Elisabeth Freund Ducatez
A translator for nearly 30 years, now pursuing a new career in inclusion and disability.
Entry created on: 07/10/2026
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Short summary
A translator for nearly 30 years, now pursuing a new career in inclusion and disability.
Role
Apprentice CSR Project Manager
Skills and topics
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Date / version
Entry created on: 07/10/2026
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Translating, sharing, reinventing herself
At six, Elisabeth Freund Ducatez was already playing with the sounds of French during a game of European Monopoly. Born in Vienna, she made languages her career for nearly thirty years, eventually working on diplomatic texts where every word mattered. When the translation profession changed, she returned to education to channel her passion for human connection into inclusion work.
Timeline
Chronological journey
Paris on the board
Paris on the board
Elisabeth was born in Vienna, Austria, into a home where languages, music and culture played an important role. At the age of six, a European edition of Monopoly introduced her to the sounds of French: she always tried to buy Paris, repeated the names of the avenues and made up French for those around her. Her father, a professional musician and polyglot, instilled in her a love of learning. Much later, his ability to reinvent himself would also inspire her to change direction.
Living between languages
Living between languages
As a teenager, when she began learning French in earnest, Elisabeth imagined a career that would allow her to live between languages without forgetting her own. She chose translation and interpreting rather than becoming a musician, diplomat or doctor, as her father had suggested. After starting her studies in Vienna, she left for France. The reality was different from her dream, but she persevered and completed her training in translation there.
Understanding before translating
Understanding before translating
After graduating, Elisabeth quickly went freelance. For twenty-seven years, she translated for clients in a wide range of sectors: industry, IT, automotive, 3D and robotics. Each assignment required her to quickly understand a field, research it and convey the message clearly and naturally. She also taught technical, legal and economic translation for ten years, and later taught German. This experience would later give her the confidence to interpret live.
Every word matters
Every word matters
A client then offered her a two-year contract at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. From 2022 to 2024, Elisabeth joined a team of translators and worked in a setting where every word was carefully weighed: presidential publications, international agreements, the Élysée website and translations of French constitutions. She adapted into German a speech by Emmanuel Macron for the German Bundestag: a large volume of text to deliver in just a few hours. This assignment encapsulated the exacting standards, precision and pressure of the profession.
Changing direction, staying connected
Changing direction, staying connected
When she left the ministry in 2024, Elisabeth found that the translation market had changed dramatically as machine-translation post-editing became widespread, the pace and volume of work increased and rates fell. In 2025, an interpreting assignment on a construction site where several languages came together confirmed that what mattered most to her was still helping people understand one another. Her involvement with community organizations, her family's experience of disability and her reflections on inclusion during a local election campaign then led her to build a new career plan around the causes she cared about: resuming her studies and training for a new profession.
Her role
Elisabeth is completing a work-study placement at OVHcloud, which hosts websites and provides online services. She works on CSR (corporate social responsibility)—how the company operates in a way that is fair to people and the planet—with a focus on diversity and inclusion. She organizes events, coordinates the community of disability representatives and is preparing a worldwide tour of the 1001 Rôles Modèles kiosk across the company's sites. As soon as she arrived, she gave a presentation about the company to 85 middle school students: a challenge for which her teaching experience had prepared her well.
Her commitments and values
Elisabeth champions curiosity, the development of critical thinking, and the right to change course. A mother of three, two of whom have disabilities, she is committed to diversity, as well as the environment and music. She wants to help reduce prejudice and exclusion. Selected to join the City of Lille’s disability commission (“Lille Open to All”), she particularly hopes to explore garden accessibility.
She advises young people not to specialize too early, to choose a sufficiently broad course of study, and to learn how to verify information. When it comes to AI, as with any other tool, she encourages them to maintain perspective, think for themselves, and cultivate curiosity, flexibility, and openness to change. Above all, never pass up an opportunity to travel or speak another language.
What Elisabeth Freund Ducatez shares:
Elisabeth Freund Ducatez shares:
“Every day is an opportunity to reinvent yourself.”
“I think the first obstacle is yourself: you don’t believe you’re capable.”
“You need to take a step back and think for yourself.”
“My true path began the day my profession changed. Translation taught me to listen and bring people together, and that is what I do today for a cause close to my heart. At my age, just as at yours, it is always possible to make a fresh start.”
Resources
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