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Brian Stobie, International Officer,
Durham County Council
French and German
“I firmly believe that we cannot learn or work in
a local, regional or national vacuum. Inspiration,
good practice and friendship can be found
across the globe; I use my languages every day”.
Kristy Robinson, Tax
Associate,
PriceWaterhouseCoopers
German
"My year abroad helped me achieve the skills
and the edge to win a position at one of the
world's leading professional services firms."
Ruth O’Rourke, Project Manager
Routes into Languages, Links into
Languages North East
French, German, Spanish, Dutch
“Working with employers across the
country has shown me just how highly
they value language graduates – not
only because of their language skills but
also because of the skills they have
developed in their degree”
Cindy Schaller
National Network for Translation
French and English
MA in Interpreting and Translation (University of
Salford, UK)
“Communication without intelligence is noise; intelligence without communication
is irrelevant.” (Ashûd)
Maria Szpitun,
DARO, Newcastle University
English and Spanish
“I did Spanish as a part of my BA degree –
however I did not go for my exchange year due
to visa problems and I’ve always regretted it!”
Teresa Threadgall,
Theatre Royal
Spanish and Norwegian
“I can’t think of a time in my working career when I haven’t relied on my
other languages”
Adrian Broomfield, Associate
Dickinson Dees LLP (Law Firm)
German, Russian, Latin
“I am my firm's representative at
the British German Chamber of
Commerce and use my language
skills on an ad hoc basis in
assisting colleagues with
translation and taking foreign
calls”
Silmara Hodge
Business Analyst
Newcastle University
Portuguese and English
I do believe that languages open many doors
for the life.
Without the language skills I could not have
the opportunities that I have had in my
professional and personal life.
National Network for Interpreting
Tamara Bloom
Spanish
"When I first started learning languages at
school I dreamed of one day being able to
help others communicate. In interpreting I
found a career that offers not just that, but
also the chance to work in an almost endless
variety of fields and settings. You learn
something new – and often fascinating –
with almost every job. Personal highlights
include interpreting a talk about an opera
composer; and getting to watch to live
performances of his works in between!"
Jess Lester, Business Analyst
Procter & Gamble
French, German, Spanish & Dutch
BA (Hons) Modern Languages, Newcastle University
“My ability to speak languages is why
P&G hired me- it’s not just about the
languages themselves, but the skills
you learn as a language student. I
work in Newcastle but spend 80% of
my day speaking or writing Germanit’s proven invaluable to me and my
career to date.
Language students are acutely aware
of cultural differences that would
normally not even be picked up onthey are well thought of in the
employment market and not always
easy to come by!”
Nick Roberts (PhD)
Newcastle University
French, Spanish & Catalan
"Without languages I wouldn't
*still* be a student who gets to
spend months on end in the
Caribbean researching the French
language."
Sabrina Mimid
Regional Language Network
French – Spanish - Arabic
“ Undoubtedly, my knowledge and passion for
languages proved to be an
extremely valuable competitive advantage
throughout my career. Now more than ever,
students have to compete hard
to get that first paid job in their speciality
field. Whether it’s in engineering, medicine,
the Police force, teaching, general science or
business…languages are the skills which will,
in so many cases, make the difference from a
recruiter’s point of view.”
Steven Kidd, General Ledger
Accountant
Procter & Gamble
Spanish & Portuguese
‘Being able to speak Spanish and Portuguese has been pivotal
to my career progression at Procter & Gamble and has given me
the opportunity to travel. My current role involves reporting
financial information to the Finance Director in both Madrid and
Lisbon. By using my languages, the company can be sure that
the correct message is being delivered. I use my languages
everyday ‘
Julie Morris, Sales Manager
Perry Process Equipment Ltd
French & German
‘My acquired knowledge of French and German
has proven invaluable throughout my working
career. Speaking a foreign language always
seems to impress a potential client and has
enabled me to establish and strengthen
relationships with companies I may have
otherwise struggled to deal with. In addition
I have spent several years living and working in
Germany which has given me a cultural
awareness that I have applied in my current
role. ’
Carole Shepherd
Accutrans Ltd, Language Consultancy
French, German, Latin, Russian & Italian
My knowledge of languages
has given me the chance to
work in the UK and abroad as a
• translator/interpreter,
• teacher/lecturer,
• senior examiner,
• textbook author.