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Although Silvia was born in Italy she has moved around quite a lot, and is a self-confessed lover of trying new cultures. Offering high quality language tuition as well as being a fully qualified translator; read on to find out a little more about Silvia.

Silvia’s Profile & Contact details

Silvia, please tell Xilfee about your background, where were you born, where do you live now.
I was born in Italy, in Turin, but spent my childhood summers and then my adolescence in a very scenic village just outside Verona. I think that Italy is a great place for holidays but I can’t stay still. I lived in Germany for one year after university and then I moved to the UK, where I lived in London, Birmingham and now Brighton.

Describe yourself in 100 words:
As a person – I am patient and reliable. I try to be as accommodating as possible and respect other people’s needs.

As a translator/tutor - I am committed to good quality and I am a reliable and qualified professional. I appreciate good communication between service providers and clients and I strive to achieve that.

What languages do you speak, where and why did you learn these languages?
I am a native Italian speaker and I also speak English and German. I studied both of them at school and then at university. English was compulsory but I would have chosen it in any case because I have always been fascinated by the UK. German was chosen as a strategic business language but I then grew to genuinely like the language. I can also get by in French if needed and I have been learning Japanese on and off. I am attracted by Japanese culture but I never seem to be able to find the time to dedicate myself properly to the study of the language.

About your working life, what is your work history and what do you do now? Do you enjoy what you do now; is this your ‘ideal’ work?
I have always wanted to use foreign languages in my workplace. I worked in a multilingual customer centre for a global airline company, I worked as assistant dealing with foreign customers in a publishing house and, what I mostly enjoyed, I worked as translator and project manager in agencies that provided linguistic services. I now work as freelance translator, proof reader, interpreter and language tutor and it is indeed my ideal work as I am free to organise my working days the way I like.

Who are your favourite (types of) customers a) translation b) students to teach?
I like both translating and teaching and in both cases my favourite types of customers are those who are passionate about what they do, who are determined to achieve a good quality in anything they do and who trust and respect me as a qualified and reliable supplier of services.

What type of customers would you like to attract or type of work you would most like to do frequently?
I equally enjoy translating, proofreading and teaching and I like to have different types of customers who work in different types of businesses and have different requirements. It helps me keep alert and it is a good way to learn new things every day.

Describe a typical day for you…
I work from home and I don’t really have a typical day. I get up around 8am and then I do whatever needs doing. Sometimes it’s translating, sometimes is teaching, sometimes it’s doing some accountancy work, running errands and spending time doing things I like. Sometimes I just take a few hours off and go to the beach. Brighton is a lovely place to be a freelancer and I try to enjoy it as much as I can because you never know when you will be dealing with a project that requires you to work from 8am to 11pm.

What interesting places have you visited recently?
You don’t need to travel very far to find interesting places. I have recently been to Italy, Portugal and Denmark but the most surprisingly interesting place that I’ve recently visited is Brighton, where I live. During the Open Door weekend, which gave people the opportunity to visit buildings of architectural interest normally closed to the general public, I have had the chance to visit the Sussex Masonic Centre and a Regency villa now turned into a very exclusive B&B.

What do you like to read & what are you reading at the moment?
This answer could be very long but I’ll keep it short. I love reading. I love books. I love bookshops and libraries. I read books, magazines, newspapers, leaflets, fruit juice boxes… anything with words on it! When it comes to books I do not have a favourite genre. I used to know what I don’t like reading, which is also quicker to explain, but I am not too sure anymore. I thought I didn’t like science fiction but then I think of Fahrenheit 451 or The Handmaid’s Tale, which are classified as sci-fi, and I loved them. An exception to what I thought I liked reading is also my current book: Black Water Rising by Attica Locke, a murder mystery blended with a political thriller.

What is your favourite word/saying & why?
I don’t think I have a favourite word or saying. I love the sound of words though, for example I like the sound of the word “excruciating” – which I haven’t had the chance to use yet! I like to think that I don’t always use the same expressions.

What is your favourite food; where is it from and how do you make it?
I love experimenting and trying new food all the time. Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Indian, Spanish, British… you name it! But – perhaps not very original of me – my favourite food ever is pizza! And that’s also the only thing I can cook, right from preparing the base. Not all Italians can cook…

What luxury item could you not live without on a desert island?
If the desert island was provided with broadband connection and power supply I would definitely take my laptop with me. In the likely event that these commodities were not available, I would choose a good book – one of those that you can read over and over again.

Have you ever done anything crazy which you have never regretted doing?
I am quiet, rational and very organized. Reliable and serious, in a good kind of way. Crazy is an adjective that none of my friends would associate with me. But if moving from country to country and from city to city – just when you had settled down and were starting to enjoy the peace – can be considered crazy… that’s my answer. And no regrets. Actually, I will probably do it again!

Which country or place would you very much like to visit, one day? Why?
This could be a long answer as I would love to leave on a journey every other week! I would like to explore more of Northern and Eastern Europe, I would like to travel around India, the United States and Canada… but most of all I would like to explore more of Japan, ideally when I am able to master the language a little bit more. I am fascinated by the culture of that country, which seems to have found a balance between ancient traditions and modern life. And I love the food!

Silvia’s Profile & Contact details