From Bristol to the European Parliament

From building a translation business in Bristol to gaining accreditation with the European Patent Office and European Parliament, Rachel reflects on how her language degree helped her turn a passion for languages into a successful international career.

Working as a conference interpreter and translator

I work as a freelance conference interpreter and literary translator. Since 2024, I have worked as an accredited interpreter for the European Patent Office.

In 2026 I began working as a freelance interpreter for the European Parliament after passing the EU accreditation test. It has been a huge challenge with a lot to learn, but I love the work. 

For the last couple of years, the vast majority of my income has come from interpreting, allowing me to focus on the areas of language work I enjoy most.

Alongside interpreting, I continue to work as a literary translator and have two book translations coming out soon.

Why I chose Bristol

I knew early on that I wanted to study languages, but I chose to study at Bristol specifically because I wanted to live in a vibrant city with lots going on, and I wanted a university with a good academic reputation.

One of the things that attracted me to Bristol was the wide range of module options, clubs and societies on offer.

From graduate to European Parliament interpreter

After graduating, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do (apart from that I wanted to stay in Bristol), so I signed up with a temp agency and ended up working at Yankee Candle HQ as a customer care rep for German wholesale customers.

I enjoyed speaking German every day and the work was quite fun, but it didn't feel challenging enough and I didn't think I wanted to work there long-term.

I'd heard about the MA in interpreting at the University of Bath from a careers event organised at the SML in Bristol, so I decided to apply there. While studying there, I learned about careers with the EU institutions and visited the European Parliament, where we observed interpreters working in a variety of meetings.

I also learned more about translation and self-employment, and I decided that when I left the course I would try and get work as a freelancer rather than getting a full-time job doing something else. 

Building a freelance interpreting career

When I graduated from the interpreting MA, I felt torn between moving to Brussels to build a career or returning to Bristol to be with my partner in a city I loved.

I ultimately chose to come back to Bristol and spent some time struggling to get interpreting work while also building my freelance translation business. I worked on a wide variety of translation projects, from annual reports, tourism brochures and website content to certificates and immigration documents.

At one point, a small audiovisual translation agency referred me, and I started working as a subtitler for TV, films and other video content.  

In late 2019/early 2020, I started to get more interpreting work and was about to take the accreditation test to work for the EU institutions, when the pandemic hit and cancelled everything. I spent most of that year working remotely alongside freelance translation and began exploring literary translation.

I ended up getting a few smaller things published but it took a few more years before I got my first book contracts. 
 
During the pandemic, one of my old tutors from Bath told me about opportunities with the European Patent Office, where interpreting had moved fully online allowing me to work there remotely without the need for regular travel.

After several months of preparation, I passed the accreditation test and began working for them in 2024. I later passed the EU accreditation test and started working as a freelance interpreter at the European Parliament in 2026.

Building a career through languages

My career path has taken me from Bristol to working with international organisations, including the European Parliament. Throughout that journey, languages have been far more than a qualification, they have been the skill that made it all possible.

Language skills are highly valued and often admired, and many of my friends are now learning languages in their spare time for enjoyment. However, finding the time to develop real fluency as an adult can be difficult, which makes me especially grateful for the language skills I developed during my degree.

Skills beyond language learning

Aside from the actual languages themselves, studying languages has given me a huge confidence boost and honed my ability to strike up conversations with strangers, which is essential when you have to network as a freelancer.

My advice to future language students

One of the great things about a language degree is its variety. Alongside language study, you can explore literature, history, linguistics, film, culture and much more, giving you a broad and well-rounded humanities education.

For anyone who is curious about the world and eager to understand it from different perspectives, it's an incredibly rewarding path to take.