About

Welcome to my website. I’m Michael Ross, a professional translator and interpreter based in Chicago. First, here are the highlights of my professional background:

• Freelance translator and interpreter since 2015.
• Master of Arts in French translation and interpretation from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (2016).
• Bachelor of Arts in French and Spanish from Tulane University (2013).

And now, a more detailed bio.

 

Background

I started studying French in middle school and Spanish in my last year of high school. I went on to major in both in 2009 at Tulane University in New Orleans, in addition to working towards my teacher certification. In my third year of university, I studied abroad: the first semester in Valparaíso, Chile, then the second semester in Aix-en-Provence, France. In both places, I lived with wonderful host families who helped me strengthen my conversational skills in French and Spanish and who taught me enormous amounts about their respective cultures. I graduated summa cum laude from Tulane in 2013.

After my bachelor’s degree, I went on to be a teacher. I taught Spanish at a high school in New Orleans. However, after one school year, I decided that I needed a career change. I changed gears and studied translation and interpretation at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, the leading university in the United States for translation and interpretation. It was the most challenging academic experience that I have ever had. In my master’s program, we studied all different subject areas for translation and interpretation: journalism, economics, business, medicine, heavy industry, law, politics, and much more. In interpretation, we studied both the consecutive and simultaneous modes. Additionally, I participated in an interpretation practicum course where we simulated the professional conference interpretation environment by interpreting events at the university and in the Monterey community.

In 2015, between my first and second years at the Middlebury Institute, I completed a translation internship at an agency in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, just outside of Paris. That internship gave me the opportunity to put my translation skills to the test in a professional environment. It also gave me great insights into how translation agencies operate. And of course, the best part about it was that I got to live in Paris for a summer. Since completing the internship, I have been working as a freelance translator and interpreter, enjoying it immensely.