English with Kirsty – episode 322
Learning through placements – what it’s really like to be a freelance interpreter with Nora Michaelis
You can listen to episode 322 here:
Nora and I met through my networking meetings. Most of us don’t have any idea what life as a freelancer is like until we actually take the leap into the unknown. Nora offers placements for people who want to find out more about life as a freelance conference interpreter and I wanted to find out how they work, what the participants learn, and what mentoring junior colleagues or answering questions from students has taught Nora as well!
We talked about:
- Nora’s story with languages and how she followed her own path into interpreting
- Why Nora decided to offer work placements for people interested in freelance interpreting and what kind of people will benefit from them
- Nora’s general tips for improving interpreting skills
- Nora’s work with students and their most common questions and misconceptions about her role
Who is Nora?
Nora Michaelis is a conference interpreter and language trainer from Hannover, Germany, working with German, English and French. She describes herself as a “great language enthusiast” who is always passionate and raving about something or someone to do with languages, linguistics, language learning and communication. Nora founded her freelance business Living Languages in 2025 after coming back from 5 years of living and teaching in the UK. One of her passions is mentoring and encouraging language and interpreting students or younger professionals and answering all kinds of questions about her profession and business, which are more complex and challenging but also even more fascinating and rewarding than any university degree alone could ever convey.
If you have any questions for Nora or you want to discuss the placements, you can contact her on LinkedIn. The link to Nora’s website is coming soon.
How you can get in touch with me
I love to hear from my listeners! If you have any comments or questions, you can contact me using my contact form.
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