I learned French from childhood, and majored in French literature at Columbia College in New York City, earning an A- average in classes with people like Jean Sareil and Donald Frame. I learned Czech and Slovak at the Defense Language Institute, where I was valedictorian of my class, and spent two years translating for Military Intelligence, earning an extraordinary promotion (and thus a raise) in recognition of my work's quality.
Back in the United States, I earned my law degree cum laude from a top-twenty law school, and I practiced law for several years full-time in civil litigation in the trial and appellate courts, as well as doing some copyright work and presiding over dozens of cases as a contract administrative law judge. I now work for the state bar association, in connection with technology for lawyers.
I read a dozen court decisions every weekday, and regularly read legal texts in Czech, French, and Slovak even outside of specific translation requests. |