20 (or so) questions on how Céline Foggie works

This series of posts was inspired by Lifehacker’s How I Work series, which I’ve been reading for quite some time and thoroughly enjoy. It’s about time we discover how our colleagues work and get to know them a little better.

If you want to participate in this fun series, send us an email at info@linguagreca.com so we can send you the Word template where you can fill in your answers and your bio (incl. your site/blog/social media links) and then send it back to us as an attachment along with your photo (optional but preferred). If you don’t like any of the questions, just delete them and add your own. You can read the previous interviews here.

Location: Chambost-Longessaigne, a small village in the countryside west of Lyon, France.
Desired location: Chambost-Longessaigne. We’ve moved there in August and haven’t regretted it since 🙂
Current work title: Bilingual journalist, translator and interpreter.
Desired work title: Bilingual journalist, translator and interpreter 🙂
Languages you have studied or currently speak: French is my mother tongue, and I’ve learned to speak English with my Scottish husband – whose accent I got along the way. I’ve surprised a fair number of people with my Scottish accent.
The project you’re most proud of: My work with international institutions such as the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and more recently WEDO, the Women’s Environment & Development Organization.
Your current computer setup: A Mac. Once you’ve tried Apple products you never go back to Windows.
Do you own a smartphone? Yup, an iPhone — and it’s my lifeline when I’m not in front of my computer (and sometimes even when I actually am in front of my computer!).
Favorite time of the day: At night, when my kids are sound asleep and I snuggle in bed with a good book – and my husband.
Favorite gadget (apart from computer & smartphone): A hot glue gun: it sticks everything instantly, making crafts easier and domestic accidents less catastrophic…
Next conference/event you’re planning to attend: A conference organised by the SFT (Société française des traducteurs) about CAT tools.
How many hours per day do you usually work: An average of 8 hours, I suppose, just like any working person really. The only difference is that I work from home, in an office I share with my husband. So no travelling time, and the no-makeup/PJs look is acceptable.
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Definitely a talkative, overconfident, optimistic extrovert.
Are you an early-riser or a night-owl? More of a night owl — which meant that motherhood came as quite a shock…
What do you listen to while you work? Various kinds of music (rock, pop, classical, jazz, trip-hop…), or just the sound of silence —and birds.

And a few non-work related questions to get more personal.
Your babies or pets, incl. names and ages: My daughter Alice is almost 6, and my son David will be 4 soon. And our kittens, named after Scottish islands (highly recommended for whisky fans), are called Islay (black female, 7 months old) and Jura (white male, 6 months old).
Next city/country you want to visit: New York, Copenhagen, Granada…
Favorite vacation place: The location doesn’t really matter, as long as I get to be with my family and friends. But we usually end up going on holidays either in Scotland or in Turkey (where my brother and his family live) — which isn’t bad as a choice, really.
Favorite book: Leo the African, by Amin Maalouf.
Favorite song: Paranoid Android, by Radiohead.
What are you currently reading? A French book my parents got me for Christmas: Plonger, by Christophe Ono-dit-Biot.

Author bio

Céline Foggie is a bilingual journalist, an EN-FR translator and an interpreter. Céline works in several fields including environment, development, transport, travel, art, and she is always on the lookout for new interesting subjects. She is a bookworm, a decoration aficionada and a wine amateur. You can see samples of her work on her website, or get in touch with her via Facebook or LinkedIn.