Polina Bloom

When I am asked the question: What is one thing you want to do every day, all day long for the rest of your life? I don’t hesitate to answer: interacting with languages. Anything language related – I love it; learning new languages and going deep in the ones I already know, teaching, speaking, interpreting, explaining and using them in any possible way or form. All of the above, please!

I often hear the erroneous belief that if you have an aptitude for learning languages, it is a given that you can master them. Aptitudes of any sort are just a first step, a nice prerequisite but not a guarantee of your success. Then comes a lifelong commitment to languages – hopefully fueled by sincere interest and love rather than a doomed choice or a calculated career move. My path through the wonders of Russian, French and English languages is exactly that: a conscious choice to do what I love the most. 

In the retrospective of all the studies I have done, courses completed, degrees earned, and countries visited, I can confidently conclude the obvious: the learning process will never end, as language is a living thing that is constantly morphing to something new. This simple fact makes me responsible for continually updating my operating system with linguistic, as well as social, cultural and political changes. This is an immensely broad task that has been, and will continue to keep me in, a continuous development process. This is exactly why I have so much passion and love for this profession – and languages in general. 

I started on this path at the age of seven, when I began learning French in a totally new type of school environment, based on the French educational system. To say it was hard is an understatement. The amount of information to learn and digest was constantly escalating, keeping me on the verge between breaking down and breaking through. As I learned later on, this is the only way I can make amazing progress. Sixth grade was marked by the beginning of the “immersion” part of the educational masterplan – several subjects taught in French were introduced, along with heavy native speaker presence, student exchange programs, and long excessive hours of constant learning through various aspects of typical everyday life in France. Thus, my first trip to France, college learning experience, and a major shift in my perception of life, goals and possibilities we all have in this life. 

With each grade I completed in France, its culture and mentality settled in me deeper and deeper, creating an amazing merger: I was not purely Russian anymore, and not just bilingual, I was bi-cultural. When I moved to the US, another cultural and linguistic identity weaved into my soul and brain. I went on exploring all of the amazing possibilities that were coming my way, ardently learning and creating an interesting, multidimensional and multinational concoction. I believe this to be a true success and a precious gift that once lit up my heart and will continue to be an eternal fire within me, inspiring me and fueling my quest of learning this world through language. 

Experience Highlights

• Department of Defense, Russian Language Instructor
• Cirque du Soleil, Russian/French/English Interpreter
• FBI, Russian Language Instructor
• Florida State Courts, Russian Interpreter
• Travel Agent for a Russian Tour Operator in Nice, France
• Pastry Chef for an Italian restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale
• Tour guide in Florida for Russian and French clients
• Editor for a Russian periodical in Miami
• Health Coach and Raw Food consultant for several private clients
• Yoga Instructor

Educational Highlights

• AMLCA (Anti Money Laundering Associate)
• Licensed Real Estate Agent, State of Florida
• Certified Yoga Instructor
• Department of Defense Language Proficiency Test
• Public Trust Security Clearance
• ASVAB test (US Army)
• Health Coach, IIN (Institute for Integrative Nutrition)
• Paralegal Certificate, Florida Atlantic University
• Associate Degree in Culinary Arts, Le Cordon Bleu
• Bachelor in Linguistics, Translation and Interpretation Studies, English/Russian
• Undergraduate Degree in Philology, English/French
• Collège Robert Shuman, Reims, France