Jeannine was born and raised in Niagara Falls, NY, where she studied Spanish throughout high school and majored in Spanish in college. She honed her skills by spending a full year in Venezuela, where she continued learning the language.
After she returned from Venezuela, Jeannine’s neighbor presented her with an opportunity to teach Spanish at a local community college. At about the same time, a local business asked that she put her translation skills to work and translate a large job about a chemical landfill in Puerto Rico. Those two jobs made her realize that she loved using the language practically and gave her the confidence to contact various places looking for translation work, including the International Institute of Buffalo, where she has been one of our busiest translators for over 15 years.
Jeannine suggests spending time in a Spanish-speaking country to immerse yourself in the language if you are looking to fast-track your language acquisition.