Even as a young child, I was already fascinated by languages. On holidays, I always tried to make some sense of the foreign languages I heard around me and at school, the language courses were my absolute favourites. I also spent hours reading books in the foreign languages I knew. Hence, it didn’t take long for me to realise I wanted to pursue languages in my career.

I chose to register for the Bachelor’s in Applied Linguistics, Dutch-English-Russian, at the University of Leuven. I had always been passionate about English, so that made it an easy choice, while Russian seemed like a nice challenge that not a lot of students dared to go for.

During my Bachelor’s, I also spent a semester in Moscow. A few years later, I did a summer’s course in Saint-Petersburg, which is still my favourite city.

Once I completed the Bachelor’s course, I registered for a Master in Translation, followed by a Postgraduate Programme European Master in Specialised Translation. During the postgraduate course, I did an internship at a translation company in London, and I graduated cum laude.

Immediately after my graduation, I registered as a freelance translator and I’m still very passionate about this profession. But I also dreamt about going even further: I wanted to be an interpreter.

In 2021, I registered for the Bachelor in English Interpreting at ITV Hogeschool in Utrecht. I graduated in 2022 and since 4 May 2023, I became a registered sworn translator for Dutch and English.