I admit it: I discovered my enthusiasm for translation rather by accident. Despite growing up with two native languages and three nationalities, it was chance events that motivated me to turn translation into a pillar of my career. They included many years freelancing for Literaturwerkstatt Berlin (now Haus für Poesie), a work placement at Villa Aurora in Los Angeles, and my time at the Helmholtz Centre for Cultural Techniques, an institute of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Over the years I kept receiving requests for translations until eventually, in 2015, after completing my university studies (English literature, history, journalism and communication studies, 2014), I took the decision to go freelance. So far, this has not lessened my enjoyment in the slightest – on the contrary: with each new assignment I rediscover how enriching it is to work with others to shape their ideas into words.