Agnieszka Kwiecien
Where do you live/work?
Blackburn, Lancashire.
Are you mainly a translator or interpreter or both? What languages?
I do translation and interpretation, as well as remote interpretation and transcription in Polish-English.
What are your specialist fields?
Translation: legal, local government, supply chain, logistics, charities and community organisations, schools and education.
Interpretation: public service interpretation, medical assessments, HR, HSE.
What’s the strangest/most interesting project you’ve ever worked on?
During the 8 years of my professional career, I think this honour would go to the assignment during which I had to transcribe and translate (together with time-stamping it!) a long ABE interview, where the value of the evidence was being questioned due to the interpreter’s performance. It was one of my first ever assignments and it was a tremendous learning experience. Another one was servicing a mental health assessment with a patient in Iceland!
Tell us about a particularly proud moment in your translation career:
Apart from passing my DPSI Law examination in 2015, I would have to say interpreting at an inquest, which was by the most challenging assignment I’ve ever accepted. The client was so pleased with my performance that they emailed my agency with very nice words of praise. It was a very bittersweet experience all in all.
Tell us two reasons why you like being a translator/interpreter:
Firstly, I am a very curious person with a strong penchant for the written word. Secondly, I love working with people and no other job tests one’s interpersonal and customer service skills like interpreting.
What is the most interesting place where you have lived/visited?
I’ve worked in Germany doing a summer job in a Bavarian town of Eichenau, which was where mint tea was first invented.
What are your plans for professional development or a new field you’d like to work in?
I am preparing to re-sit two units of my Diploma in Translation examination and I am also beginning a slow and steady preparation to the Polish Ministry of Justice ‘certified interpreter’ examination but it’s definitely a marathon, not a race!
Tell us something not many people know about you:
I am a trained pyrotechnician and I even did one show.
