Laura Harrison AITI

I'm a freelance translator, living and working in Chelmsford, Essex. I worked for 20 years in insurance, spending four of those in Paris where I became fluent in French and passionate about the language, in both its spoken and written form, and its culture. I came back to England to study, obtaining a First in Language Studies (French with Spanish). My dissertation on the challenges of literary translation was awarded the Prix Paul Cambon from the Cultural delegate of the French Embassy in Cambridge and spurred me on to sit the Diploma in Translation from the Chartered Institute of Linguists.

Since becoming a full-time freelance translator in 2011, I have translated hundreds of thousands of words on such diverse topics as backup power generators for nuclear power stations, trade reports on bananas and other tropical fruit, contracts of employment, press releases, furniture specifications and legal pleadings for commercial lawsuits. Not forgetting my specialist subject of insurance: policies, summaries, risk profiles and business reports.