Bronwyn Steck

Curriculum Vitae Bronwyn Steck PERSONAL INFORMATION • • • Name: Bronwyn Steck Citizenship: German since October 2015 Address: Mauerbergstraße 45, 765Baden-Baden, Germany A BRIEF INTRODUCTION I am an English-speaking South African. I moved to Germany in September 2004. From early 2005 till mid-2018, I was a freelance English coach at large companies in Germany. RECENT WORK-RELATED EXPERIENCE • • • • Until moving to Germany in 2004 I worked exclusively as a horticulturist After a six-month orientation period at home – new culture, new language etc. – I started teaching English at large companies in the area Since moving to Germany, I have only worked as a freelancer March 2005 – July 2018 - English coach with mostly German students, but also some nonGermans, at large companies • • Born in: Cape Town, South Africa on- Marital Status: Widowed since April 2021 WHAT KIND OF WORK AM I LOOKING FOR? I am looking for freelance work as a remote Translator and Proofreader/Editor Contact:- RECENT WORK-RELATED EXPERIENCE continued • • • January 2011 – I started doing translations as well as teaching English July 2018 – I stopped teaching English and focused on translation work After losing my husband to Covid in April 2021, I found working purely as a translator very lonely, so I began teaching English online at the beginning of 2024. I continued to do the translations work at the same time. This is the current status of my professional situation 2 EXPERIENCE ENGLISH COACH TRANSLATOR/PROOFREADER When I immigrated to Germany in September 2004, I took six months, in order to find my bearings within a new culture, and to help my children find theirs. In March 2005, I started working as an English coach at large companies such as LUK, Bosch, Dow, Maquet, Heel and PTV. Over the years, I created a lot of my own teaching materials. I taught continuously until mid-2018. I then chose to concentrate on translations and proofreading. At the beginning of 2011, I started doing translations and proofreading as a freelancer. All assignments are received and submitted via email or via an online platform. AUTHOR/JOURNALIST AUTHOR/JOURNALIST cont. In 1993, I began writing a weekly 600word article for the newspaper, the Daily Dispatch, East London (South Africa). I wrote the article and many book reviews for the Daily Dispatch for almost seven years, under the name of Bronwyn Hodgson. I also authored a distance learning course for Intec College in Cape Town in 1993/4 – the 18-module Gardening and Horticulture course is still on offer today. During the same period, I also wrote several articles for two South African magazines – SA Garden & Home and Country Living. I have translated documents for some very big names in the pharmaceutical, medical, technical, retail and consulting industries. I have also translated and/or proofread many theses and full-length books, both novels and non-fiction. I found the time to write several short stories as well, some of which were published in magazines, e.g. Personality. From 1993 until my move to Germany, I was a frequent speaker at various events, e.g. garden clubs, schools, women’s groups, trade fairs, church groups etc. 3 EDUCATION Schooling I did all of my schooling in South Africa. I did my Grade 12 at the Girls High School in Queenstown, South Africa in1979. Besides the usual subjects, such as English, Afrikaans and Biology, I also did English Literature as a separate subject – something that was quite unusual at the time. College After school, I obtained a National Diploma in Horticulture at the Technikon Natal in Durban -). I always worked in the gardening branch until I moved to Germany. LANGUAGES English This is my mother tongue. In South Africa, native English speakers basically speak British English, although they have some unique vocabulary and a somewhat different accent. German I celebrated my 43rd birthday just five days after arriving in Germany in 2004. I didn’t speak a word of German at the time. I speak, read and write the language very well now. Afrikaans, Dutch and Flemish Being from South Africa, I can speak Afrikaans, and I understand written Dutch and Flemish. Xhosa I grew up on a farm in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, so I can speak some Xhosa, although it is very rusty now. However, I do not read or write Xhosa.