Reto, Thanks for the interview!
Interview with Susanne Evens: “I really enjoy the best of both worlds!”
Hi Susanne, thanks for the interview! Please introduce yourself.
My name is Susanne Evens and I live in St. Louis, Missouri.
I was born in Aalen, Germany and moved to the US in 1992 for the second time and started my company AAA Translation in 1994. We offer foreign language translation & interpreting all over the world and also global consulting.
I have a dual degree in International Business and as a Foreign Language Correspondent. I currently serve as the President of St. Louis–Stuttgart Sister Cities, a not-for-profit organization; am on the board of the World Trade Center St. Louis, the German American Heritage Society of St. Louis, and the German American Committee.
I am also on the advisory board of Solar Power St. Louis; the BusinessWeek Alliance/Market Advisory Board; am a Council Member with the Gerson Lehrman Group and an Associate Member of United Succes.
My advice on global business development and communications has been featured on NPR, BusinessWeek.com, BrandChannel.com, Constantcontact.com, St. Louis Commerce Magazine, St. Louis Business Journal, and International Enterprise Singapore.
Why did you decide to move to the US?
My ex-husband is from St. Louis.
Did you have the chance to gain some US-related experience before you moved here?
Yes, I have always worked for multi-national companies as a translator.
How did your friends react when you told them that you were leaving Germany?
They were sad that I left but happy for the opportunities ahead.
Do you still have connections to Germany? Do you travel there occasionally?
Yes, through the Sister City relationship there is a lot going on between Stuttgart and St. Louis via student and business and cultural exchanges. St. Louis – Stuttgart celebrated their 50th anniversary last year, and both Mayors and myself traveled to each other’s cities respectively.
I also still have a lot of friends in Germany dating back to elementary school!
How were the first months in the US, where there any problems, what went well?
When I first moved to the US in 1982, I spoke British English and we lived in Louisiana and couldn’t understand anybody! So I immersed myself deeply into that culture and learnt a few slang words along the way.
Do you have a green card or are you already an American citizen?
I became a US citizen in 2008, the proudest day of my life.
What did help you to settle down?
My background in languages and international business.
How would you rate your decision in retrospect?
The best decision I ever made as this still is the country of opportunity, but you have to work very hard at it.
Do you have specific ideas for the coming year?
Expand my business and create more business opportunities between Germany and the US.
Are there other things that you want to point out?
Being able to dip into the best of both worlds, i.e. born and educated in Germany and having learnt the American way of doing business, really helped me at getting established in this country. Some of the things I am able to do here, were not thought of in Germany back then, and, of course, vice versa. Some of the exciting things happening here can be applied in Germany. I really enjoy the best of both worlds.
Susanne, thanks for the interview!
Excellent Blog!!!!
swedish website translation