Emily Chambers

Profile

My name is Emily Chambers and I am a graduate of the LINT course at Heriot-Watt. Since graduating two years ago, I have had a really fun and diverse start to my career.

After graduating, I had the opportunity to work at the United Nations through the Fiona Watson Memorial Fund Award which I was presented with at graduation. These three months in NYC and then five months overall working with the Department of Peace Operations was absolutely fundamental in shaping my world view and created an incredible foundation for my career. It was such a huge privilege.

I then worked at a teacher training institute for teachers of English as a foreign language which gave me the opportunity to work alongside some real experts in the field and grow a network of passionate linguists.

Last year I was a trainee at the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) in Graz, Austria. This was especially exciting to help coordinate the interpreting teams for international workshops and work on proofreading and translations of texts and publications which went on to be published by the Council of Europe. It was amazing to work in a multilingual office where I would hear up to 10 languages daily!

I am now working at the University of Granada as part of the collaboration between the University of Granada and Heriot-Watt University. It is exciting to get directly back to translation and interpreting and I have already learned so much from students and colleagues. After teaching English to children over the summer in Burgos and running a summer camp there, it is a new challenge and a huge step up to teach at university level but I am looking forward to all the year has to offer me professionally.

Outside my academic and professional life, dance has always been an important part of who I am. I was dancing at university, and it has continued to be a passion ever since. Dance has given me opportunities to meet people in all the cities I have lived. It allows me to experience different cultures and become part of new communities. I hope to continue exploring dance during my time in Granada, a city with such a rich cultural and artistic heritage.

My advice for anyone graduating with this degree is that there are so many diverse options for language graduates and sometimes it is best to say yes to opportunities without giving yourself the chance to think! Don't fear rejection and don't limit yourself.