Professional biography

Alison Riddell was born and raised in Stirling, Scotland.

In the 1990s she attended Glasgow University, studying German.

After leaving university, Alison went on to work for Prestwick Circuits, selling printed circuit boards to customers in German-speaking countries. This also involved translating all of the technical production documentation from the German customers into English.

She followed her dream and moved to Germany in 1993, where she first worked for Goldmann Sachs, and then for the investment real estate company DTZ Zadelhoff, supporting projects including finding a property for the European Central Bank. She then spent several years working for a small M&A boutique - SMH Corporate Finance, where her work entailled assisting with all of the M&A projects, from creating long-lists through to preparing and translating information memorandums. 

During this period she also studied marketing and then business administration and passed her exams as a state-certified translator, a profession that she started to follow full-time in 1999. She has been translating for the financial and legal sectors ever since. Alison now spends her time between France (Alsace) and Germany.

When not making words work, Alison also runs a trail riding operation in Alsace: www.alice-en-selle.com.