June 2026

The secret to gathering great reviews


​I realised the other day that I now have 145 Google reviews – and every one is five stars! That is an almost 50% increase over the past two years.
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So how did I do it?

Obviously, you need to ensure your clients are so thoroughly delighted they want to leave you a good review. I believe in “excellence in all ways”: exceeding expectations, anticipating needs and constantly looking for ways to give my clients stellar service.

But this alone is not enough. You also need a system to request reviews.

At the end of every assignment, once the work has been successfully completed, I personally send a follow-up message thanking the client and inviting them to leave feedback via a direct link to my Google page.

Because interpreting and translation are so personal and relationship-based, clients are usually genuinely happy to write a review, particularly after high-pressure interpreting assignments where they’ve felt well supported throughout.

I try to make the process as easy and natural as possible. A warm personal message tends to generate more authentic and detailed testimonials than a generic, automated request.

Reviews are wonderful for marketing, of course. They help potential clients trust me before we’ve even spoken. But they are also a source of motivation. On difficult days, reading kind words from clients reminds me why I do this work.

Check out the reviews here

The Queen of Hearts for a new generation

There was much delight among my fellow Italians last month when Princess Catherine chose Italy for her first overseas trip since her cancer treatment.

She visited the northern city of Reggio Emilia because of its connection with early years education, one of her great passions. Reggio Emilia is famous for the “Reggio Approach”, an innovative early childhood education philosophy developed after the Second World War.

Like many Italians, I adored Princess Diana. Her death in 1997 had a profound impact on my life, not only because I lost a role model, but because the next day I received a call to interpret for Mohamed Al Fayed’s spokesman, Michael Cole, during a TV interview about the tragedy. It became the first major interpreting assignment of my career.

Watching Princess Catherine crouch down to talk to the little children waiting to see her, I was so reminded of Diana. Both Princesses of Wales share the same warm smile, humility, elegance and gentle kindness. A local reporter summed up the Princess of Wales’ popularity in Italy very beautifully, I thought: “They see Kate as the story that follows Diana.”

I was also thrilled to hear that she spoke to the children in Italian, apparently picked up during the three months she spent at the British Institute in Florence on her gap year. I know those children will treasure that moment of connection with their generation’s Queen of Hearts for the rest of their lives, all thanks to a few words spoken in their language.

English speakers sometimes assume there is little point in attempting to speak another language because so many people speak good English, and will often reply to you in English anyway. But believe me, it is always appreciated when you make the effort. A greeting or a thank you in someone else’s language is a small gesture that shows you respect and value them.

If you have a business trip coming up and would like a couple of bespoke lessons to brush up your Italian – or another language – get in touch. My colleagues and I can help you practise, prepare and step into the room with confidence.

Enquire Here