Who are you? Please introduce yourself
I’m Sarah Bowtell, a travel enthusiast, mum-of-one and small business owner. I live in Essex with my husband, daughter and labradoodle, Momo. I graduated with a degree in French and Arabic in 2014, spending time in Amman, Jordan and the Champagne-Ardennes region of France. My first ‘proper job’ saw me travelling through the Middle East and Russia for a luxury tour operator, which was rather splendid for a 23-year-old! I then moved into higher education, working in international student recruitment and admissions before starting my business, Zanjabeel Translations Ltd., in 2021.
Do you translate, interpret or both? What are your areas of specialism?
I translate from French and Arabic into English, working primarily on marketing content such as web pages and blog posts. When I started Zanjabeel Translations I dabbled with a few different areas of specialism, but I’ve now settled firmly on the travel and hospitality sector. This ties in well with my previous work experience as well as my good fortune to have travelled fairly extensively before having my daughter. I’ve spent the last couple of years solidifying my knowledge of SEO practices and copywriting, which fits really well with marketing work and has also enabled me to offer English-only marketing services to complement my translation work.
Why did you decide to get into translation or interpreting?
I greatly missed using my languages once I’d graduated. Having spent so much time and effort on developing my skills, I was frustrated to find languages on the sidelines of my roles in travel and higher education. As all linguists know, when it comes to languages if you don’t use them, you lose them, so I was keen to transition to using my languages regularly in my everyday work. I was also excited by the idea of running my own business, especially the flexibility and the chance to learn new skills.
What’s your favourite type of project?
I really enjoy working with start-ups and on new brand or market launches. There’s a lot of opportunity for creative input and I feel like I can add a lot of value by giving brands guidance right at the start of their journey, which will set them up well for the future. There’s also a great sense of success when everything comes together.
What do you do outside of translation or interpreting?
A toddler and a dog keep me pretty busy! When I’m not being mum, I enjoy training at my local outdoor bootcamp and reading spy thrillers. I’m also a bit of a party planner, so I’m usually trying to round up my friends or family for some sort of gathering.
