Meet our team

Equipped with a degree in Linguistics and French from Sussex University and 10 years’ experience working in a variety of sectors including tourism and hospitality, financial risk assessment, logistics, administration and event management, Anja started AJT in 2010 with the aim of helping companies to access overseas markets.

Anja is a strong advocate of encouraging young language talent into the translation industry, and believes it’s important to nurture the next generation of professional human translators. Anja has presented at industry events such as LocWorld, ELIA Together, ITI Conference and Smartling’s Global Ready Conference, as well as given presentations at local schools to encourage students to study foreign languages.

In her spare time, Anja loves to surf and spend time on the beach.

Sarah started her language career with a German degree at Lyon University followed by a degree in Business and Languages at Brighton University. During and after her studies she worked at American Express, where amongst other things she focused on process optimisation, as well as project and people management.

Having been part of the AJT family since the beginning, Sarah oversees the day-to-day operations of the project management team from her office in Lyon.

Sarah is passionate about the environment, loves cooking for friends and family and is planning on building up her own little veggie patch. She has passed on her passion for languages to her daughter whom she strives to bring up in a multi-cultural environment. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys travelling to discover new cultures, reading in the company of her cats, and practising yoga.

Nikki joined AJT armed with 20 years’ admin experience, a degree in Spanish and French and a PGCE under her belt. Having worked in local media, executive search, law firms, and as a language tutor and proofreader, she brings a wide-ranging skill set to the team. Nikki loves all things language and would love to learn German next.

Since her arrival, Nikki has fully streamlined AJT’s accounting and payroll processes for clients and freelance translators. She works closely with Anja to continuously develop and update HR and office procedures for the in-house team, and organises great Christmas outings – she’s the glue that holds the office together! No two days at AJT headquarters are the same, and that’s what she loves.

Cornwall is Nikki’s home turf, Newquay her home town, and she is passionate about both. If she’s not out walking the coast path, soaking up the sun or splashing about in the sea you’ll probably find her in the kitchen planning her next culinary creation.

After studying Sports Science and Leisure Management at Brunel University, Mark started his career in the late nineties in advertising sales, quickly working his way up to Key Accounts Manager for New Scientist, one of Europe’s most read publications. He then moved into business development, working both for start-ups as well as established companies looking to increase revenues and client bases.

Mark brings creativity and commercial expertise to our team. Drawing on his extensive experience in sales and business development, he makes sure we stay on track and on trend with our product offering.

Mark is a keen surfer and, when there’s no surf, loves going fishing on his kayak.

Originally from Germany, Esteban is quite the globetrotter: he’s lived in France, the USA and the UK, and speaks fluent German and English. He also has a good working knowledge of French.

Esteban is a keen surfer and ocean lover, and graduated from Plymouth University with a Bachelor’s degree in Marine Sports Science in 2016.

Surfing is actually his second love, the first being music, especially the heavier niches of metal music. He’s very passionate about it and it takes up a lot of his spare time, whether that’s making music himself, going to concerts or festivals, or just staying up to date with what’s happening in the various scenes.

Ariane hails from North-Eastern France where she completed a BA in Modern Languages (English and French) followed by a Master’s degree in Professional Translation at the University of Strasbourg in 2016.

Before joining AJT, Ariane worked as a translation project manager in Nottingham where she honed her multitasking and organisational skills. She enjoys working in a fast-paced environment organising multilingual projects.

Ariane is a food lover. Baker at heart, she enjoys keeping the team fed with various pastries, biscuits and cakes. She hits the gym regularly to limit the damage of the sugar overload.

Marie holds a BA in Technical and Scientific Translations from the University of Würzburg in Germany and lives in Manchester in the north of England.

Marie has always been fascinated by different cultures and believes we have much to learn from them. In 2019, while writing her BA thesis on how to convert a van, Marie lovingly converted a dark blue Ford Transit of her own and then travelled around Europe for a year, visiting 13 countries.

Marie is passionate about art and illustration and spends a lot of her free time drawing – two of her four siblings are artists, so this is definitely something that runs in the family.

Stephanie holds a BA in French Studies from the University of Sheffield, an MA in Translation Studies from the University of Nottingham and a Proofreading and Editing Diploma from the College of Media and Publishing.

Coming from a multicultural background, Stephanie grew up listening to her family speak Creole at home, kicking off a passion for languages and for the French language in particular; she’s a true Francophile.

Stephanie has previously worked as a PM for both large and boutique LSPs and as a senior account manager for a large online retailer. She is also an experienced French to English freelance translator and UK English copyeditor.

As a great Pilates enthusiast, Stephanie will try and convince anyone who’ll listen that they should give Pilates a try. She’s taught herself to crochet baby toys and mementos for friends and family, has a keen interest in how the beauty industry is tackling sustainability and climate change.

Since completing her internship with AJT, Elena has joined us as a Junior Project Manager, working remotely from Strasbourg.  Born and raised in Italy, Elena followed her passion for foreign languages which led her to the University of Strasbourg where she obtained an MA in Technical and Legal Translation. She also has an MA in Translation, Interpreting and Linguistic Mediation and a BA in Intercultural Mediation.

Besides Italian and French, Elena is fluent in English and Spanish, but she’s not satisfied yet: next on the list are German and Arabic.

Her love for travelling and getting to know new cultures is matched only by her passion for plant-based cooking: before becoming a translator, she was a cook in various Italian and French restaurants.

Jinny is a certified businesswoman in foreign trade and speaks German, English and Spanish, working as a freelance translator and content writer alongside her project management role at AJT. Prior to this, she worked as a transport planner in the UK and in an export role in Germany.

Jinny’s background is truly international: Cornish mum, German dad, Mexican sister-in-law, Costa Rican husband and children. She has been living in Costa Rica for the last 10 years having met her husband while volunteering at a wildlife sanctuary in his village.

Incredibly passionate about animal welfare, Jinny regularly takes in street dogs to foster at home. She’s crazy about penguins and once fulfilled a dream by volunteering in a penguin sanctuary in South Africa. Despite being bitten, she still loves them!

Jinny’s spare time is spent going for long walks and exploring beautiful Costa Rica with her family and her four rescue dogs, followed by some serious relaxing in her hammock as the howler monkeys and toucans provide the entertainment.

Originally from Russia, Nik grew up in Cornwall and remains based in Launceston. Nik speaks Russian, French and Spanish, has a solid legal background, having previously trained as a lawyer.

Before joining AJT, Nik gained experience working at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg and organising political campaigns. He also worked in business development for a printing company and was, for a time, a freelance translator, making him a great fit for the team.

Outside of work, Nik is passionate about the environment, enjoys PC simulation and strategy games and is a big fan of historical novels and biographies. He loves to travel, has a varied taste in music, and enjoys cooking, although he’s now having to learn to enjoy exercising enough to counter the effects.

After studying Business and Finance in his hometown of Brighton and later becoming Prince2 certified, Terry brings with him a vast amount of project management and people leader experience to the team. He has managed process optimisations, system migrations and new project launches, and has driven various other improvement initiatives as well.

Terry is very sporty and, given the opportunity, will play absolutely any sport (except cricket, that is), although he mainly enjoys football, squash and kayaking. He is also a keen gardener and a BBQ chef in the making.

Alicia grew up near Besançon in the French region of Franche-Comté. She completed her Master’s degree in translation at the Institute of Translators, Interpreters and International Relations in Strasbourg where she graduated in 2016. With a specialisation in technical and literary translation, Alicia is interested in new technologies as well as arts, and in her spare time she enjoys illustrating and writing.

Lucie grew up in the French region of Franche-Comté and has a Master’s degree in Technical Translation from the Institute of Translators, Interpreters and International Relations in Strasbourg.

A head-over-heels Anglophile, Lucie loves to immerse herself in all things English. In fact, before settling on a translation career, a life as an English teacher was seriously on the cards.

Lucie is a lover of the outdoors and has inherited a passion for travel from her parents. She has already visited many far-flung corners of the world – Newquay and Cornwall included.

Eve holds an  MA in Translation from the ITIRI at the University of Strasbourg, an MA in Applied Translation from the University of Leeds (England) and a BA in Literatures, Languages and Cultures of the English-Speaking World from the University of Strasbourg.

With dual Franco-British nationality, Eve has a keen interest in the English language and culture and never misses an opportunity to explore new English-speaking locations.

A self-confessed bookworm and a series binge-watcher, Eve also loves the great outdoors and likes to try new things and test her limits. One of her personal highlights has been been hiking on the GR20 trail in Corsica on her own.

After completing a six-month internship with AJT, Gaëlle joined our in-house French team as a fully-fledged Junior Translator in 2019.

Gaëlle graduated from Grenoble Alps University with a European MA in Specialised Translation and also has a BA in Applied Languages from the University of Nantes. Having always loved languages, a life-changing year abroad aged 17 saw Gaëlle living the life of a Japanese student in Nagoya, Japan. This experience instilled in Gaëlle the true importance of communication, respect for other cultures, and how good translation (and good translators) can facilitate intercultural relationships.

Besides her love for languages, Gaëlle is also a keen bodyboarder and can often be found in the sea.

After completing a three-month internship in 2019, we welcomed back Melanie to AJT as an in-house remote translator in early 2020.

Having graduated from the University of Vienna with an MA in Translation for Media, Literature and Arts and holding a BA in Transcultural Communication, she is passionate about language and speaks fluent German, English and French.

Melanie is a keen traveller, and has studied and worked in Ireland, Switzerland and the UK. She loves working with children, having taught German, English and French for several years as a language tutor in her hometown Vienna. When not working, she loves grabbing her camera to take photos of mesmerising sunsets, bustling cities and anything else that might catch her eye. She also enjoys going for long evening walks.

Nicole is from Vienna and completed her BA at the University of Vienna. After a six-month exchange program at Aston University as part of the BA, she returned to Birmingham to complete an MA in Translation Studies.

On returning to Vienna Nicole began working as a freelance translator, from English and French into German. Soon after, she joined AJT as a German Editor, first as a member of our in-house remote team and more recently joining our in-house team, working from Birmingham.

As she is a true Austrian, Nicole loves winter sports, in particular skiing – in fact there wasn’t much time between her learning to walk and starting to ski.  In the summer, though, she swaps her skis for roller-skates and hiking boots. She also loves to bake but says her creations always taste better than they look.

With an MA in Translation from the University of Saint-Etienne and earlier translation studies in Montpellier and Lleida, in Spain, Barbara has been working with AJT since the very beginning, initially as a trusted freelancer and now as a member of our in-house French team as an editor working remotely from the Loire region in France.

Translation was a natural career choice for Barbara, having always enjoyed travelling, meeting people, learning new languages, reading books and writing. Before embarking on her MA, she worked for a year as a literary translator for several publishing houses in Guadalajara, Mexico.

A perfect day for Barbara is far from the city, out in nature, walking with her dog Indy. Or alternatively, having a beer with friends while playing the Breton puck game and listening to music.

After graduating with an MSc in Translation Studies from the University of Edinburgh, Lisa joined our in-house team as a German Junior Translator working remotely from Vienna.

Already a fluent speaker of German, English and French, Lisa is teaching herself Swedish, adding a further string to her linguistic bow. Her translation skills have been honed in the real world working as a volunteer translator for International Network of Street Papers in Glasgow, an NGO dedicated to helping homeless people to change their lives.

Away from translation, Lisa has many other interests, not least creative writing, which is a passion of hers. She has also worked behind the scenes in the theatre and enjoys cooking and making music. She plays the guitar and the piano and has recently started writing her own songs. In addition to all this, Lisa finds the time to volunteer for an Austrian organisation dedicated to sustainability and waste reduction and is trying to significantly decrease her own packaging waste.

Eva graduated with an MA in Specialised Translation from the University of Westminster in London in 2020 and has already gained some valuable experience as a freelance translator for international development organisations and as a volunteer translator for TED Talks.

Eva is truly passionate about music. She plays five instruments, has taught herself how to produce music, and has written over 100 songs and classical pieces, although she doubts anyone will ever hear them! She is also a keen photographer and works for one of the biggest online music magazines in the UK taking live and portrait photographs.

Nele graduated with an MA in Translation Studies from the University of Glasgow. She also holds BAs in French and Marketing, and Spanish, and actually worked for many years as a teacher of modern languages (German, French and Spanish) before moving into the field of translation.

Nele is a native German speaker who has lived in the UK for over 20 years and adores her adopted country of Scotland. Having moved out to the country a few years ago, she enjoys going for walks and hikes in the countryside to switch off and get a bit of exercise. She also loves skiing, but with opportunities to ski in the Highlands a bit patchy – no snow, too much snow, too windy – she and her family regularly go on skiing holidays in Austria and Bavaria instead, where conditions are a little more consistent.

Rika has an MSc in Translating from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, an MA in European Studies from the University of Aberdeen and speaks German, English, Spanish and French.

Rika’s love of languages and travel has seen her move home 11 times and live in five different countries. After graduating from high school, she spent a year volunteering at a music school in Ecuador and during her time there had the opportunity to organise music lessons in a local prison. This experience helped bolster her belief that languages can be used for good and to create positive change in the world.

In her spare time, Rika likes to get up and move! She’s very active and loves running, strength training and yoga. In addition to this, she enjoys cooking, reading and is completely addicted to jigsaw puzzles.

Born and raised in Reunion Island, Vince moved to mainland France at the outset of his university studies. Following completion of his MA in Translation and Information Management, he enjoyed a successful career working for Wipro in France, an IT solutions and services company where, having started with them as an intern, he rose to the position of head of their translation office covering continental Europe.

Vince is a foodie, and at home he’s the cook for his young family with whom he adores spending quality time. He enjoys his food a great deal, so counterbalances this with a healthy lifestyle, participating in various sports and creating challenging workouts for him and his friends. Hailing from the tropics, it’s no surprise that Vince is a connoisseur of good rum which he enjoys sharing with friends. The only thing that gives the rum a run for its money is coffee: to Vince, coffee is life.

Clémence holds an MA in Translation from the ITIRI in Strasbourg, with a specialism in audiovisual translation and accessibility. She speaks French, English and Spanish.

In her spare time Clémence loves watching musicals and enjoys dancing. When she was younger it was ballet and jazz, but she has recently discovered swing and Lindy-hop, which she absolutely loves. She also likes to cook – pastries and biscuits especially – and her guilty pleasure is chocolate, made all the better if it comes with a good mug of tea. Last, but by no means least, Clémence is very environmentally aware and tries to look after the planet as best she can – she has managed to achieve an almost zero waste bathroom, which is something to be very proud of.

Julia holds an MA in Translation Studies from the University of Leicester and brings with her more than seven years’ professional experience gained from in-house and freelance roles.

Driven by a genuine passion for languages Julia always aspires to provide immaculate translations, but when not translating she’s an avid reader, enjoying biographies and memoirs in particular. She enjoys drawing, painting and jigsaw puzzles, loves being outdoors in nature, especially by the water, and is also a hotpod yoga enthusiast (yes, there really is such a thing!)

Julia loves browsing antique stores, vintage shops and flea markets, all the time dreaming up stories about the possible past life of the items she finds. Best of all, though, she has two beautiful Netherland dwarf rabbits – Earl Grey and Whiskey – who keep her company while she’s working away and who she can’t resist dressing up in cute costumes for special occasions.

Maria holds an MA in Applied Linguistics at Erfurt University in Germany as well as an MA in Translatology at Leipzig. Fluent in her native German and English, she has immersed herself not only in her studies but also in academic research within several departments at both universities.

Maria has been hooked on languages since she was a child. Growing up she dreamt of becoming an author and since then has written many stories, attended writing workshops,and was part of the editorial team at Erfurt’s student newspaper.

Coming from a musical family, Maria has inherited a passion for music, and she loves to sing. She enjoys long walks and cycling tours, and trips to museums, the cinema, and theatre, and she’s currently trying to learn Polish. She’s a member of the Foodsharing initiative which tackles the issue of food waste, and she’s mad for tea. After her first visit to the UK she bought a tea trolley which she takes with her whenever she moves home. She also collects photos of number plates that spell out words – well someone has to!

Martine holds a BA and MA in English Literature from Cardiff University and is currently studying for a Postgraduate Diploma in Translation from the University of Bristol.

Growing up in a multilingual environment in Luxembourg, Martine speaks Luxembourgish, German, French, English and Spanish. She went to school in Canterbury, England for a year when she was 17, moved to Cardiff for university later on, and also studied in Oslo, Norway for a semester.

Martine has a genuine passion for languages and literature and her hobbies include reading, travelling, going to the cinema and visiting heritage/cultural sites. She is fascinated by the Arctic with her favourite place in the world being Tromsø.

Camille holds an MA in Translation from Lyon University, specialising in legal and business translation.

Already speaking French, English and Spanish, Camille continues to learn about language and foreign cultures and in her spare time is currently teaching herself German and Norwegian. She also volunteers as a translator for Global Voices and TED Conferences.

When she’s not relaxing and catching up on her favourite TV shows, Camille likes to keep active by playing tennis and badminton. She also loves to bake, with chocolatey desserts and all kinds of savoury delights being particular favourites of hers.