Alumni Ciels – Lucrezia, working in foreign sales

Lucrezia: thanks to my specialized study of languages, I am able, as a foreign salesperson, to interface better with customers in the German market.
Working as a foreign salesperson is constantly challenging on two fronts: promoting the goods or services of the entity or company where you work and being able to do so in a different context from your native one, knowing the language and economic mechanisms of the target market in depth.
Lucrezia is one of our former Ciels students whom we interviewed to let her tell us how her training in languages and her specialization helped her to work where she is today.

What is your name and what profession do you work in now?

Hi everyone, my name is Lucrezia and for a little over a year I have been working as a foreign salesperson in a company, I mainly focus on the German market.

What did you study to get to your profession?

After high school specialized in languages, I decided to continue with the study of languages, attending a Bachelor’s degree at Ciels Campus, focusing on English and German.

Why did you choose Ciels Campus?

I chose Ciels Campus because it offered an innovative course of study that I could not find at any other university. The possibility of choosing a specialization was the main reason why I chose to enroll at Ciels. To my surprise, however, what I enjoyed most during the three years of university was the study of languages. Study which, thankfully, is much more practical than theoretical. By choosing curriculum B, in addition to translation and dialogue interpreting, I also learnt the techniques of consecutive interpreting. Ciels Campus offers courses that are rarely found in a Bachelor’s degree in language mediation, and I think this is what makes the difference.

What did you find unexpected that impressed you?

Initially, what impressed me most about Ciels Campus was the possibility of choosing a specialization. Personally, I chose criminology, but all addresses are interesting and professional.
A big bonus are the professors who are actively working in the field, bringing examples and experiences from their professional lives. This is also true for the language teachers, who are always very well prepared and ready to help us in difficult moments.
The lessons are very well divided into different groups, which ensures that they are never too crowded and that you can follow very well.
This also ensures that the professors recognize our individuality and gradually begin to understand our strengths over the course of the semester and help us overcome difficulties by giving practical advice. Every lesson is a challenge: it can be intimidating at first, but then you get used to it, gain confidence and start to believe in your own abilities.

How has Ciels helped you in your current profession?

I will always be grateful to my consecutive and dialogue interpreting teachers: their lessons gave me the basis for the position I hold today in the company.
The interpreting lessons focus on various topics. This ensures that over the three years you learn and become familiar with the vocabulary of various areas.
In German in particular there was a great focus on the business field and this was the key to not only passing the job interview, but also to coping with everyday working life. In fact, I use the vocabulary learnt in class on a daily basis.
Studying consecutive interpreting has also trained my active listening, a fundamental skill especially in calls with clients: I can understand what is being said to me and identify the key point and consequently I know what I need to focus on in order to help them.

Choose 3 adjectives to describe your experience at Ciels and explain them:

Three adjectives to describe my experience…
I would start with challenging: the lessons are more practical than theoretical. This implies a constant commitment during the whole week and is not limited to lessons. It can be difficult to balance everything, but then the commitment pays off. If you work well throughout the year, you arrive at the final exams prepared, because most of the work has been done during the year and in class.
Another adjective I would use is different: because as I mentioned before, the study path at Ciels Campus is different from that of other language mediation universities, there is a different approach to the study of languages and the professional application of them.
As a last adjective I choose helpful: it refers first of all to the professors. All the professors I have met have always been available to help us, listen to us and advise us. Of course, this is only possible because classes are usually held with a maximum of 30 students, so that everyone has a chance to intervene and practice.
This last adjective also applies to the other students: a great cohesion is created between the group, we slowly get to know each other and are always ready to help each other, both during the year and in preparing for exams. I have always met very good people with whom to compare notes, practice together, ask for advice and study together.   We thank Lucrezia for her experience!
Would you like to find out more about becoming a foreign salesperson?
Book a one-to-one interview with the Guidance Office to choose the pathway and languages best suited to you by filling in the form below: