WE ARE WORDSMITHS: GERFRIED AMBROSCH

By Gerfried Ambrosch

To get the blog ball rolling in 2023, we put a few questions to a new colleague in our team of translators into English, Gerfried Ambrosch, who joined us last year.

Q: How did your 2022 turn out?
A: My 2022 was quite eventful, to say the least. I started a new job ­with KWP and moved to Munich from Vienna, where I had lived for nine years. Moving to another country and getting settled in can be challenging. But I’m on the right track, and I look forward to exploring Munich and its beautiful surroundings in 2023.

Q: Is KWP your first translation job?
A: It’s my first full-time translation job. While I’ve done translations on the side, my background is in English and American studies. After I received my PhD from the University of Graz, I taught literary and cultural studies courses there. But I’ve also worked in Austria’s refugee and asylum sector and as a tourist guide in London.

Q: Can adults acquire an internal sense of written style later in life, or is your “style” set when you are younger?
A: I think it’s an ongoing process. The more you read and write, the more refined your sense of written style becomes. What’s more, since language changes over time, it’s important to keep up with new developments.

Q: Favourite season?
A: Late spring/early summer: the days are long, and everything is in full bloom!

Q: Of all the languages you don’t speak, which one would you most like to learn and why?
A: Italian. I like the way it sounds.

Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Every translation is a new challenge. And with every new translation, you increase your vocabulary and knowledge. I appreciate having the option of working remotely. But I also enjoy spending time with my colleagues, who have been nothing but nice and helpful.