Thanks to Bootheando I discovered the story from last year on Amanda Galsworthy. She has been the interpreter for the three recent French presidents including Sarkozy. Apparently she participated in the Hay festival last summer where she shared experiences and tips of the trade. Amanda is the daughter of a British diplomat and convinced European, in a wonderful interview with the BBC she describes herself as a linguistic experiment. Her father raised his four children in four different languages (French, Spanish, German and English), Amanda was raised in French which meant that she was put in a French school from kindergarten to the French bac. After a few years of university studies she ended up at interpreting school. Do listen to the BBC interview, it is a fascinating story of an interpreter’s life.