About

That would be me: Anne-Sophie Staquet.

A trained and professional translator and interpreter, I have been a passionate member of both these professions since 2002, and with the experience gained over the years I have acquired solid knowledge of both. My own working languages are English and Spanish and my domains of expertise relate to the European Union and the environment.

I had my first brush with the English Language at the age of 12 during my first trip to Scotland. A talkative person by nature, I became greatly frustrated not being able to talk to anyone other than my father. Knowing that I would be returning to Scotland the following year, I vowed there and then to take English lessons. During my second journey to the Highlands, I wouldn’t hesitate to pull out the little dictionary tucked away in my jeans pocket when I wanted to understand and be understood. In no time at all, I realised I had a good ear for it and started to translate for my father. A sign of things to come?

Three years later, I discovered England thanks to the British side of my family. My Great Aunt quickly took me under her wing and right up until her last breath she would never allow the slightest lapse in pronunciation or grammar in her presence. I owe her my eternal gratitude. Ever since, frequent trips between the UK and Belgium have provided me with endless fond memories!

Whilst the desire to work with languages came quite naturally, the decision to study translation came down to the great diversity of what were termed “general” studies: law, economics, sciences, psychology, philosophy, literature, history and civilisations… With my natural curiosity and being a good all-rounder, the course seemed like the right fit for slaking my thirst to learn about as many different subjects as possible. The “active” side of interpretation also had me hooked from the start: working with languages so as to allow people to communicate. And it was this bid to be able to communicate with as many people as possible that led me to complete my language combination with Spanish: the fourth most widely spoken language in the world.

With a double masters under my belt, it became very clear that this was the only profession for me. Conference interpretation was the perfect fit: working on different subjects, for different people, with different colleagues, in different locations, that’s when I’m in my element. And to be perfectly frank, I also enjoy being my own boss. In 2002, as soon as I completed my studies, I set up shop as a freelance translator-interpreter. And I haven’t stopped since.

In 2006, I set up Synchronie to organise my work within a company structure that had the potential to grow.

Around the same time, I left Brussels to return to my home soil of Hainaut. A lifelong nature lover, I find balance in the countryside. It gives me the chance to indulge in my second passion after languages: gardening.

In 2012, my partner and I acquired an old barn on an expanse of wasteland. In keeping with our ecological aspirations, we renovated the building to use as little energy and be as self-sufficient as possible, by installing photovoltaic panels, a heat pump and a system for collecting rainwater and water from a well. At the same time, I set about transforming the meadow, which had been overrun with brambles and nettles, into a natural and nourishing garden, where the wild grasses of the orchard meet the flowering hedges.

To do even more for biodiversity, in 2018 I decided to train as a beekeeper. Since then, the bottom of the field has been home to a number of hives. I decided to work with black bees, Apis mellifera mellifera, a species native to Western Europe. Conservation work for this species is tricky because of a lot of cross-breeding by beekeepers but that’s also part and parcel of biodiversity.

For over a decade, I have also been an active member of the Belgian Chamber of Translators and Interpreters (CBTI). I have a number of responsibilities there on a voluntary basis. Membership of the CBTI has allowed me to keep up to date with developments in the profession, embark upon numerous training courses and be part of an extensive network of translators and interpreters, all defending the same values of quality and ethics. As a member, I am also bound by its Code of Ethics and Board of Arbitration.

My career has been full of encounters and lessons which have nourished my professional experience and strengthened my personal convictions. And all of this is what I am hoping to place at your disposal today!