Interpreter · Translator · Intercultural Expert

Where language meets culture.

I work at the intersection of language and culture: for almost 20 years now I have been partnering with the public and private sectors to make sure that your message gets through, be it in spoken or written form. Based in Geneva, I work across Europe and online.

EN <> IT

FR DE ES > IT

Three ways I work

01

SpeakingInterpreting

Conference and liaison interpreting, on-site or remote, from international meetings to bilateral negotiations or individual appointments.

WritingTranslation & language services

Translation and editing for the creative and medical sectors, localisation for the Swiss market, plus post-editing of machine translation.

SettlingIntercultural support & relocation assistance

Practical intercultural guidance for families and individuals relocating to Geneva, from cultural adjustment to everyday challenges.

SpeakingInterpreting

Some things are too important to be lost in translation.

Illustration of an interpreting console with EN, FR, IT, DE, ES channel labels, headphones beside it, and a hand adjusting a dial

You've got a global audience in front of you, eager to hear about your new product, and you need every word to convince and impress them.

Your company has updated a key procedure, and your task is to explain it to your local market over Zoom, making sure that everyone understands every key step.

You have a medical appointment coming up, and you don't want to miss a single word the doctor says — health comes first.

This is where I come in. Interpreters may seem like magicians: that's a word I have frequently heard while describing my profession to laypeople. "How do you do it," they ask. In truth there is no magic: just a solid technique combined with strong language skills, honed in almost 20 years of experience and 4 different countries. The objective: conveying the client's message, clearly and faithfully. The secret ingredient? Curiosity and just plain common sense.

I partner with organisations in the public and private sectors, and with private clients, in Geneva, across Europe, or online. I cover mainly Italian and English, together with the other Confederation languages and Spanish.

Simultaneous, liaison, or maybe even hybrid: let's find out which one meets your needs.

Multilingual events and conferences

On-site simultaneous interpreting

For: large international gatherings, product presentations, multilingual conventions, board meetings and institutional assemblies.

Remote and hybrid meetings

Remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI)

For: events with teams spread across locations and time zones, short-notice meetings, webinars and online training.

Negotiations, visits, and one-to-one settings

Liaison interpreting

For: business negotiations, trade fairs, factory visits, medical appointments, real estate and relocation meetings.

Not every event fits neatly into a specific category. That is why I also offer a consulting option for meetings with complicated logistics, be it an unusual language pair or a hybrid on-site/remote configuration. Consulting also includes advising on technical equipment, because no matter how accomplished your interpreter is, it won't matter if technology doesn't cooperate.

Book a consulting session and let me help you craft a solution that actually works for your event.

"Very positive experience — everything ran very smoothly and there were no issues. Very pleasant to work with, which is highly appreciated regardless of the sometimes difficult conditions (interpretation done while walking through uneven terrain, rain, and wind)."

— EU inspector, NRRP audit, Italy, November 2025

Let's talk about your meeting. Every situation is different. Tell me what you're looking for, and I'll help you find the right way to say it.

02

WritingTranslation & language services

Words: it's not just about meaning.

Illustration of a hand writing with a quill on aged parchment, beside an inkwell and small watercolor flowers

Lately translation is often mistaken for a purely mechanical task: find the matching word, replace it in the target text, and the job is done. Well, my experience says otherwise. Translating board games and children's toys calls for creativity and imagination. Adapting a patient drug leaflet calls for regulatory knowledge, not just language skills. And working in Switzerland has taught me that even within the same language, sensitivities can vary a lot from Locarno to Palermo.

I partner with institutions and companies across the Swiss and international market, working into Italian, my native language, to guarantee high precision and a real feel for words.

Creative translation & transcreation — same impact, new language

Consumer products and packaging
Marketing and advertising copy
Brand messaging and taglines

Medical translation — clinical precision where it matters most

Regulatory documents for the Swiss and Italian markets
Clinical research documentation
Instructions for Use (IFUs) for medical devices
Dentistry and orthodontics

Localisation for the Swiss market — your text, adapted for Switzerland

Websites and digital content entering the Swiss market
Product and service materials for a Swiss audience
Corporate communication adapted for Switzerland's multilingual landscape

Shouldn't I just use AI to translate my text?

No two texts are alike: some, like technical documents with lots of standard terminology and repetition, are good candidates for machine translation. But what I really focus on — creative and medical translation — requires skills that are hard to replicate, such as nuance and imagination for the former, and context know-how for the latter. And when it comes to localisation, AI doesn't always know when a drug becomes a "medicinale" or a "medicamento".

That said, I do offer review and editing services for clients who want to start with an AI draft and finish with a text they can actually trust.

Let's talk about your project. Every document is different: tell me what you're working with, and I'll help you find the best way to say it.

03

SettlingIntercultural support & relocation assistance

Illustration of a hand holding an open paper map labeled Geneva, Lac Léman, with the Jet d'eau and mountains in the background

When I moved to Barcelona 19 years ago, I had my wallet stolen the moment I arrived at Plaça Catalunya. I'm not saying intercultural training would have prevented that, but it might have lessened my surprise when I later discovered that my company's official language was Catalan, a language I was completely unfamiliar with. Fifteen years later, intercultural training helped smooth my move to Geneva, and gave me useful insights as I began settling into my new home.

This is the kind of support I now offer to individuals and families relocating to Geneva, and to the relocation agencies and HR and mobility departments who assist them. Sessions run mainly online, over Zoom, in one or two focused meetings tailored to what you actually need to know.

What I cover:

Switzerland and the canton of Geneva: the essentials — what you need to know and what affects you directly
Cultural archetypes, not stereotypes: understanding how people here think and behave, and what matters to them
Neighbourhood orientation: knowing what to look for, before you start the search, including the transfrontalier option
The Swiss education system: public and private options, explained for families
Practical, everyday tips for settling in, plus a few local curiosities along the way

Every session crafted around your needs, delivered in English, French, German, Spanish or Italian.

Let's talk about your next move.

About Me

Language and culture are two dimensions that have shaped my life from the very beginning. As a child, I didn't have a dream profession, I just knew that I wanted one that involved travelling. As a teenager, I scoured all the shops in my small town searching for magazines in foreign languages. What I really wanted was to understand how people in other countries thought and behaved, and what shaped their identity — their cultural archetypes, in short.

And that is why I chose this profession: interpreting, translating and helping people bridge language and culture is my job and my passion. It's now been an almost 20-year journey, one that has taken me through Barcelona and Berlin before landing in Geneva. I'm now expanding my horizons into intercultural training, leveraging my lived experience and drawing inspiration from my multicultural family.

My numbers

20 Years of experience as a conference interpreter and translator

4 Countries I've called home

5 My working languages EN<>IT FR/DE/ES>IT RU in progress

800+ Interpreting days, and counting

My vocabulary

AIIC proper n.

I have been a member of the International Association of Conference Interpreters — the only globally recognised professional body for conference interpreters — since 2019.

Clients n.

EU institutions, the Swiss Confederation, and the private market, from the Berlinale and UEFA Champions League to conferences spanning life sciences, NGOs, EWCs, and product launches across fashion, automotive, and beauty.

Curiosity n.

What led me to choose this profession, and what still drives me today to take on new challenges, be they as small as looking up a new word, or as big as expanding my professional horizons.

Discretion n.

What's said in the room stays in the room. Always.

Education n.

BA in Translation and MA in Conference Interpreting from SSLMIT Trieste, with further training in the UK (UCL, Cambridge Conference Interpreting Course) and Germany.

EU proper n.

I have been an accredited interpreter for the European Union institutions since 2012.

Contact

Let's talk.

Tell me about your event, your document, or your move, and I'll help you find the right way through it.

Email contact@sara-nardi.ch

LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/sara-nardi

Based in Geneva, Switzerland