I am comfortable working both as an individual and in a team. In previous positions as a translator and language teacher I worked under my own initiative, researching various teaching methods and approaches, continually evaluating their strengths and weaknesses and learning from both failures and successes. Many of my students exceeded their exam targets. During my postgraduate course I prepared and delivered numerous group seminar presentations using PowerPoint and conducted a geophysical survey as part of a team of students and staff.
Between March and September 2010 I independently researched, compiled and edited my postgraduate dissertation ‘From ploughed earth to plate- The story of British bread over the last 500 years’. For this I devised my own schedule, setting myself deadlines for the completion of specific stages of the process, occasionally adjusting them where necessary but always managing to set aside sufficient time for revising, final editing and printing of the completed work. Being self-disciplined as well as methodical in my approach, I succeeded in submitting my dissertation ahead of the final deadline, and I achieved a final mark of 64%.
I honed my report-writing skills in compiling detailed reports on 15 archaeological sites in Co. Galway, Ireland, which I independently selected and surveyed during my time at NUI Galway.
I am very methodical by nature, and I perfected my organisational skills in previous roles as a language teacher, where I developed tailor-made curricula, lesson plans and materials for language students, adapting them to suit individual requirements, as well as by completing various essays and projects and two dissertations, which required devising my own study schedule and working to tight deadlines. I frequently submitted assignments ahead of time. I also planned and organised numerous trips abroad, most recently to Japan, Estonia and Canada.
While running my own language service business I gained strong communication skills through dealing with commercial and private clients on a regular basis, and I further enhanced these skills in completing written assignments as well as giving numerous seminar presentations, both on my own and in small groups, while at university.
As well as being a native German speaker (and completely fluent in English) I have a good standard in French, having studied it for five years at secondary school, where I also passed the Groβes Latinum (Major Latin Examination). I also completed introductory courses in Spanish and Welsh as part of my undergraduate degree.
Both my current and previous volunteer roles have involved communication with a wide range of museum visitors, from instructing children in basic archery skills to answering detailed research queries regarding various aspects of railway history.
Through working as a language teacher I gained extensive experience in instructing people of various ages, backgrounds and abilities. I developed tailor-made curricula, lesson plans and materials for students of varied ages, standards and learning goals, continuously adapting them as necessary as well as preparing additional practice materials e.g. relating to specific points of grammar that had caused difficulties for students in the past; depending on the specific student or group of students, these materials might or might not be required. Furthermore I had to manage my time so as to ensure to prepare adequately for all my lessons, which regularly included the preparation of students for important state examinations.
Having developed my administrative skills during my time as co- owner of a translation and language business run from a home office, I am highly proficient in MS Word, MS Outlook and various internet browsers through daily use in university, business and private contexts. In the course of my postgraduate studies I became familiar with MS PowerPoint by using it to prepare and deliver numerous presentations and lectures. I am currently in the process of refreshing and enhancing my MS Excel and Access skills.
As a self-employed translator and language teacher I had to be extremely customer-focused in order to make a living, both in dealing with translation clients and in teaching German to a variety of ages, standards and goals, from teenagers preparing for major examinations to older adults interested in acquiring the foundations of a new language as a new interest. More recently I have worked in customer-facing roles in two different museums, interpreting, instructing and providing information.
