I’m Julia, and I’ve been an interpreter working between English and Russian, and from French into English, for over 30 years.

What have I found out in all that time?

It’s not about the words, or even the ideas, but about the people.

When you understand the people, where they come from, what they're thinking, and the things they can – and just CAN’T – say in various contexts, you start saying the right things, building strong relationships and better businesses.

If you found your way here looking to understand the unspoken aspects of your international communications (especially with Russian speakers), then you're definitely in the right place!

It may seem strange for an interpreter to talk about the unspoken aspects of communication.  It’s true that my job pushes me to focus on ideas, which tend to be expressed in words -- but would you believe that much of the foundation for those ideas comes from the culture, education, and context in which the conversation is happening? 

For example:

• Does your conversation partner come from a culture that avoids saying “no” as much as is humanly possible?

• Do people say exactly what they're thinking, or do they assume that you'll understand what they AREN’T saying?

• Does your culture tell you every step in a process, while your partner assumes you already know them?
  

When you focus not only on the ideas, but the context in which those ideas are delivered, you can more easily:

• Make a great first impression, by not only SAYing the right things but DOing the right things.

• Become more engaging by knowing what type of stories will be welcome at what types of meetings – and how jokes can carry much more cultural weight than you thought.

• Know how to greet people and what they'll expect – a handshake, a hug, a kiss – each being specific to a certain context.

• Understand what you are eating, where it comes from, and why it’s being served – and how safe it is for you to eat (giardia anyone?).

• ...and truly appreciate the role the sauna plays in personal relationships, and why it’s a good thing to be invited!

That is the power of unspoken intent in a conversation and - if you're interested in seriously upping your cultural savviness - I'd love to be your guide to more positive, engaging, and profitable international communication!

With me by your side, you'll find it easier to get to know your partner, you'll build stronger relationships, and your business will experience fewer hiccups (plus more profit)! 

I'm an expert in communicating.

I’ve helped negotiate business deals, drafted legislation, argued arbitration cases, built nuclear power plants, gone on fact-finding missions, and put on a show. *jazz hands!*

For 30+ years I've worked for NGOs, governments, international organizations, and businesses, focusing on conversations in business, finance, law, government, public diplomacy, civil and military nuclear, and the environment.

How it all began…

I first interpreted at 3 years old (!) when no one but me understood my baby sister ;)  

We grew up in Vermont, watching Canadian TV and hearing the musical Quebecois accent. When my parents insisted we learn a foreign language, I jumped at the opportunity to learn French. Not long after that, I dove head-first down the language rabbit hole – starting Spanish in high school, then stopping Spanish and adding Russian to the mix in university – because I wanted a hard language! I had no idea what I let myself in for…

Throughout university, I studied both French and Russian language, literature and culture – who knew that a significant portion of War and Peace isn’t written in Russian at all, but in French?  I ended up spending time as a student on the Côte d’Azur (!) in France, and in Moscow, Russia.  I’ve been back to both countries many times over the years, feeling like I am in a fairy tale every time I go. And now I'm closer since I live in Europe.

I’ve wanted to become an interpreter since I was twelve, devastated for a large chunk of my childhood that my parents hadn’t given birth to me in Switzerland, where I would’ve learned to speak 3 languages natively. But it turns out that my childhood still prepared me really well:  mom was a politician and journalist, and dad was an English literature professor.  I don’t know of any better preparation to understand subtext, analysis, context and undercurrents.  We even used to watch the different networks together for news covering presidential elections, to see how each of them spun the stories differently.

Also thanks to my parents, I read and people-watch voraciously, which has helped me understand what makes people tick, and why they say what they do.  In fact, two of my favorite lines are both from Shakespeare: “Two houses, both alike in dignity…” from Romeo and Juliet; and “O, for a muse of fire!” from Henry V. Making sure both sides of the conversation are alike in the dignity of understanding each other is my main motivation. The muse of fire helps me figure out how to do that, no matter the complications.

All of this helped me to succeed in my Masters Degree in Conference Interpreting (MIIS, California), and paved the way for me to start working in all sorts of places interpreters work, in meetings, conferences, during diplomatic events…  

And on top of that:

I was hired to interpret arguments because the client really needed the “full fat” version of the interview.

I’ve made sure that a client didn’t embarrass themselves (or the other side) when they wanted to refuse to taste the local wine.

I was one client’s chosen interpreter because she felt I transmitted her “voice” really well during treaty negotiations.

I’ve delivered a laugh every time to a speaker who paused for one seven times in his speech (and what a high that was!).

I’ve been chosen to interpret one-on-one conversations at summits and ministerials. 

MY CLIENTS HAVE INCLUDED:  

GOVERNMENT (United States: White House; Departments of State, Energy, Justice, Commerce, Treasury, Defense; Supreme Court; Congress; Sandia, Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos and Oak Ridge National Laboratories; US Naval Observatory; France: Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Justice)

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (Arctic Council, Bank for International Settlements, Cospas-Sarsat, Council of Europe, European Central Bank, International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, International Chamber of Commerce, International Energy Association, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, UN Organization, World Bank)

COMPANIES & THINK TANKS (BNP Paribas, The Brookings Institution, The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Carolina Power & Light, Duke University, EastWest Institute, Harvard University, JMK Contact, KPMG, MIPIM, NBC, Petrostrategies, Pierre Fabre, SIMA, World Association of Newspapers, Zenith Watch Manufacture)

NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (Amnesty International, Burlington Marathon, Chautauqua, Ecologia, Emmaus International, International Visitors Programs, L’Olivier 1996, Meridian International, Peace Child, Sister Cities, World Wildlife Fund)

Now, I want to bring all that experience to bear on your business, and help you.

Get the full fat version of your conversation – personality and humor included! - in any context.  Understand not just the words, but the unspoken intent, and the context.