Conference Interpreter for German and English
May I introduce myself? My name is Catleen Grötschel. I’m a Berliner, book worm, and passionate conference interpreter.
From the first time I saw simultaneous interpreters at work, I knew I had found my calling. Since completing my professional qualifications, the M. A. in Conference Interpretation, I have been working as a freelance interpreter in Berlin and other parts of Germany.
I still love the challenges that are built into the work of a simultaneous interpreter and that have made this job so appealing in the first place. I also appreciate getting to engage with such a large variety of fields and topics – and I get to learn something new when preparing for every single assignment.
M. A. in Conference Interpreting from the University of Heidelberg
Working Languages: German (A), English (B), French (C)
M. A. (Honours) in English and French from the University of Aberdeen
My Qualifications as a Conference Interpreter
I studied English and French literature at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, spending a total of four years there. During this time, I also spent some time in French-speaking countries: As an au-pair with a French family in Toulouse and as an exchange student in Belgium at the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
The consequences of spending so much time in the UK are still noticeable today: I have acquired a habit of drinking several cups of tea with milk every day and of expressing myself idiomatically in English.
By the way: I have not adopted a Scottish accent, as much as I love it.
I completed my M. A. in Conference Interpretation with the working languages German, English and French at the University of Heidelberg in Germany.
How to recognise a professional conference interpreter
The title ‘interpreter’ or ‘conference interpreter’ is not protected. In theory, anybody can call themselves a conference interpreter regardless of their language skills and qualifications. However, my degree in conference interpreting and my membership of the German Association of Conference Interpreters (VKD) are indicators of quality on which you can rely. I have been trained in the languages and services I offer and adhere to the standards defined by the professional association of conference interpreters. I also have several years of experience as a simultaneous interpreter. I am therefore familiar with many different settings and fields and I know how to navigate even the trickiest situation and the fastest speaker.