Meet The Team: Omead Hussain, Freelance Interpreter
Every month, we introduce you to one of our team. This month, meet Omead Hussain, one of our freelance interpreters working in English, Arabic and Kurdish.
Tell us about the role you do for TLS
My role is to bridge the communication gap between two or more parties who do not speak the same language. We must be impartial and I cannot favour the client or the other side.
What's been your favourite project at TLS?
The video project I did with Newham Council to improve communication with children and young adults in the social care system. The project produced videos that explain the various social care procedures for children in care, unaccompanied asylum seekers and the parents of children being reviewed by children’s social care services. The videos are in the languages most common in Newham (other than English); Kurdish and Arabic are two of these languages.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Inability to hear the speaker, cultural knowledge and interpreting jokes, humour and sarcasm.
If you didn’t do your current job, what would you like to do?
I wanted to be a civilian pilot or a famous actor.
Tell us something interesting about you.
When I was in Kurdistan/Iraq, I was a head of department and lecturer at a university. I loved my job so much as I like administration and leadership, but unfortunately I did not find an opportunity here in Britain to be a university professor. I love to travel - for both business and leisure. I really enjoy reading and like change, whether in my field of work or my life. I am really interested in football and my favourite team is Liverpool. I like quiet music.
If you could meet someone living or dead who would it be and why?
My Mum and Dad both passed away a long time ago, not a day goes by when I don’t think about something I would like to ask them or tell them. My country did not have good health services so I would've liked to take them to the best specialist doctor, but at the time I couldn't afford to take them abroad to treat them.
What are your ambitions for the rest of the year?
Travel the world, win the lottery, be financially secure, buy a house and apply for a PhD.
Say hello to Omead on The Language Shop’s social media – we are on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Keep up to date with all our latest news here.
Meet The Team: Stephanie Bright, Resource and Compliance Manager
Every month, we introduce you to one of our team. This month, meet Stephanie Bright, The Language Shop's Resource and Compliance Manager.
Tell us about what you do for TLS
I am responsible for all recruitment, engagement and associated compliance that has to be considered when recruiting into The Language Shop. Additionally, I am here to support internal teams, employees and our freelance interpreters who do amazing work, day in and day out.
What’s been your favourite project at TLS?
Because my role is so varied it's difficult to pinpoint one specific project. My projects can be recruiting freelance interpreters, enhancing internal teams, conducting feedback reviews or helping out in a team if they are short staffed. This is what I love: each day is different but completely people-focused, which is embedded within TLS.
What’s been the biggest challenge?
External influences can impact my role and responsibilities quite quickly so it is important to stay ahead as much as possible and to be aware of such factors all the time.
If you didn’t do your current job, what would you like to do?
I always wanted to be a nurse. It would have to be a role where I could make a difference like I do in my current role with TLS.
Tell us something interesting about you
I am a mum to a 10 year old boy and in my spare time enjoy the outdoors.
If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
My grandma, unfortunately she never met my son, so would love that and to also enjoy her Yorkshire puddings again. She made them like pancakes and they were the best!
What are your ambitions for 2022?
To continue being a valued asset and team member to TLS. As the business grows, I am constantly learning new skills and experiences.
Say hello to Stephanie on The Language Shop’s social media – we are on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Keep up to date with all our latest news here.
Meet The Team: Sumayyah Aleem, Punjabi and Urdu interpreter
Every month, we introduce you to one of The Language Shop team. This month, meet Sumayyah Aleem, one of our Punjabi and Urdu interpreters. Find out about her passion for helping people and how gardening helps her to relax.
Tell us about what you do for TLS
I have been providing face to face and virtual interpreting services for The Language Shop. My responsibilities include converting information from the source language into the target language, carefully communicating spoken messages with efficiency, clarity and sensitivity.
What’s been your favourite project at TLS?
I have worked on many projects so far, some of the projects I have been working on are still on going. It is difficult to choose one particular project, however I felt very satisfied and happy when a broken family was reunited. The young children were back together from the foster care.
What’s been the biggest challenge?
Home visits can sometimes be challenging, as patients can occasionally become aggressive towards the professionals; the challenge is to remain calm before leaving the premises.
If you didn’t do your current job, what would you like to do?
I would wish to continue to work in a setting where I am providing help and supporting people, in an educational or medical setting.
Tell us something interesting about you
In my spare time, I grow my own flowers, plants and tea leaves. I find that the process of gardening is quite meditative for me and I believe that it helps me feel more centred during interpreting sessions.
If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
I would have loved to have met either Mother Teresa or Princess Diana. Like many people, I felt a strange connection to them. They radiated warmth and humility, and both were such great humanitarians.
What are your ambitions for 2022?
My strong desire and aspiration is to learn another language this year, which should develop my communication skills and contribute to The Language Shop.
Say hello to Jacky on The Language Shop’s social media – we are on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Keep up to date with all our latest news here.
Meet The Team: Jacky Ashton, Service Coordinator
Every month, we introduce you to one of The Language Shop team. This month, meet Jacky Ashton, the Service Coordinator for The Language Shop's on-demand team. Find out more about her official title and personal garden bar!
What’s been your favourite project at TLS?
Being part of the on-demand team since June 2020 when it was a team of five. This has now grown to a team of nine.
What’s been the biggest challenge?
Dealing with the old phone system - most days it was a challenge doing conference calls. It would often take a while to get all parties connected. Thankfully after a lot of hard work from TLS directors and other staff members, this has now been changed and calls run much more smoothly!
If you didn’t do your current job, what would you like to do?
Work in a wedding dress shop or to be a wedding planner.
Tell us something interesting about you
I have a title! It’s Lady Jacqueline Ashton. My husband purchased a title for us both a few years back. We own a very small plot of land in Scotland. It’s about the size of a carpet tile! The certificate that came with the title does say we can change our names on passports etc. to Lady/Lord and maybe get free upgrades on flights etc. We’ve not tried this out yet though. However it does not allow us entry to the House of Lords, nor is it transferrable to our children.
I also love the colour pink. When we moved to our house, my husband built me my own garden bar, which is called Jax Quarry Bar, as our address is on Quarry Road.
If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
It has to be Princess Diana, just to tell her what an amazing human being she was and to ask for her thoughts on the current world situation.
What are your ambitions for the coming year?
Work wise to carry on providing excellent customer service for TLS. Leisure wise to sign up for dance lessons with my husband.
Say hello to Jacky on The Language Shop’s social media – we are on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Keep up to date with all our latest news here.
Meet the Team: Naveeda Mahmood, Intepreter
Every month, we introduce you to one of The Language Shop team. This month, meet Naveeda Mahmood, one of our interpreters who works in Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi and English. Find out about how she got to grips with Zoom over lockdown and her passion for baking!
What’s been your favourite project at tls?
As an interpreter I enjoy interacting with people generally, but on a personal level I have learnt tremendously from the talking therapies and physiotherapy.
What’s been the biggest challenge?
Covid and all the changes it brought with it. All the technology, like Zoom, was new to me. Working from home, staying put and interacting with people only on the phone was a challenge.
If you didn’t do your current job, what would you like to do?
I would have been a teacher in adult education, teaching either English or cookery (baking preferably).
Tell us something interesting about you
I love baking and trying new recipes. I try new dishes all the time and have taken courses in baking and cake decorating.
If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
I would love to meet our prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He was the perfect human being, he preached Allah's message (the Quran) to humanity. He set an example for us all.
What are your ambitions for 2021?
I would like to complete my Interpreting level 4 course. Also I would like to do a course in cupping.
Say hello to Naveeda on The Language Shop's social media – we are on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Keep up to date with all our latest news here.
Meet the Team: Ratnam Ratneswaran, Tamil Interpreter
Every month, we introduce you to one of our team. This month, meet Ratnam Ratneswaran, one of our interpreters working between Tamil and English. Find out about his enthusiasm for communicating with people and why he'd still be an interpreter even if he won the lottery!
What do you do for tls?
I have been working as a Tamil and English interpreter since 2017. Before Covid I worked face-to-face, but I have worked remotely during the pandemic.
What’s been your favourite project at tls?
I love all of it! I really enjoy talking to people; after living in four different countries and working in four different fields, I would say that I’ve finally landed a job that I really love. I like meeting people and putting them at ease – for example, I always adapt my dialect to match the service user, to make them as comfortable as possible. I’m looking forward to working face-to-face again.
What’s been the biggest challenge?
When I first started in the job, I had been away from my community for such a long time. I started working at Barts [hospital], and seeing first-hand the domestic violence, mental health problems and abuse happening in my community was really hard.
If you didn’t do your current job, what would you like to do?
Even if I won the lottery, I would still be an interpreter! Before this, I was an insurance broker. As I progressed up the ladder I had less and less contact with people, and I didn’t like it. When my wife’s work needed a Tamil-speaking health advocate, I thought I would give it a go for six months. And here I am!
Tell us something interesting about you
I was once the only passenger on a commercial flight! It was Christmas 1983 and I was flying to Zurich. When I realised it was only me on the plane, I asked if I could go into the cockpit with the pilot. They let me in there until it was time to land. And when I disembarked, I got given all the chocolate that they would have handed out!
If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
I wish I could have met former US President John F Kennedy. I really admire him: he was the youngest elected US president at 43, he stood up to the Russians during the Cuban Missile Crisis, navigated the Civil Rights Movement and took on the US mafia.
Say hello to Ratnam on social media – we are on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Keep up to date with all our latest news here.
Meet the Team: Suppalak Bird, Thai Interpreter
We caught up with one of our Thai interpreters, Suppalak Bird, to find out about the most rewarding parts of her job and her passion for vintage clothes.
What do you do for tls?
I’m a freelance Thai interpreter.
What’s been your favourite project at tls?
I worked with therapists and psychologists who were helping a trafficked Thai woman who felt suicidal. The sessions were done via Zoom during the pandemic. It was a very challenging and sensitive case. In the end, all the hard work from everyone involved, including the Thai client, paid off. It was so rewarding to see how her life has changed remarkably.
What’s been the biggest challenge?
To stay focussed at all times when working with emotional and crying clients who have experienced trauma and to translate accurately using the clients’ own words (even though they might not make sense to me sometimes).
If you didn’t do your current job, what would you like to do?
Start a small business designing and making 60’s style vintage dresses.
Tell us something interesting about you
I love vintage clothes, techno music and travelling to exotic places. I have recently decided to challenge myself (as a complete beginner) by running a half-marathon for a cancer charity at the beginning of October.
If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
It would be an honour to meet H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (of the Kingdom of Thailand) to show my gratitude for all of the work she’s done for the Thai people throughout her life and to ask her if I could be of any help in any of her projects.
What are your ambitions for the rest of 2021?
I want to learn how to sew and make clothes and to continue working as an interpreter. I also want to be able to travel more.
Say hello to Suppalak on social media - we are on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Keep up to date with all our latest news here.
Meet the Team: Peta Moore, TLS Service Coordinator
Every month we like to give you an insight into a member of the tls team. We recently sat down with our Service Coordinator, Peta Moore, to discuss hidden talents in music, karate and car mechanics, and a love of horror films.
What do you do for tls?
I joined tls in June 2018 as part of the Quality Assurance team for the MOJ (Ministry of Justice) side of the business. As of January 2021, I moved over to the ops team. I am also part of the ‘fun squad’, we take turns to create quizzes, riddles and other fun team activities for our weekly team meetings.
What’s been your favourite project at tls?
Before I changed teams I was involved in a recruitment drive for new assessors up and down the country for the QA team. That was fun as I had never done recruitment before, I learnt so much.
What’s been the biggest challenge?
Honestly – COVID. So much changed in such a short space of time, both at work and at home, but it’s all become second nature now. I love a challenge though so I adapted quickly.
If you didn’t do your current job, what would you like to do?
My dream as a teenager was to join the Royal Marines Band Service as a drummer/bugler. I auditioned when I was 18 but was unsuccessful at the time. Apart from that – I reckon I would be a mechanic.
Tell us something interesting about you
I am a black belt 2nd dan in Shotokan Karate and have been training since I was eight. I can play guitar, drums, bass guitar, piano, bugle and military snare drum. I have recently joined Dagenham and Redbridge Women’s football team as a goalkeeper. I am also a qualified car mechanic.
If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
Wes Craven. A weird one but I am a huge horror fan and I’ve always wanted to write my own stories. He was known as the ‘Master of Horror’ as the creator of franchises such as Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, so I would have loved to get some writing/creative tips from him!
What are your ambitions for the rest of 2021?
I have grown so much as a person since January 2020 – I think I would like to continue on this path of self-discovery and find myself again.
Say hello to Peta on social media - we are on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Keep up to date with all our latest news here.
Meet the Team: Natalia Bailey, On-demand Telephone Interpreting Mentor
Every month, we introduce you to one of The Language Shop team. This month, meet Natalia Bailey, tls' On-demand Telephone Interpreting Mentor, who tells us all about what it's like to settle into a new job while working remotely and some of her favourite social events she's organised for the team.
Tell us about what you do at tls?
I assist the team with their queries, provide training and feedback for their personal development and help them provide a better service to our clients. I am also part of the work council; this is a small group who work to improve our company, services and working lives. We also plan some fun socials for over Zoom to bring everyone together, but are hoping to get out into the real world when it’s safe to do so.
What’s been your favourite thing to work on at tls so far?
I created a quiz for our last Christmas party. It was a full PowerPoint with playlists, timings, questions and emojis, which I think went down well. My other favourite project to work on was our ‘Would I Lie to You’ social. The tls council came up with the idea and me and my colleague Shah were the hosts - it was such a funny evening!
What do you most enjoy about working at tls?
The amazing team I work with every day and the whole company, who have been incredibly welcoming and supportive. Everyone has made it so easy for me to settle in and it’s strange to say but I have extremely good working relationships and friendships with people I haven’t actually met yet in person.
If you didn’t do your current job, what would you like to do?
I think for the first time I am exactly where I need to be, but if I had to do something else it would definitely be something that makes a difference and helps people. If I ever won the lottery I would adopt all the poorly treated horses, donkeys, dogs and cats and give them a place to live happily and peacefully.
Tell us something interesting about you
I have an extra bone in each foot and one of them actually has a permanent screw in it. I lived in Prague for short time, which was incredible. I have a horse, his name is Oliver Twist, I have had him for 18 years and he is just the best horse I could ever ask for.
If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
Tough question! I’d say Sir Alex Ferguson or Ben Stokes because I would love to ask about the last World Cup and his super over, or the presenters of A League of Their Own, as I think it would just be absolutely hilarious.
What are your ambitions for next year?
I have achieved so much in 2021. I applied for the Mentor position, which I was so happy to be successful for. I bought my first car and successfully moved our wedding to a date next year with all our original suppliers. We are also hoping to buy our first property.
Say hello to Natalia on The Language Shop's social media – we are on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Keep up to date with all our latest news here.
