Jennifer Schofield (History & Modern Languages)

Translator

Coming from a comprehensive school without an Oxbridge tradition, Hertford’s early interview Tanner Scheme was perfect for me, especially as the college was actively seeking students to study German with Leslie Seiffert. The scheme’s aim was to recognise candidates’ potential and the interviewers usually did get it right. In my case, the tutors made me that unconditional offer, and four wonderful, intensive years later, I achieved the longed for First in Finals.

The academic rigour and focus I developed at Oxford have been essential life skills. On a personal level, student friends have become friends for life. I even met my husband in a German conversation class. Outside my tutorials, I rowed for Hertford, became a student librarian, and immersed myself in music, both in college and beyond. This has led to numerous musical encounters and opportunities as a soloist and ensemble singer which I still enjoy today.

I have used German and other languages throughout my career – in the City, in marketing and market research, and now as an EU translator in Luxembourg. How appropriate to be photographed in the college ante-chapel in front of William Tyndale, an eminent linguist and translator of his day.

Looking forward, I hope that when focusing on open access, Hertford is also willing to look beyond the British education system to other excellent qualifications from students further afield, such as those I meet when supporting prospective applicants through the Oxford Society of Luxembourg. I am alarmed by the increasing introspection of some parts of British society, and even in parts of the education system, and I urge the college, and the university, to sustain openness and continue to face outwards towards the rest of the world.