PAST
I started out as a press journalist, working in places like New York and Costa Rica, then qualified as a broadcast journalist and did a stint of local radio news in the UK.
I soon got distracted and did all kinds of apparently unrelated yet rather thrilling things instead, before settling down in the Canaries and turning to translation as a full-time job.
PRESENT
My name’s Sophie Cherel, and I’m not sure where I’m from.
I’ve been a freelance translator since 2011, working from French and Spanish to English. I specialise in literature and philosophy and, more broadly, academic texts on subjects ranging from linguistics to political studies and history. I also often translate institutional texts about sustainability and the ecological transition.
FUTURE
The world is changing fast, in so many ways. We’re all trying to adapt. Now, with the AI army on the loose, the language industry is one of many on the verge of panic. Robots are good with words, I’ll grant you that. But only humans have the insight, cultural understanding, and emotions to truly grasp and faithfully communicate ideas.
The way I see it is, let’s learn from the robots, since they’re learning from us. Let’s use them, get better at what we do, and find out what we’re really worth.
It’s evolution, baby…
QUALIFICATIONS
Diploma in Translation
[Chartered Institute of Linguists] Merit in Literature
Certified & chartered member of the CIOL since 2017
Postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism
[Falmouth University]
Practical and on-the-job training in TV, radio & online news reporting
BA Jt Hnrs English & Philosophy
[University of Nottingham] First Class
Literature & language, modules including postcolonialism, dramatic discourse, Gothic genres
Philosophy modules including existentialism, Buddhist epistemology, Aristotelian logic
Profiles on other sites
Click here to view my profile on Academia.org, a website that publishes academic papers.
You can read some of my essays on philosophy, literature, language, and discourse.
Click here to view my profile on Proz.com, an online community of professional translators.
You can browse feedback from clients, project history, interaction with colleagues, and so on.