I am an Associate Professor of English and Communication, a freelance translator and an author of several books on translation studies and cultural studies. I am also a Director of the Research Centre for Specialised Translation and Intercultural Communication, at my university. I enjoy all of the above but it took me many years to come this far. A Bachelor grade in foreign languages (with a Major in English and Spanish) at the University of Bucharest, Romania. Then, a number of years as a translator and public relations officer, in the field of aircraft testing followed. Wonderful years with wonderful colleagues – test pilots and test engineers.

That was the time when I first went to Britain, as a translator and interpreter for Romanian teams. London, Weybridge and Hurn were the first places I lived in and visited, and it was a wonderful cultural and social experience.

Britain played a major role in my development as a teacher – starting with the 1990s when I became a Teacher Assistant at university level, following a difficult exam that I passed with the highest marks. First, I won a Soros grant for a 2-month stage at the University of Edinburgh, in beautiful Scotland. Then, a couple of years later, followed a stage at Cambridge, included in my Ph.D. programme. Finally, I participated in another long-term grant at the University of Lancaster, along with other Romanian teachers from other universities.

I have a Ph.D. in Aesthetics, with a study on the influence of British and American 20th century arts and terminology on the Romanian fine arts discourse. It still is the ONLY monography on this topic ever written in Romania.

Research was always one of my favourite activities – and I consider that it is critical in the development of any person. It was the root for my books and for all the courses I am teaching, in the specialty of TRANSLATION AND CONFERENCE INTERPRETING. Research includes reading a lot, writing and publishing articles on various topics, contributions and keynote speaking at international conferences, book writing and book translating. It takes time, indeed – but it is time gained, not lost.

I am one of the lucky persons who have turned their hobby into a profession. I have never given up translating, as a freelancer – the 12 literary translations under my name, along with thousands of pages of texts commissioned by the European Commission and other international bodies bear witness to that. They are the practice I needed in order to approach the area of Translation Theory with confidence, albeit as a junior theorist. I have learned a lot from major contemporary theorists, such as Sandrini, Christiane Nord or Anthony Pym.

What about the future? I have many projects in mind. I have just finished a book on Risk Management in translation. A new book on the practice of translation comes next. Socializing with peers, during interesting events is a pleasant choice for my leisure time. And, of course, continuing to read a lot.