Jamie Lees MA MCIL
Freelance Translator: French and Spanish to English
MA in Translation and Interpreting
Member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL)
I am a freelance translator and interpreter, working from French and Spanish into English (and in both directions for interpreting). A fascination with travel and languages from a young age gave me the drive to study French and Spanish to a postgraduate level at the Universities of Bristol and Swansea, during which time I also studied at the faculty of Philology and Letters at the University of Zaragoza, Spain.
My career in translation has also seen me working in an agency in Rennes, France (InPuzzle multilingual solutions, now Ubiqus) and Barcelona, Spain, (Welocalize Life Sciences) as a junior translator. It was at the first of these work placements that I met Manon; my wife and partner in Translation!
Since starting my career as a translator and interpreter I have constantly sought to further improve the skills I can offer. Alongside frequent travel to France and Spain with Manon, this has also involved regular attendance at translation conferences (including the Translating Europe Forum 2018 at which I gave a presentation, the 2021 and 2024 CIOL Conferences and the 2023 and 2024 Cardiff Unconferences), as well as CPD seminars and webinars. Over the last few years I have also studied Mandarin up to an intermediate level.
Today, I can draw from this experience to offer translation and interpreting services in a variety of fields, from clinical trials and pharmaceuticals to food & drink and tourism. I would be delighted to help you reach new audiences across the world. Please feel free to get in touch by contacting our email address.
Manon Lees MA MITI
Freelance Translator
English and Spanish to French
Master's Degree in Translation and Interpreting
Qualified Member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI)
Having grown up near Cherbourg, Normandy, I was surrounded by English from a young age due to the influx of tourists from the UK and Ireland who would make the short journey to France each year for the region’s commemorative D-Day events. I also inherited a love of the language of Cervantes from my mother, a Spanish secondary school teacher. In hindsight, it was only natural that after completing my secondary school studies in the sciences, for which I felt no true calling, I should have returned to working with foreign languages.
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The next two years were spent in preparatory classes for entry to a Grand École. It was then that I discovered translation, and it was love at first sight. I went on to study a Master’s in Translation, Localisation and Multilingual and Multimedia Communications at Rennes 2 University (MTLC2M – the course has since been renamed Translating and Interpreting Master's Degree).
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My various internships saw me translating for tourist offices, moving abroad to work at a London-based translation agency and returning to France to manage translation projects with leading luxury brands. It was during this final internship that I met Jamie, my husband and language partner!
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Meeting Jamie, and my happy memories of working in London helped me to realise I wanted to live in the UK long-term. After working as an in-house translation project manager for 2 years, in 2019 Jamie and I moved to Cardiff, Wales, to begin our adventures in freelance translation.
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Since 2019, I have been helping English- and Spanish-speaking companies and translation agencies to find their voice in French. I am specialised in medical translation, in particular working with documents for clinical trials, market research, tourism and leisure, the environment, food and drink and the audiovisual sector. I am also a Qualified Member of the UK-based Institute of Translation and Interpreting, through which I am able to attend professional conferences and access regular CPD events, allowing me to constantly deliver work of the highest quality.
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When I’m not translating, I enjoy playing board games and video games, as well as reading, learning Japanese and travelling.
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I look forward to helping you with your translation needs!