology: 2006
Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY
B.A., Spanish and Creative Writing: 2004
Additional Study:
Debreceni Nyári Egyetem, Debrecen, Hungary: 2008; 2009
Summer intensive language program in Hungarian
Certificate for 1st and 2nd intermediate levels with honors, 24 credit points (ECTS)
Paris IV-Sorbonne, Paris, France: 2001–2
Linguistics and Romance Language Philology, with a specialization in Occitan literature
AWARDS AND HONORS
Guest lecturer at Santa Fe Institute for a talk entitled “Translating Science: Pitfalls and Praxis,” 2023
RWS “We Partner” award, 2023
Second-place winner of the 12th annual Saint Jerome Translation Contest, United Nations, 2017
Teaching Fellowship awarded by Columbia University: 2010–11; 2005–8
Dissertation Writing Fellowship awarded by Columbia University: 2009–2010
SERVICE
Secretary, Board of Directors, Madison Circus Space, 2024–present
I set the agenda for board meetings, facilitate discussion, write meeting minutes, and issue communications to our 120+ members.
Aerial supervisor, Madison Circus Space, 2022–present
I host a weekly supervised practice for aerialists at Madison Circus Space.
Merchandising director, Madison Circus Space, 2020–present
I maintain an online and in-person merchandise storefront for Madison Circus Space. I suggest new designs and handle all logistics, from orders to inventory.
Circus show producer, Madison Circus Space, 2018–present
To date, I have produced six 90-minute circus shows for MCS, including four installations of the popular variety show “Bizarre Bazaar.”
I also organized the 10-year anniversary celebrations for MCS, which included a 24-hour “Circathon” and a gala event that raised over $20,000 in sales and donations combined.
Social media strategist, Madison Circus Space, 2018–2025
I created content for Madison Circus Space on its Facebook and Instagram accounts, including to promote events by local and guest talent, for up to 17 shows a year netting over $35,000 and involving hundreds of performers.
I wrote and disseminated press releases to over 200 local and regional contacts for all shows hosted by MCS.
Translator, El Observatorio de Derechos Humanos y Pueblos Indígenas, 2011–2013
I translated documents from Spanish to French for the Observatorio, an indigenous peoples’ non-profit organization.
Reader for the National Translation Award, American Translators Association, 2012
I reviewed translated books and submitted commentary to the prize selection committee.
Translator, interpreter, and proofreader, doCip (Centre de documentation, de recherche et d’information pour les peuples autochtones), 2007–2012
I volunteered seasonally as a translator, final eye reviewer/proofreader and interpreter during the yearly Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at the United Nations.
Interpreter, International Presentation Association of the Sisters of the Presentation at the CSW (Commission on the Status of Women), 2005
I interpreted English to French during the 49th session of the CSW at the United Nations.
SKILLS
Language skills: Native speaker of French and English; very high proficiency in Spanish. Conversational proficiency in Italian, Portuguese, and Hungarian, reading proficiency in Latin and Ancient Greek. Currently learning Japanese.
Computer skills: Good proficiency with the Microsoft Office suite as well CAT tools such as WordFast, Translation Workspace, Trados, eLUNa, and MemoQ; familiarity with EmEditor, XLIFF, Relativity, and Wordpress, as well as working knowledge of HTML, CSS and GitHub markdown languages.
Hobbies: Aerial circus (lyra, rings, rope) and clowning; classically trained in flute (18+ years); karaoke enthusiast; Zen Buddhist practitioner.