Rotterdam in the Netherlands. This is a harbour city that features historical buildings that were left after the WWII bombing, right next to super modern ones. Its people are super straightforward and direct, even to the Dutch, and they swear as they see fit. No talking behind people’s backs. ‘Rotterdammers’ will speak their mind and be honest. Oh, and work hard. No whining. Turns out I really like this raw, Rotterdam soul!

My partner and I moved to Rotterdam a few years ago for his job. Luckily, I work remotely most of the time, so I can be flexible. Sometimes I visit family or friends elsewhere in the Netherlands or Europe, and I can just stay over for a few days and take my work with me.

I actually plan some of my spare time. I love playing the piano and studying it for 1 hour a day, I want to go horse riding 2 or 3 times a week and hit the gym at least once a week. I make sure I plan those things first. After that, I can see how much time I’ve got left for work. This may sound strange, but it really helps me to set my priorities and to stay calm and focused on work. It also means you may find me cantering through the woods on a regular Tuesday morning, or working on weekends. I don’t care what day it is, any moment can be right for work or hobbies, especially for a freelancer! Recently, I’ve also started crocheting. A friend of mine taught me one evening and I was hooked (pun intended). There’s a bit of a baby boom going on around me, so I’m making cute stuffed animals for presents.

language and education. These have been my key words since I was in high school. I love teaching, teenagers in particular, thinking about education, and providing training to teachers. Language is the gift that keeps on giving. I may forget where we went, what we had for dinner, I’ll definitely forget what people were wearing, but I’ll remember what was said. If any strong emotions come up, chances are my mind blurts out a poem. And when translating, nothing feels better than coming up with a creative solution to transfer all of the form and meaning into my mother tongue.

anything slightly surprising, anything that opens up (part of) a world I didn’t know about. Count me in if it involves language and/or education (and please find someone else if it involves financial, technical or IT topics). I’ve already mentioned what I love about translation, but it also makes me feel good to improve existing copy as an editor. If I spot a typo, I feel like a kid finding an Easter egg. I’ve also worked on keyword research, which can be exciting at times: finding out how many people typed in which keyword in a certain period or how they ended up on a certain web page isn’t too hard with the right tools, but it does make me feel like a detective, or maybe even a spy…