My native language is Turkish. I attended 3 years of elementary school, 3 years of high school and 1 year of university (French interpretation and translation at Hacettepe University) in Ankara.

 

I learned English at age 4 while living in Washington DC. My English is native-level and has been certified C2/"Exceptional" by the Cambridge Proficiency in English examination.

 

My French is excellent, as I learned it at age 11 while attending a Belgian French-speaking school. I've been living in Belgium since 1994. I've been certified as a sworn translator and interpreter (for all three of my languages) by the Courts of First Instance of both Brussels and Namur.

 

So, I don't "only" speak the languages; I know about American, French/Belgian and Turkish life in and out.

 

                                                                                                     ***

 

The double profession of interpreting and translating caught me by the scruff of my neck as I was born, a Turkish baby in a French hospital, and tightened its grip as the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted my family from country to country (USA, Turkey, Belgium, Iran, Austria, Switzerland, to be precise).

 

After earning my BA in International Relations and History from an American university in Brussels, I tried out several jobs, such as that of journalist for Milliyet newspaper in Ankara, Production Assistant for Turkish Radio and Television in Brussels, Parliamentary Assistant at the European Parliament in Brussels. But whatever path I pursued, life insisted that I translate and interpret: for Turkish visitors to the EP or news articles, political reports, live interviews of MEPs conducted by journalist friends...

 

I finally smartened up in 2007 and launched my career as an all-out, full-fledged, professional English, French and Turkish translator and interpreter.

 

It is the most fulfilling, the most enjoyable, the most interesting job I have ever had. I love every moment of it, whether I'm translating a manual on cranes or localizing a poster for a design fair, or interpreting in the middle of a French field about wheat seeds. It's like attending university every day; reading, doing research, learning, writing. I think that it shows that I am in love with my job. One of my last assignments was to interpret during a five-day training on laser marking machines. The trainer told me that without my enthusiasm for the subject (which I assure you wasn't feigned) the training wouldn't have been such a success. I'm proud of that.