TED Community » Marjolein Snippe

About Me

Lein is Dutch, living in England and in love with Brazil.

Brazil, incidentally, is what got me into languages in the first place.
Having been more interested in maths and science throughout primary and secondary school, I went to Brazil for a year to work with street children. After some miserable weeks in which my Portuguese was rather limited (‘could I have some rice, please’ and ‘thank you’ are just not always enough to convey your thoughts, especially if you are feeling lonely), one day, encouraged by the children, I decided just to get on with it and discovered I absolutely loved speaking Portuguese. Of course, learning any language from street kids gives one an interesting vocabulary so maybe it is a good thing that I went back a few years later, this time for a placement during the last year of my masters’ degree in biotechnology.

Whilst looking for a job in Brazil, I found one in London so here I am – a cell biologist at Queen Mary's, but still determined to go back to Brazil some time!

When I’m not working or translating I love outdoor activities such as rowing, running, ice skating or rock climbing.