Giulia Ballandi

Quality Control Manager | Proofreader | Translator

Born in Bologna, Giulia was already showing her aptitude for proper Italian grammar and style at the age of 12 – when she meticulously logged the linguistic errors of her family and friends in her book Il libro degli errori. She is active, fond of German and (almost) always in good spirits. After earning her BA at the Scuola Superiore per Inter¬preti e Traduttori in Triest and her MA in Translation at Heidelberg University, she moved to Switzerland, where she now ensures that Diction’s clients don’t end up in anyone’s book of error

Anne-Kathrin Böhnke

Customer Support Manager | Proofreader

Early on in life, Anne-Kathrin, who has chosen Switzerland as her adoptive home, discovered her passion for languages and other cultures. After several holidays with a host family in Normandy, she became certain that she wanted to study languages. Following her studies in Magdeburg (technical translation for science and technology in English and French) and a year abroad in Rennes, the nature-lover moved to Switzerland – almost 10 years ago now. She started off working in the language services department of a multinational industrial corporation, and now coordinates projects and takes care of terminology for the French team. In her free time, you’re most likely to come across her in the forest with her dog, in a cosy armchair with a great book, or on a trip – from short city tours to long road trips, and preferably in France, India or the USA.

Lukas Brauchli

Project Manager

The proud holder of FC St. Gallen season tickets and a defender for a company football club (unfortunately there is no FC Diction), Lukas has always been interested in languages. After completing his bachelor’s degree at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Winterthur, during which he had the opportunity to study abroad for a semester in Alicante on the southern coast of Spain, he began his career with an internship at Diction. He returned to university to complete a master’s degree in technical translation and, after a terminology internship at an industrial company, he found his way back to our offices – this time as a project manager.

Jérôme Choquel

Quality Control Manager | Proofreader

Jérôme has a very diverse range of interests. He studied chemistry and biology before discovering his enthusiasm for the intricacies of the French language, grammar and orthography. After winning a spelling contest he was hooked, and studied for a qualification as an editor and proofreader at the Centre d’Écriture et de Communication in Paris. He now uses his language skills to provide support to the French team. Besides his in-depth knowledge of the natural sciences, our living lexicon also never fails to find the right words for texts on politics, Greek mythology or cinema.

Bruno Ciola

Head of Language Technology

When it comes to terminology, Bruno seems to have an innate sense of precision – with an Italian father and a German mother, he has been familiar with the nuances in different languages and cultures since his early days at multilingual kindergarten. As far as his education goes, Bruno always knew what he wanted to do: he chose to focus on languages at school, before going on to study a degree in translation at the University of Innsbruck, where he also discovered his fascination for translation tools (back in the days when stone-age systems such as DOS were at the cutting edge of computer technology). After almost 20 years’ experience as a terminology expert, translator, lecturer and CAT tool trainer, Bruno is now Head of Language Technology here at Diction. When he’s not running the rule over our glossaries in the office, he can be found gliding across the tarmac on his in-line skates or pursuing his passion for middle-distance running.

Nadja Davatz

Quality Control Manager | Proofreader

Nadja has always had a passion for languages, taking lessons in English, French, Latin and Italian at school. After a short stay in England, she completed her bachelor’s degree in Applied Linguistics at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, where she also studied Russian as a third language. She is now getting her first taste of the working world by joining Diction’s French team. Nadja plays the flute, and, alongside all those languages, always has a song playing in her head. She enjoys reading, writing, watching TV shows (in the original language) and going on relaxing walks.

Charlotte Delepine

Resource Manager

After gaining her master’s degree in translation in her native Belgium, Charlotte spent time in the Tirol Alps before moving to the Lake Constance region, where she gained a broad range of experience in the translation industry and was able to put her native French to use. She now supports Diction’s resource management team. In her spare time, she enjoys reading the novels of Amélie Nothomb, going for walks with her dog in the forest and spending time with her family.

Donatella Elia

Quality Control Manager | Proofreader

Coming from a multicultural background, Donatella was surrounded by different languages and cultures from a very young age – and she developed a love of travel and books early on as well. After finishing school, she took a break to travel through Europe and South America. At Diction, she has turned her passion for languages into a career, and works as a proofreader for the Italian team while completing her studies at the Zurich School of Applied Linguistics.

Christine Fassbender

Marketing Manager I Employee Success Administrator

Letters, numbers and colours have always played a major role for Christine, who’s originally from the Rhineland. Armed with her qualifications as a media designer and a degree in media and communication, she got to know and fell in love with agency life. Here at Diction, she is able to draw on her diverse experience and is the main point of contact for all HR, administrative and organisational issues. In her spare time, she can be found on or in Lake Constance in summer, and hitting the slopes in winter. She also loves hiking and getting out into the countryside around her home town of Lindau – always with her two children in tow.

Patrick Fassbender

CEO

Patrick is driven by a passion for providing excellent service. After studying business administration at universities in Germany and the USA, he gained a wealth of experience in management positions in the hotel and hospitality industry. His roles in sales and marketing took him as far afield as the USA, as well as to Belgium, Germany and finally to Switzerland, where he now heads up the management team at Diction.

Robert Fawcett

Customer Support Manager I Translator I Copywriter

After four years working as an English tutor in private educational institutions in Germany (with a short interruption to try out his hand as a chef), where he taught German to English translation – and was able to gain more experience correcting mistakes than he (and his students) might have hoped – Robert brought his skills to the English team. He still cooks passionately as a hobby, but has found his vocational calling translating and proofreading for Diction’s renowned clients.

Brigitte Finnegan

Accounting Manager

Brigitte is a cheerful soul who hails from Germany and has a particular weakness for beautiful landscapes, which may have had something to do with her decision to move to Switzerland in 2004. When she isn’t busy thinking about her next holiday in Scotland or planning a trip to Edinburgh or Basel to watch the military tattoo, she is responsible for project accounting at Diction.

Silvia Grützner

Project Manager

Driven by her passion for travel, Silvia decided to study tourism after finishing school. After that, she worked in the hotel business for several years, in countries as far afield as Germany, Ireland and Canada. Silvia has called Vancouver home since 2012. For her, it’s the perfect starting point for trips across North America – and for pursuing a career in the language industry. As commander-in-chief of the Diction “night shift”, she uses her organisational and communication expertise to ensure that our clients and the Diction Canada team are always happy. To relax, she loves taking long walks or going in-line skating along the seawall in downtown Vancouver.

Adrian Haefelin

Chief Sales Officer

Having grown up with four brothers, Adrian is used to being with people. He was always the first to make new friends on every family holiday, and would happily go off to do the shopping, armed with just a few phrases in the local language. It was this easy-going, sociable nature which drew him to a career in sales and client relations, and after finishing his degree, Adrian set about putting his natural talents and academic skills to good use in the world of work, gaining valuable management experience on the way. Now part of the Diction family, he feels very much at home managing new and different projects for our clients every day. Away from the office, Adrian is a keen squash player and violinist; depending on the day, he can be found playing on the squash court or rehearsing with the orchestra. He is also quite the rum connoisseur, and is always on the lookout for a bottle or two to add to his collection.

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Julia Hetzel

Project Manager

Julia was born in Kazakhstan and grew up in Germany – for her, there was never just one culture or one language. After studying economics and spending several years working in the car industry, Julia decided to travel the world. In 2017, she settled in beautiful Switzerland, and has been here ever since. Her role as project manager at Diction combines her talent for organisation with her passion for the car industry, new cultures and languages. When the weather allows, she loves to head out and discover new places on her motorbike – and never without a good book in her rucksack.

Maria Huber

Head of Customer Support

Proofreader, translator
Although the Ostallgäu native can have no complaints regarding the beauty of her home in the foothills of the Alps near Neuschwanstein Castle, she is still a passionate traveller. Her first longer trip was to Mexico City. After getting over the initial culture shock, she soon realised that she didn’t just want to travel the world – she wanted to understand it. She decided to take her first step towards this goal with a degree in translation studies at the University of Innsbruck. She then returned home to Bavaria, where she pursues her two biggest passions: perfecting texts and playing ice hockey – though not necessarily at the same time.

Magali Jordan

Project Manager

Born to a German father and an Argentinian mother, Magali has discovered that the love for languages runs in her blood just as strong as the passion for travelling. She spent her childhood in northern Germany, punctuated by numerous trips to Argentina, before taking up residence in Spain. During the 10 years she spent there, she studied translation and interpreting in German, Spanish and English at the University of Alicante and also developed a love for Spain, its people and its culture. Today, applying her knowledge and experience to multilingual projects at Diction, she has the chance to delight our clients with her German–Argentinian–Spanish charm.

Alexandra Macieira

Customer Support OfficerProofreader

Born in Portugal and growing up bilingually unsurprisingly gave Alexandra a fascination for languages. She spent a semester abroad in Madrid during her language degree at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. While travelling through Spain, she not only fell in love with the huge variety the country has to offer, but also with the Latin American dance bachata. After graduating, she spent time as an intern at a radio station before joining Diction to continue pursuing her passion as translator and proofreader. She spends her spare time at the gym, shopping or cooking for her family and friends.

Patrizia Marchetti

Chief Quality Officer

Born in Zurich, Patrizia spent 13 years in Italy before returning home to Switzerland – and to Diction – with an MA in Translation and Interpreting. Her role as Head of the Italian team led Patrizia to discover her talent for organisation, which she now puts to good use as the Chief Quality Officer. Whenever she’s not busy responding to queries, coming up with solutions to thorny problems, tackling challenges head-on or providing moral support, Patrizia can be found engrossed in a good book or whipping up her latest culinary masterpiece in the kitchen (or sometimes even both at the same time).

Miriam Molinaro

Quality Control Manager | Proofreader | Translator

Born in Zurich and then raised in northern Italy, Miriam returned to her native country after 20 years. At home she speaks Italian and Spanish. During her studies in international cultures and languages at the University of Udine, she conducted in-depth research on the works of Rilke and Shakespeare.
After gaining experience as a freelance translator and language teacher, she worked in the airline industry and was able to pursue her only real hobby – travel – to her heart’s content. She now supports the Italian team at Diction.

Stefania Monsorno

Quality Control Officer I Proofreader I Translator

Even as a child, the native Italian with a penchant for languages was determined to become an interpreter. After successfully completing her bachelor’s degree at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, the football fan realised her dream of living in Italy by studying for a master’s degree in conference interpreting in Rome. When she is not engrossed in a football match or a motorbike or Formula One race, she likes to relax with a good book. A passionate cook, she adores a good carbonara, especially when prepared in the tradition of the Eternal City that has forever stolen her heart.

Charlotte Niedetzky

Quality Control Manager | Proofreader

A few hours of Latin were enough to make learning languages a passion – and an obsession – for Charlotte. After leaving school, she enrolled at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and began a degree at the Faculty of Translation Studies, Linguistics and Cultural Studies in Germersheim. After finishing her undergraduate studies, which included a semester abroad in Milan, Charlotte moved to Leipzig, where she completed two master’s degrees – one in Translatology and a second in Logic, to pursue her interest in maths and philosophy. Charlotte now puts this varied expertise to good use here at Diction every day. In her free time, she likes to don a pair of running shoes or hop onto her bike and explore the great outdoors.

Ruth Oggenfuss Younes

Customer Support ManagerProofreader

A stay in southern France not only ignited her love for la belle France, but also for foreign languages and cultures altogether. She spent her childhood in Valais and studied translation in Geneva. She then made the transition to German-speaking Switzerland, where she currently supports the French team at Diction. A brief detour into the world of real estate was enough to confirm that her real passion is working with languages. When she’s not hunting down missing commas, she enjoys witnessing the wonders of nature and other interesting sights.

Eva Pfaff

Resource Manager

After spending a year at an American high school, the Lower Franken native was certain that she wanted to work with the English language. She therefore decided to become a qualified translator and completed a master’s degree in Birmingham. Eva spent four years working in project management at a language services company in Munich before coming to Diction, where she now works in resource management.When she isn’t cheering on her beloved Bayern Munich in the stadium or in front of the TV, Eva loves to spend her free time reading crime thrillers or jogging in the parks of St. Gallen while listening to a gripping audio book.

Amanda Porcu

Head of Quality ControlProofreader I Translator

Amanda studied translation at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Winterthur, specialising in court interpreting. She owes her flair for languages and love of travel to the multicultural environment in which she grew up, and likes nothing better than pursuing these two great passions with long trips overseas. A keen (free) diver and photographer, Amanda loves to immerse herself in the beauty of our natural world. Otherwise, she likes to relax with good food, a crime novel or good music – basically, living la pura vida.

Team_Ressourcenmanagement_Patricia Prado Varela

Patricia Prado Varela

Resource Manager

Patricia has always been fascinated by languages and cultures, perhaps due to the fact that she was always surrounded by people from different countries from a young age. After finishing her degree in translation, she wanted to try something new. This desire led her to do an internship in the communications department of a non-profit organisation. The work was varied and rewarding, but she soon started to miss the world of languages, and applied for a position as a resource manager at Diction. She enjoys spending her spare time with family and friends, cooking, exploring the great outdoors (especially anywhere near the sea) and, occasionally, escaping into the fictional world of a great TV series.

Rebecca Raith

Customer Support ManagerProofreader

Ever since she was a child, the nature-loving book worm has split her time between Italy and Germany, which has allowed her to become familiar with both cultures. She honed her skills while studying translation and interpreting at the Faculty of Translation Studies, Linguistics and Cultural Studies in Germersheim, Germany, as well as during an exchange semester at the SSLMIT in Trieste, Italy, and now puts them to use supporting the Italian Team at Diction.

Corina Ramsauer

Employee Success Manager

As well as being an experienced professional, Corina has completed degrees in Translation, Business Administration, Intercultural Communication and Psychology. She joined Diction in 2012, and has put her natural enthusiasm and dedication to good use in a number of roles – initially as a proofreader, then as a team leader and now as Employee Success Manager. Corina attributes her drive and energy to enjoying the great outdoors in her free time, her passion for reading and spending quality time with family and friends. For her, a thirst for knowledge, happiness and laughter are what really matter.

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Maria Raso

Project Manager

Maria was born in Eastern Switzerland, and discovered her passion for languages and cultures early on. When she heard about the bachelor’s degree in Applied Linguistics at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, she knew right away that it was the degree for her. Diction offered her the ideal way to use the languages she studied in her job. When she isn’t engrossed in a good book, Maria likes spending her time travelling, listening to music, or watching films and TV shows (usually in the original language).

Bianca Reischmann

Project Manager | Resource management assistant

Born in Berlin, with a German and Portuguese background, Bianca has been immersed in the world of language and culture from an early age. She quickly developed a particular love for all things Spanish, later moving to Spain to pursue a degree in translation and interpreting. In her spare time, she also enjoys dancing flamenco. Bianca has been working as a project manager and resource manager assistant at Diction since 2015.

Elisabeth Rettelbach

Content Manager

Copywriter, translator
After spending time abroad in France, Sweden and Australia, the globetrotter with an advanced degree in translation had settled down in Boston. For almost 10 years she kept students in good spirits in their German classes, while also teaching German (apparently unsingable) to opera singers. In spring 2013, however, a curious mixture of homesickness and wanderlust drew her back to Europe and straight to Diction, where she spent years translating and copywriting before taking over content creation in 2018. But also out of “office hours”, when the amateur author in her awakens, it’s all about the most unusual of words.

Andreas Rissi

Head of ICT

Andreas has been fascinated by technology since he was a child, and has turned his passion into his profession as an adult. After an apprenticeship as an electronics technician and a number of IT training courses, Andreas has had the opportunity to put his extensive IT knowledge to good use in a number of positions as a system technician and help desk manager. He particularly enjoys solving tricky, complex problems – which is why he is happy to make sure that things stay (relatively) quiet on the Diction IT front. His second great passion is photography – a hobby he considers to be the ultimate combination of art and technology.

Cécile Roffler

Ad interim Team Lead Project ManagementProject Manager

Cécile has always wanted to work with languages, a desire that led her to study at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. But her bachelor’s degree only fuelled her fascination, so she followed it up with a master’s degree in applied linguistics, specialising in technical translation. After her studies in Winterthur, a few language holidays and an internship in Lucerne, she returned to the Rhine Valley. She now works for Diction’s Client Relations team. Cécile relaxes by curling up with a good crime novel or watching a TV series – in German, English and Spanish. In her spare time, she likes to meet up with friends, play board games or take part in one of her favourite sports – athletics, competitive shooting and hiking.

Seraina Rohr

Project Manager

After completing her English degree at the Texas A&M University, Seraina, who was born in Switzerland, worked as a foreign languages teacher at a Texas state school for five years. She returned to Switzerland after nine years in the US and started looking for a different type of job that would still let her pursue her love of languages, and she now works on Diction’s Finance and Legal project management team. Seraina is happy to be back near her family, and likes to craft and cook in her spare time.

Isabelle Schenkel

Customer Support ManagerProofreader I Translator

Isabelle knew from an early age that she wanted to pursue a career which would allow her to work with languages. Setting out on her travels from her home in Zurich, she spent time broadening her cultural and linguistic horizons in England, France and Australia, before returning to Switzerland to study for her master’s degree in applied linguistics (specialising in technical translation) at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. She now uses her linguistic talents in the Germanand English teams, and also works on Russian translation projects here at Diction. She likes to spend any free time she has discovering foreign countries and their cultures, taking photographs, cooking or playing the piano – and somehow also finds the time to read the occasional book or two.

Kristina Schneidmüller

Project Manager

Kristina was born in Kazakhstan and grew up speaking Russian and German in the German state of Hesse. She always knew that the world was full of things to discover, which is why she decided to pursue a career in the tourism industry. After several years working in the industry, she decided to settle down in Switzerland and work in the luxury hotel sector. She now supports Diction’s Client Relations team with her years of experience in the service industry and her love of languages. In her spare time, she loves to spend time outdoors, read books about alternative medicine and travel the world to discover new places, cultures and languages.

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Kim Soriano

Resource Manager

After completing her master’s degree in translation technologies in France, Kim decided to move to Switzerland – a country she fell in love with during a language placement in St. Gallen. And she returned whenever she had the opportunity, holidaying in Berne and Appenzell and working in Zug and Lucerne. She has a passion for languages and communications, and spent some time teaching French at secondary schools and as a homework tutor for primary school children. She now wants to expand her knowledge of the world of translation in her new role as a resource manager at Diction. At the weekend, she loves looking for antiques and unique pieces at flea markets, and she also enjoys long hikes while listening to music on her headphones.

Annina Spinelli

Quality Control Manager | Proofreader | Translator

After studying translation at Zurich’s Schule für Angewandte Linguistik (SAL) and completing a semester abroad in Perth, Australia, Annina now edits German texts at Diction. In addition to reading a wide range of books in English and German, she spends her spare time relishing Italian, Japanese and Thai cuisine, or pursuing new artistic paths.

Lilia Staiger

Customer Support ManagerProofreader I Translator

This Russian German spent her first few years in Kazakhstan, where she spoke Russian and an old Swabian dialect. Her languages career took off at primary school in Germany, where she interpreted for other children from Russia. She went on to study German language and literature in Freiburg, and completed a higher academic qualification in European Business Management with foreign languages (English and French), including two internships in Paris and London. After several years as a copywriter and key account manager, she now indulges her passion for languages with the Diction German team and looks forward to the new challenges each day brings: checking texts, or writing them herself. Now right at home here in Switzerland, in her spare time she enjoys sports, as well as baking and decorating tarts. She also loves fashion and spicy food. She absolutely adores Spain, and spends her summer holidays every year in Alicante, on the beautiful Costa Blanca.

Natacha Szkudlarek

Customer Support ManagerProofreader I Translator

Natacha was born in Poland, and, after growing up in France, went on to study in Germany. “Intercultural” is a word with which she has always had a special affinity. Baden-Baden has now become her second home, but with every visit to Buchs, she relishes the change of scenery from the beautiful views of the Black Forest to the charming mountain panoramas here in the Rhine Valley. This nature-loving multilinguist, who has been supporting the French team at Diction since spring 2014, can’t get enough of either! In her free time she enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, heading out for a hike or immersing herself in an exciting crime thriller.

Katja Tenhaeff

Project Manager | Resource management assistant

While trying to trace her German and Baltic roots, Spanish native speaker Katja discovered her interest for the German language and culture. After five years in Freiburg, the avid reader (who you will never find without a Borges book) decided that it was time to return to Spain, where she continued to improve her language skills with a degree in translation and interpreting. She now provides support to Diction’s project management team from Madrid.

Martina Tramonti

Customer Support ManagerTranslator

Martina was born in Desenzano del Garda, and made the decision to attend a specialist language school when she was 14. She has loved learning foreign languages ever since, and developed a fascination for German while studying translation and interpreting in Trento. After graduating, she moved to Munich with the aim of perfecting her German and gained her master’s degree in conference interpreting – and fell in love with the Bavarian capital. After gaining some experience as a resource coordinator and project manager in the translation industry, she grasped the chance to work as a translator at Diction and make the best use of her language skills. Besides foreign languages, her hobbies also include photography, music, travel and sport.

Franziska Winkler

Project Manager

The qualified management assistant always knew that she would one day turn her passion for languages into a career. And she did precisely that, studying translation at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Winterthur with a semester in Belgium, before taking on the task of ensuring smooth order processing at Diction. In her free time Franziska, who comes from Werdenberg, can often be found reading a French crime novel in a cafe or flitting over the Rheindamm on her inline skates.

Xuesong Wu

Resource manager | DTP

Her roots are in China, her home in Switzerland. In addition to studying German philology in Shanghai and economics in Mannheim, Xuesong has worked internationally as a translator, interpreter and market researcher. At Diction, Xuesong takes care of Chinese translations and helps to coordinate multilingual projects and DTP tasks.

Franziska Zeintl

Quality Control Manager | Proofreader

To walk in the footsteps of predecessors. For Franziska – progeny of a teaching dynasty – this almost became a reality. She definitely carries a red pen, but not to the classroom, oh no, that red pen rather accompanies her each day as she makes her way to Diction.
After her studies in international cultural and business studies, a year abroad in England and a two-year stay in Paris, she worked in the distribution of paints and tiles. Now employed at Diction, she is thrilled at the opportunity to turn her lifelong passion into a profession, dem-onstrating her mastery of French on a daily basis – much to the satisfaction of Diction’s clients.