Curriculum Vitae
I was born and raised in the small town of Knowsley in the Northwest of England and, as a child, always had a great passion for foreign cultures and languages. After completing my A-levels at Prescot Grammar School for Boys in 1981, I studied French and German at the University of Bradford (GB), where I obtained a BA (Joint Honours) degree in Modern Languages (French and German Translating and Interpreting) in July 1985. I complemented my first degree by studying for a 'Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Modern Languages' (PGCE) at the University of London Institute of Education, where I obtained qualified teaching status for British secondary-level education (11-18) in August 1988. I also hold a higher degree in linguistics (Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics/TESOL) from the University of Surrey (GB).
I started teaching English (Translation Studies) at Humboldt-University in October 1998 and taught exclusively on this degree programme until 2009. I currently teach on the Master of Education and Master of English Literatures programmes and also offer specialised courses in Translation at Bachelor level. Prior to my appointment at Humboldt-University, I held full-time positions as a lecturer of English at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, at Copenhagen Business School, and at the the Institut für Fremdsprachen und Auslandskunde bei der Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. I have also worked outside of higher education, having gained professional experience as a technical translator in France (Société Nationale Elf-Aquitaine S.A., Boussens), as a translator for film and media (Kirch Gruppe, Munich), and as a translator/copywriter with a Hamburg-based advertising company.
I am particularly interested in intercultural and pragmatic dimensions of language learning and their application within the fields of Translation Studies and Teacher Training. I am a member of the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) and participate regularly in this organisation's conferences.