As the world is becoming increasingly global with the rise of new technologies and communication tools, new needs have emerged to facilitate human interactions from one continent to another, one country to another, one company to another and one individual to another. In this environment, the need to understand various cultures has obviously become more important. Building bridges toward mutual understanding through more efficient communication across language barriers has become essential to achieving successful results in business.

Using my French language services, I can assist on your projects to help you fulfill your business language needs and achieve your goals. Through my years of professional English-French language experience, I have developed a sense of globalization from several angles:

A native of France, I graduated from the University of Paris XII with a Bachelor’s degree in English and Educational Sciences, and I have lived in Portland, Maine, USA, for the past eight years, working in my community - and also nationally and internationally - as an interpreter and translator.

As the Translation Coordinator for Refugee & Immigration Services (RIS) from 2004 to 2006, I worked with individuals from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, which enabled me to further develop my intercultural communication expertise. I was responsible for providing translation services to a variety of nonprofit organizations and private companies through assigning interpreters and translators to projects in over 25 languages including Acholi, Arabic, Dinka, Khmer, Persian and Swahili.

The online world has recently become considerably more commonplace among language and other professionals. I enjoyed applying my cultural and linguistic knowledge to Internet Advertising Quality Consulting while working as a sub-contracted Google Engineer in the field of testing, both in French and English, from 2005 to 2007, where I developed an advanced understanding of the online ads evaluation and placement process while further improving my internet research and keywording skills. In this position, the opportunity to apply my cultural knowledge and marketing and research skills helped lead to improved internet search engine advertising placement accuracy for Google’s clients.

My experience as a French interpreter and translator has strengthened my ability to analyze and understand the American and French cultures and marketplaces. Additionally, interpreting for refugees primarily from the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, I learned to better understand the cultures and linguistic nuances of these countries. Through numerous assignments I have further developed my skills of effective communication from one language to another, which is an essential ability for successful results in international business practices. I have worked with a multitude of companies localizing websites, translating press releases, newsletters, advertisements, product labels and other various documents. I am trained and experienced in several fields, including medical and legal terminology. I have interpreted for meetings through phone conferences and in person, facilitating company decision-making processes, ensuring mutual understanding between speakers of English and French.

In 2008, I became an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) tester through the American Council on the Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Since then I have assessed through interviews the French oral proficiency of candidates from various military and governmental agencies, and I have also worked on various special projects for the Defense Language Institute. I presently am employed in this capacity and I continue to additionally work as an in-person and over-the-telephone interpreter as well as a written-word translator for a multitude of clients.
Barbara H. Clark
(207) 409-2873
E-mail: [email protected]
Notary Public for the State of Maine, USA

SUMMARY:

➢ French native speaker with near-native English fluency
➢ In-person and over-the-telephone Interpreter in the business, media, legal & social services fields
➢ English <> French Translator, Editor & Proofreader
➢ Translation Management experience verified with PROZ.COM’s Professional Network Certification
➢ Over seven years of experience interpreting for French-speaking refugee communities
➢ Oral Proficiency Interview Tester in French for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
➢ On-Camera and Voice-Over Experience for Video Presentations in English


OBJECTIVE: Developing International Projects To Achieve A Successful Global Career

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE


English<> French Interpreter & Translator
2001-Present - Portland, Maine
In-person & over-the-telephone French interpreter for clients including businesses (B2B, B2C), governmental agencies, judicial courts and law firms, and medical facilities. Assignments include interviews, consulting sessions, business meetings, medical appointments and court hearings for entities such as Certified Languages International;
the U.S. Department of Human Services; Refugee & Immigration Services of Catholic Charities Maine; The United Way; Maine District Courts; Immigrant Legal Advocacy Program: Gerson Lehrman Group Consulting; the State of Maine, the Office of Multicultural Affairs; Portland School Department; Maine Publicity Bureau; and Johnson Northwest

Translating, editing & proofreading text for press releases, advertisements, product labels, websites, brochures & instruction manuals, etc. Projects include economic analyses for the World Bank; art history articles for The Language Shop, Europe; public relations material for Digicel and product labels for JC Penney

French-English Internet Advertising Consultant
2005-2007 - Sonoma, California
Employed as an outside contractor for Google Inc., as an Advertising Quality Consultant in French and English, combining cultural and marketing knowledge with internet research skills to help improve Google’s search engine advertising placement accuracy

Evaluated websites’ quality, content, and suitability in relation to ad copy and search query, contributing to improved search advertising placement for the Google AdWords and AdSense programs

Oral Proficiency Interview Tester, American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
2008-present - White Plains, New York
Testing of the spoken French proficiency of candidates through language assessment interviews (OPI Testing)

Evaluating recorded audio segments in French as well as written text and questions for reading comprehension tests primarily for the Defense Language Institute (DLI) and Language Testing International (LTI)

Translation Services Coordinator
2004-2006 - Portland, Maine
Successfully implemented and managed translation services for RISinterpret - Refugee & Immigration Services of Catholic Charities Maine, generating a revenue increase of 500% within the first year

Acquired new clients and coordinated requests for translation services in over 25 languages, prepared pricing estimates and contract agreements, and edited & proofread French translations for quality control. Translated documents included official court forms, booklets, case management packages and notices such as HIPAA for various governmental agencies

Recruited and established a working relationship with a team of over 100 translators and interpreters, assigning interpreters and translators to requests from various clients including health care providers, lawyers and judicial courts, businesses, and social service agencies

Created and maintained a translation project billing system database, received and processed payments from clients and handled interpreter and translator payroll. Also provided customer service follow-up and compiled sales statistics and budget analyses

Director’s Assistant, Cultural Center of Morhange, France
1993-1995 - Morhange, France
Employed by the town as Assistant to the Director of the Morhange Cultural Center. Responsible for administrative tasks; scheduling; invoicing and ensuring customer service follow-up. Also managed event planning such as the 50TH Anniversary of the French Liberation; local network television presentations; job fairs and city hall receptions


EDUCATION

University of Paris XII – LICENCE EN SCIENCES DE L’ÉDUCATION
(Bachelor of Arts in Educational Sciences), Créteil, France, 2000
Concentrations in Developmental Psychology, Communication, Philosophy and Social Studies.
Internship at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris: Assisted students in a Franco-American school exchange program to create a website on environmental issues

University of Paris XII - DIPLÔME D’ÉTUDES UNIVERSITAIRES GÉNÉRALES
(Two-Year Undergraduate Diploma), Créteil, France, 2000
Major In Foreign Languages, Literature & Civilizations: Concentration in English
Concentrations in Interpreting & Translating
German translation courses

CERTIFICATES & WORKSHOPS

Interpreting for Torture Survivors
Language Access for New Americans (LANA) of the United Way, Portland, Maine, 2010
Certificate of attendance: Completed workshop on Interpreting for Survivors of Torture, Clinical Work Through an Interpreter and the Role of Interpreters in Psychotherapy with Refugees

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and Defense Language Institute (DLI) Foreign Language Center, White Plains, New York, 2008
Certificate of Completion of the ACTFL/ILR OPI Tester Training, qualifying as a Tester.

Maine Court Interpreter Program TIER I & II
Language Access for New Americans (LANA) of the United Way, Portland, Maine, 2008-2009
Received a Superior Level French language rating based on the standards of the ACTFL French Oral Proficiency Exam
Successfully completed the written exam of the Consortium for State Court Interpreter Certification: Courtroom Protocols and Procedures, Maine Court System, Modes of Interpreting, Sight Translations
Completed a four-day advanced training course on court interpreting skills

Medical Interpreter Training
Language Access for New Americans (LANA) of the United Way, Portland, Maine, 2006-2007
Demonstrated Superior English-French level through an oral examination administered by Pacific Interpreters Graduated from a 104-hour Medical Interpretation Competency Program covering the Roles & Responsibilities of Medical Interpreting; Anatomy & Physiology and Medical Terminology

Pro Network Certification, ProZ.com, Syracuse, New York, 2008
Certified as a professional-level English to French Translator

American Translators Association Conference, Seattle, Washington, 2005
Certificate of Attendance: Completed workshops in Searching & Researching on the Internet; General Theory of Translation Companies; and Methodology for Translation of Personal Documents

Massachusetts Medical Interpreting Association Conference, Boston, Massachusetts, 2004 Certificate of Attendance: Developing Simultaneous Interpretation Skills; Raising Interpreter Services to a Strategic Level; HIV and New Treatments

Spring Harbor Hospital, Portland, Maine, 2004
Completed training on Interpreting In Mental Health Settings: The Mental Health System in Maine; Children’s Mental Health; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) & Intergenerational Trauma: Bridging Cultural Differences

Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Portland, Maine, 2004 Completed training on Legal Interpreting: Basic Court System, The Role of Interpreters & Domestic Violence Interpreting

Franco-German City Partnership Exchange, Ubach-Palenberg, Germany, 1997
Six weeks of full language immersion while living with a German family.
Internship in Ubach-Palenberg City Hall, assisting with administrative tasks, narrating and appearing in a promotional video presenting the city to its twin city in France: Rosny-sous Bois
Internship in the Human Resources Department of the MOBAU Hardware Store, implementing and administering a feedback survey to employees and customers

EXPERIMENT Exchange Program, Kennebunk, Maine, 1995-1996
Full language immersion working for 13 months as a live-in au pair for an American family; studied English Composition, Computers and Elements of Acting at York County Community College while working as an au pair; successfully completed the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) at the University of Southern Maine in Portland, Maine