About Me
My name is Valérie Geradon, I completed a bachelor's degree in international trade from the Higher Education Institution of the Province of Liège in 2014. Two years later, I decided to further improve my language skills and I enrolled at the Faculty of Translation and Interpretation of the University of Mons. I obtained a bachelor's degree in translation and interpretation in 2019, then a master's degree in translation (research focus) in 2021. I completed my studies with a six-week internship in the French language department of the European Commission (DGT.D.FR.1).
During my studies, I travelled abroad on many occasions to practise English and Spanish. In 2009, I spent six months in Oceanside, a coastal town in San Diego County, in the United States. From 2011 to 2012, I studied at the Faculty of Economics and Business Studies of the University of Seville, in Spain. In 2014, I travelled to Southeast Asia for the first time. I did a four-month internship at the Chamber of Commerce of Brussels-Wallonia, in Singapore. A year later, I travelled to New Zealand. I worked in a French restaurant for about three weeks and then travelled independently around New Zealand's two main islands for the rest of the stay. In 2019, I returned to Spain and spent a semester at the Faculty of Translation and Interpretation of the University of Valladolid.
In addition to my strong interest in foreign languages, I enjoy travelling, reading books, playing the piano, playing Scrabble and going for a walk in the countryside. I am fluent in English (C1*) and Spanish (C1), but I am also interested in other languages: Dutch (B1), Arabic (A2), Portuguese (A1) and Russian (A0).
I have travelled to 28 countries so far; those trips have allowed me to meet interesting people and discover new cultures. I enjoy reading texts written in foreign languages, but also music scores. I have been interested in music since the age of nine, when I enrolled at the Waremme Music Academy. A year later, I started taking piano lessons, lessons that would last for about ten years, at the end of which I was awarded a "grande distinction" as well as the Marie-Claire Binet prize.
During my training in Mons, I had the chance to discover American, British, Spanish and Chilean literature. I particularly enjoy the works of Ken Kesey, Ray Bradbury, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, Eduardo Mendoza and Luis Sepúlveda.
* Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)
I am a member of the Belgian Chamber of Translators and Interpreters
(CBTI), the Professional Union of Sworn Translators and Interpreters
(UPTIJ), and, on a more personal note, Mensa International.
My Core Values
Quality
Translation and editing are a matter of precision. As I am naturally very detail-oriented, I translate your documents from English or Spanish into French, my mother tongue.
Punctuality
Deadlines may be indicative or fixed. If the deadline is fixed, I undertake to send you the requested documents by the agreed deadline, or even earlier whenever possible.
Ethics
I reserve the right to refuse to translate content that is offensive to particular groups, including racist, sexist, antisemitic or homophobic material, or content advocating violence against women.
Professionalism
I give priority to projects that fall within my areas of expertise. Once I receive your documents for translation, I briefly review them to assess their difficulty. If the project falls within my area of expertise, I then send you a quote, which must be signed and returned to me within 48 hours to confirm your acceptance.
Confidentiality
I guarantee professional secrecy and the confidentiality of your documents. Should personal data be transferred, a transparency statement will be sent to you. More sensitive personal data will only be processed once you have signed an explicit consent form.
Benevolence
Regarding my private English and Spanish lessons, I adapt to each student's pace. I believe that a caring and demanding teacher, and a degree of commitment and discipline on the part of the student are the keys to success.