After a degree in classics from Oxford University, I worked as a silversmith for 11 years, then spent 22 years in the motorcycle trade as a dealer, mechanic and storeman, while studying Italian in my spare time. I have found this wealth of practical experience to be of immense value in my work as a translator, especially in the fileds where I specialise: mechanical and automotive engineering, construction, plumbing, sewage treatment. When translating motorcycle manuals, for example, I generally find that I have performed every one of the processes I am describing.