Austin Nikirk is a recent graduate of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. She holds a Master of Arts in Translation and Interpretation, as well as a Bachelor of Music Performance from the Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College.
Her passion for French language and culture began during a semester abroad in Paris in 2018, and at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic she moved to Amiens to teach English through the TAPIF program. During her two years in Amiens, she also was an au pair with a family and sang with two choirs at the local university and conservatory. When looking for a way to combine her love for languages with the joy she finds in performing, she came up with interpretation. Working with a bi-active English and French language pair, Austin has trained in translation, revising, editing and machine translation post-editing, simultaneous interpretation, and short and long consecutive interpreting. She has experience as a volunteer interpreter at a wide range of events as a part of her practicum at MIIS. Past translation assignments include news articles, book excerpts, contracts, legal documents, scientific studies, diplomas, marketing material, wine technical sheets and subtitling, as well as machine translation post editing. Austin's areas of specialization include arts and culture, sports, climate change and environmental solutions. She is a passionate activist for the planet and strives in her personal and professional life to She is based in the Baltimore-Washington DC area. |