Rachel Elaine Brent

Introduction: I grew up the daughter of an English Professor and have loved syntax, grammar, and the likes since I was a little girl! Then I started traveling after high school and really immersed myself in foreign cultures and language acquisition. In 2015 I graduated from PSU with a major in Spanish and a minor in French. I have been very lucky to be able to have both lived/worked abroad and also received higher education in these languages. The mixture of the two has given me a very well-rounded comprehension and mastery of both written and oral language skills, as well as cultural competence. I'm passionate about language and foreign language acquisition! And both my translation work and teaching show that I find great creativity and fulfillment in what I do. Communication is such an important skill to have in this world, and being able to use it to effectively navigate across languages and cultures is very important work to me. I love writing, and I take pride in the small details: I reread everything a bunch of times before sending it along :) Literary translation is the most exciting and fulfilling kind of translation for me. To rewrite beautiful text in a new and equally beautiful way in a language that organizes and describes things differently is extremely challenging yet highly satisfying work! As for my teaching, I believe that different humans learn in a variety of different techniques and that to reach everyone's capabilities and strengths the lessons and activities need to touch upon varying approaches and learning styles. This is especially important when studying a foreign language, as the best way to truly and deeply learn is to immerse yourself as much as possible, in every way possible!