Amandine Martin: Freelance Interpreter and Translator between D.C. and Madison

Amandine graduated from French TI in 2014 and is a freelance interpreter and translator in D.C. and Madison, Wisconson. She was one of the first persons referred by Jeff. He said that she was an alumni panel member for MIIS spring break trip to D.C. and was a good person to talk to. When scheduling with Amandine for an interview in D.C., I learned that she was currently in Madison, which happened to be on our itinerary. So we decided to meet in Madison instead. Our interview happened in a bar in downtown Madison on May 19.

I was very impressed by her thoughtfulness. As she told me she was not in D.C., she kindly referred me to Miguel, who was in D.C. She was so considerate as to offer to make a reservation with the restaurant before we arrived in Madison!

Not only for me, she was also thoughtful for her clients. Not all clients have experiences working with interpreters. "Never put the client to a position of embarrassment." Once a client wanted to include consecutive interpretation in his event, she reminded him that the lecture needed to be cut in half if they wanted to finish in time. Another time, a client used a PPT in French with bad English translation and inconsistent terminology. She stepped up to offer help with the translation so as not to confuse the audience.

Her first assignment was working with high school students from French-speaking African countries, who came to the States to learn US culture and learn social entrepreneurship. She traveled with the group to different parts of the States. One seemingly funny but important lesson she learned was that while going through a door, she should go with the team leader or guide, not holding the door for other people! Of course, a culture-related activity would involve a lot of culture-specific terms and idioms. One activity was about students quoting a proverb in their home, and she was stuck for one. She had to raise her hand to request explanation so as to let the interaction go on; otherwise the conversation wouldn't go anywhere.

When asked how she got to know the alumni in D.C., she said that there was a MIIS alumni meetup once a month on a certain day. She also got to know other interpreters while they lived in the same hotel for different projects. As I aspire to become a freelance interpreter and translator in the future, that is very valuable information.

Amandine has a balanced workload from translation and interpretation with a relatively stable client base, and she was also trying something new. Her advice is that: when opportunities come up, just say Yes! Amandine has never done logistics before, but she has interpreted relevant topics, so she took that job and found it interesting. So you never know whether you would like a job or not until you try it. You may be surprised if you try the things that may not be your first choice.  She said that actually freelance translator and interpreters also have other identities, such as author and artist. Life offers so many opportunities as long as we keep exploring.

With Amandine, an angelic girl.
City Hall, Madison, WI