• Languages, Linguistics and Cultures
• Centre for Translation and Intercultural Studies
• Our Graduates
  • Patrick, MA
  • Debora, MA
  • Matthew, MA
  • Matt, MA
  • Lucie, MA
  • Stefania, MA
  • Martha, MA, PhD
  • Dhivya, MA
  • George, MA
  • Daniela, MA
  • Zoe, MA
  • Khaled, MA, PhD
  • Fotios, MA, PhD
  • Dimitris, MA, PhD
  • Wallace, PhD
  • Jehan, PhD
  • Sameh, PhD

Dr Martha Mutesayire, COMESA translator

I had a BA in English, and French was my second language because it was used as a medium of instruction in primary and high school in Rwanda. When I graduated, I got a job as a public relations officer and a personal assistant to the rector of a university. The rector was an English speaker and I was asked very often to translate or summarize working documents, minutes, letters, etc. in French. I found myself doing more translation than public relations work and started taking an interest in translation. Added to that, there was a need for trained translators in Rwanda, because, after the 1994 genocide, English was introduced as an official language, alongside Kinyarwanda and French. Few educated Rwandans master English and French - they usually have one of these two languages, depending on their background - so there is a need to translate working documents either into French or into English.
 
It goes without saying that the Masters course content was very interesting and structured in such a way that the learning process was enjoyable and not as than taxing as one would expect. I enjoyed very much the weekly seminars because they enabled us to gain insight into different domains of translation, meet various scholars who are very knowlegeable in the field and get an opportunity to learn more about their publications, which was very helpful in our research. I also appreciated the fact that the lecturers in CTIS went out of their way to assist students; most of the time they went beyond the call of duty, which made overseas students like me feel at home away from home. After my Masters I continued my studies in Manchester and completed a PhD in translation studies.
 
After I graduated from the PhD, I worked for 18 months as a lecturer in a university in Rwanda and was at the same time a freelance translator. Since January 2007, I've been working as a full-time translator for an international organisation, COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa). As part of my job, I travel a lot, servicing meetings in different Member States and I get to enjoy the privileges granted to diplomats. I translate a wide variety of texts, which is interesting because it means that I learn as I work.