About Me — Ann Marie Boulanger
Wearer of Many Hats, Juggler of Many Balls
“How do you do it all?”
I’ve been asked that question many times over the years. And my answer has always been (in the eternal words of Nike), “I don’t know, I just do it.”
I am many things. I do many things. I am multifaceted.
Each of my roles defines me in some way, and each one is sure to shape and inspire the things I will write about here.
In no particular order, here are some of my many facets:
Canadian, Anglo Quebecer, Montrealer ┃ Child of a French-speaking father and an English-speaking mother ┃ Bilingual person (fluent in English and French) ┃ Raised in a small town ┃ Single mother by choice ┃ Recipient of medically assisted reproduction services (IVF) ┃ Boy mom ┃ Daughter ┃ Sister ┃ Oldest child ┃ Member of the sandwich generation ┃ Caregiver to older parents with medical conditions (dad has chronic heart failure; mom was just diagnosed with early Parkinson’s disease) ┃ Certified translator (from French to English) ┃ Commercial translator ┃ Translator of children’s books ┃ Entrepreneur ┃ Employer ┃ Avid reader of historical fiction, romance, romantasy and spicy fiction genres ┃ Part-time university lecturer ┃ Online trainer ┃ Mentor to young translators ┃ Business coach ┃ Trusted colleague ┃ Recognized authority in my field ┃ Devoted friend ┃ Member of Gen X ┃ Lover of 80s music ┃ Single woman ┃ Perimenopausal ┃ Amateur watercolorist and junk journaler ┃ Aspiring minimalist ┃ Budget-conscious shopper ┃ Competent home cook ┃ Traveler ┃ Word nerd and language lover…
I’ve been translating professionally for twenty-five years. That’s a quarter century spent rendering other people’s written texts from French into English. Texts I have been able to hide behind, to a certain extent.
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If the words and ideas I translate aren’t mine, if they don’t spring from my heart or my mind, I can’t be judged for them, right?
Right.
The same cannot be said of original writing.
Hence my last-but-not-least facet: thwarted writer.
To a large extent, I’ve been holding back from publishing original writing for fear of what people will think of me if I speak my truth, express my opinions, allow a peek behind the curtain of my carefully curated public persona.
But guess what? I’m too old for that nonsense anymore.
When I turned 48 six months ago, I joked to my family that I would run out of f*cks at age 50. My supply was running low.
So, in that spirit, thanks for reading and for (hopefully) following. And stay tuned for more writing from a woman who is “all of the above” — and who has very few f*cks left to give!
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Feel free to check out my LinkedIn profile or website www.traductionproteus.com for more about me!
