Alberto L. Beretta (unavitaazigzag)

Born in Milan, Italy (EU), 4 April 1945.

A) EDUCATION:
High school degree as ‘Accountant-Trade Technician‘ (Italian: ‘maturità tecnico-commerciale’);
University level background, mainly in Humanities and Human and Social Sciences: IULM & State University both in Milan as for English and German Languages and Literatures, Political Science, (Italian) Modern Language & Literature & Philosophy; Pavia State Univ., as for Economy & Commerce; Bologna State Univ., as for Show Business;
Access to 3rd year at IsMEO, School for Interpreters (Japanese, English and Italian), Milan.

B) LANGUAGES AND DIALECTS More or less known:
Latin, studied at compulsory school and ancient Greek, studied on my own, to revise and refine well;
Italian, Milanese (native in both);
standard English (high school & IULM university, both in Milan and in London, UK, at International House, full time for two months out of three, 1971; then refined also during corporate courses, at Gruppo Editoriale Fabbri, Milan);
Japanese (studied at IsMEO, Milan, school for Interpreters, up to 3rd year out of 3 or 5, 1980ies);
French (studied at compulsory school, on my own and refined during some stays in Touraine and Paris, France);
Spanish (studied on my own);
German (studied at IULM, Milan only, since 1971; then also at Gruppo Editoriale Fabbri, Milan).
Still studying Chinese and soon resuming to study Chichewa and maybe Russian.
About to tackle Hindi, above all, but also Arabic, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Kiswahili and Korean.

C) PAST MAIN WORK EXPERIENCE:
1962 – 1971: Banca Popolare di Milano, Milan, Italy, bank messenger and clerk;
1965 – 1968: also guitar player, while still working with the above mentioned bank;
1971 – 1973: publishing industry seller;
1973 – 1981: Fratelli Fabbri Editori then Gruppo Editoriale Fabbri, Milan, Italy, (corporate) editor, proofreader clerk and, very shortly, copywriter;
1981 – 1983: (freelance) proofreader with Il Saggiatore, Armenia, Sperling&Kupfer, all Milanese publishing houses;
1983 – 1985: private debt collector, computing and Internet products marketeer, Rozzano (Milan) Town Hall Culture Service collaborator;
1985 – 1993: metalworker;
1993 – 2010: various freelance jobs.
2010, Oct. – …: actively “retired“. Mostly devoted to music and guitar.