From the climbing walls in Edinburgh to the columns of leading publications like New York Times and The Guardian, graduate Natalie shares how language learning has opened doors to unexpected opportunities. Image Born in Liverpool and raised in Glasgow, Natalie moved to Edinburgh in 2010 to pursue an MA (Hons) in French and German. She graduated in 2014 and is now the Editor-in-Chief for UKClimbing, the UK’s top website for all things climbing and mountaineering. She also works as a freelance journalist and translator.Understanding cultures and contextsLooking back at her time at the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC), Natalie highlights how her degree allowed her to develop skills that she now uses in every story she writes.Natalie explains that her language skills in French and German means that she can not only tap into diverse news sources, interviews and literature, but also understand the historical and political contexts, enabling her to add a more nuanced perspective to her journalistic work. Aside from the direct language knowledge that I can apply to translation work, I use the research, comprehension, and writing skills that I learned at Edinburgh. I liked the supportive teaching staff and the diverse curriculum at LLC, and how the emphasis was not just on language learning but also on cultural, social, and political studies. Natalie Berry, French and German (MA) Hons, 2014 With articles appearing in renowned global publications, including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Financial Times, The Independent, National Geographic Traveller, WIRED UK, and Alpinist Magazine, Natalie’s writing has been internationally recognised. She appeared in the Best American Essays 2020 anthology, and in 2023, she was shortlisted for the International Sports Press Association’s (AIPS) Media Awards.Beyond journalism, Natalie has translated three published books in French and taken on commercial and editorial translation assignments.Embedded in Edinburgh’s climbing community Image Natalie at The Pleasance Gym climbing wall on her graduation day Natalie’s time at university wasn’t all about studying languages. As part of the Performance Programme, Natalie proudly represented the University of Edinburgh in climbing at the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) championships and won twice.Talking about sports at Edinburgh, Natalie says: “The programme gave me access to the Performance Gym and top strength and conditioning coaches, and I have really fond memories of travels to Sheffield for BUCS with my Edinburgh University Mountaineering Club teammates and meeting up with friends from other universities!”Another one of her degree highlights was her Year Abroad, which she split between Grenoble, France, and Landeck, Austria. While in Austria, Natalie worked for an international climbing wall company and taught English in two local schools.After graduating, Natalie continued her involvement with the climbing community at Edinburgh by working as a climbing wall assistant at the University’s Pleasance Sports Complex, keeping her “in close contact with the facilities and friends I had come to know during my time as a student.”Reaching new heights: Olympic coverage and presidential encounters Image Natalie at the international journalists' reception ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris Natalie’s athletic career is just as impressive as her professional one. A former member of the GB Climbing team, she not only has multiple national titles under her belt but also international medals from her junior days.But Natalie’s role doesn’t end at participating. She has been heavily involved in promoting climbing as an Olympic sport, and had the honour of reporting on the sport’s Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2021 Games, an experience she describes as simultaneously ‘thrilling and unusual’ due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.For the second time, Natalie is covering the sports climbing competition at an Olympic Game. Ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, she attended the international journalists' reception at the Élysée Palace, where she met President Macron and had a chance to talk to him about climbing. I asked the President if he liked climbing. He said yes, especially at the new Olympic venue in Paris, but that it is too difficult there for him! I never expected while studying for my degree that one day I’d speak to the President in French! Natalie Berry, French and German (MA) Hons, 2014 Natalie tells us that meeting the French president was “a nice full-circle moment after attending receptions at 10 Downing Street and Westminster in 2008 and 2011 to help promote climbing as a future Olympic sport.”“16 years later, we're on our second Games, and some of the same people are competing or working there.“ Find out more about Natalie’s work and portfolio on her website Are you interested in studying languages at LLC?We offer one of the widest range of languages of any UK university, including all six official languages of the United Nations, and eight of the languages of the European Union. We also offer an extensive range of joint degrees, for example, two languages, or a language with another humanities subject. We are unique in Scotland in offering students a full academic year abroad within the four-year honours programme, regardless of whether you spend the year studying or working. Find out more about undergraduate study at LLC Publication date 05 Aug, 2024
