For more than thirty years, I have worked at the intersection of information, technology, and communication. My career has included software development, database design, business analysis, technical translation, website content management, multimedia digitization, and training. Across these diverse roles, a common theme has remained: transforming complexity into practical knowledge that helps people make better decisions, improve processes, and solve problems. My **contact with purchasing, procurement, and marketing** taught me about the challenges of the supply chain in a factory that was rebuilt from the ground up. I developed a translation project database to store vocabulary for each project. Programming demands attention to detail but, most of all, it requires just a little extra patience. I have managed and transcreated SEO-compliant text for multiple websites using industry-standard SEO analysis tools. Eighteen years living in France has proved useful when it comes to understanding a text. ![[technical-experience.png|Diagram illustrating the range of our technical experience in IT, translation, and business analysis.]] ## Experience as an Independent As an independent, I have experience of all the business functions: management, accounting, production, and sales, which has provided valuable insights. Running a business requires balancing technical work with commercial responsibilities, delivering projects, marketing, accounting, customer service, supplier relationships, planning, and business development. This gave me a broad understanding of how organizations operate. ![[organising-everyday-tasks.png|Visual representation of organizing daily business and management tasks.]] ## Advanced Translator Words are my work; I have spoken French since an early age, and came to work in languages after technical studies. ![[translation-qualities.png|Infographic highlighting key qualities and skills required for professional translation.]] I offered a range of translation-related services - [[The Technical Translation Process|Technical Translation]] - [[Video Transcription and Subtitling]] - Document proofing ![[developing-translation.png|Flowchart showing the process of developing and refining translation projects.]] I lived and worked in France for 18 years until 2018 and in the UK for 14 years. ## Video Technician I ran a small business providing [[Digitization and Media Services]] such as video and audio tapes, Simple 8 and Super 8 on our 2 telecinemas. ![[mjl-elmo-sony-telecinema.png]] We duplicated CDs, DVDs, SD cards, floppy disks, and Iomega ZIP discs, recovered lost data from storage media, rephotographed glass plates, recorded audio tapes and reels, and vinyl. The experience was invaluable for subtitling, video editing, and transcription. I edited video with digitized film, which sometimes required colour and exposure correction, reduction editing, or compiling photo slideshows. ![[media-memory-logo.jpg|Logo for Media Memory, representing video and audio digitization services.]] The following are the data services we provided building on data management. ![[data-services.png|Diagram outlining the various data management and restoration services offered.]] This is a UML format map of our previous [[Digitization and Media Services]] for digital content: ![[duplication-and-conversion.png|Chart showing customer profiles for media duplication, data restoration, and conversion services.]] ## Information Management Much of my experience has been in information systems. ![[translation-experience.png|Graphic summarizing technical translation experience and related skills.]] This involved transforming scattered information into structured, usable knowledge. From designing databases and producing management reports to organizing terminology, website content, and multimedia archives, I have consistently focused on making information easier to find, understand, and use. ## Business Analyst I was responsible for determining the compatibility of PC applications for the year 2000 and whether to scrap, retain or redevelop them. ![[Management business.png|Illustration depicting business management and analysis concepts.]] As a business analyst, I learned the value of process documentation for business and development teams to provide baseline analysis for continuous improvement. I have always been interested in how information flows through organizations. Whether in databases, technical documentation, managing website content, or planning projects, I have focused on understanding systems, identifying inefficiencies, and improving the way information is organized and communicated. ![[sorting-y2000-applications.png|Diagram showing the process of sorting and evaluating year 2000 (Y2K) software applications.]] Business analysis includes [[Issue Management Database#Problem Solving|problem-solving]] in software systems and analysing the way things operate. I enjoy analysing existing processes, identifying unnecessary complexity, and proposing practical improvements. Whether redesigning databases, improving workflows, or optimizing website content, I aim to create systems that are simpler, more reliable, and easier to maintain. ![[Informatique and other.png|Visual representation of IT systems and business process analysis.]] ## Database Manager It was a great sense of achievement to develop the [[Purchasing Price and Forecast Database]] for a large computer manufacturer, with a complex data process, integrating forecast and production data from multiple sources, including marketing, production, and purchasing. Our role was to develop and maintain the import process and produce the necessary KPIs. I also collated product road maps for significant components and identified purchasing requirements for the corporate PeopleSoft implementation. ![[purchasing-database-interfaces.png|Diagram of interfaces and data flows in a purchasing and forecast database system.]] ## Project Manager We planned Access development projects on contract to a large insurance company. ![[project-coordination.png|Illustration of project coordination and management activities.]] ## Requirements Analyst We worked with users to model requirements, use cases, class diagrams and relational data structures. ![[data-processing-services.png|Infographic detailing data processing and requirements analysis services.]] ## Training and Learning Working in several industries has required continual learning. I have become comfortable researching unfamiliar subjects, understanding technical concepts quickly, and adapting my knowledge to new technologies and changing business requirements. We ran [[Mind Mapping Workshops]] to guide participants through using paper and software mind maps to clarify thoughts, organize projects, and manage complexity. Attendees explored tools like SimpleMind and Trello, learning to capture ideas, identify actionable steps, and structure plans visually. Workshops covered [[Getting Things Done (GTD) framework|Getting Things Done,]] emphasizing the value of regular review and prioritization with the [[Eisenhower Decision Matrix]]. Real-life examples included business planning, creative writing, and project management. The sessions fostered practical skills in visual thinking, project breakdown, and personal organization, empowering participants to manage tasks and achieve their goals more effectively. - What is mind mapping - A mind map in Simplemind - Identify action nodes. - Create a task board in Trello This video starts with a paper mind map of a plan to create videos for this site, and converts it into Simplemind. The second video then converts this Simplemind mind map into Obsidian.  This is the plan for the workshop to discuss mind mapping and to establish some paper mind maps, transfer them to Simplemind to identify potential actions and then into a Trello task board to structure a project. ![[woodfield-workshop.png|Flowchart of the process described in a mind-mapping workshop at Woodfield Pavilion.]] - Project analysis, definition - Project management - Organization skills ![[Website and workshops.png|Visual summary of website development and training workshop activities.]] ## Overall experience Our experience spans thirty years of experience as database developer, data manager, project and business analyst through to IT and training services. I have worked across purchasing, production, marketing, engineering, finance, software development, education, and translation. This experience has taught me to communicate effectively with people from different professional backgrounds and understand how each department contributes to organizational success. Technical expertise is most valuable when it can be clearly communicated. My experience in translation, training, report writing, and requirements analysis has developed my ability to explain complex ideas in language appropriate to different audiences.