Alyssa Eksteen

Alyssa grew up on a farm called Helderstroom in the Overberg district, before she and her family relocated to Robertson. She has always been an avid reader of Afrikaans and English literature, believing that books take you to places you have never been to, introduce you to people you have never met and make you experience things you have never experienced. After reading a book, Alyssa says she sees the world in a different light, describing this as the magical effect that books have on the reader. “Through reading one gains an enormous amount of knowledge, intellectually as well as emotionally,” says Alyssa. From a young age it was pretty clear that Alyssa would pursue a career that revolved around words and it was at Stellenbosch University that she obtained her BA degree in Language and Culture and Hons in Translation. If she wasn’t a translator, she most probably would have been a librarian.

In her spare time Alyssa loves photography, movies and music. When it comes to music, she is very open-minded, listening to a variety of genres and singers from different decades. Alyssa is also an avid cricket and soccer fan and enjoys cycling. Her favourite pastime, however, is spending time with her family and friends.

Languages: Afrikaans, English and a little bit of German.

Favourite word/phrase: Uhmmm… (When I am thinking aloud whilst trying to remember something and also my go-to-word when I don’t know what to say.)

Secret superpower: The ability to do word search puzzles in record-breaking time.

The thing that I love most about my job is: Working with languages and interacting with people from all over the world.