I have a BA in Russian Language, Literature, and Area Studies with a specialization in the Caucasus and Central Asia. At the culmination of my studies, I wrote and defended a thesis on the development of Azerbaijani national self-consciousness; both the paper and the defense were completed in Russian. Since 2007, I have lived, worked, and traveled in over two-thirds of the former Soviet republics, all the while sharpening my Russian language abilities and regional knowledge.

Translation started as a hobby for me - a way to improve my Russian. However, once I found myself in a Russian-speaking environment, I found my skills could be put to use professionally. My translation experience has been concentrated in media, social sciences, politics, and tourism, but I would like to expand into other areas, with the exception of highly technical scientific and legal writing. That said, I am comfortable with documents of this type that are intended for use by the layperson.

I first began interpreting as a student volunteer during a stint in Russia in 2008, an experience which led me to do the same as I traveled throughout Central Asia during the summer of that year. Once home, I continued to act in this capacity, helping to acclimate recently-arrived Kazakh “Bolashak” students to my university and its surrounding area.

In 2011, I embarked on a new career path in the world of ESL instruction. During my four years as a teacher, I have amassed a great deal of experience editing and proofreading English-language texts written by non-native speakers of English from linguistic backgrounds as diverse as Russian, Turkish, and even Mandarin, among others.