1. Victoria S. Jimpson-Fludd
My Experience
Selected Assignments
Topics / industries

2. Victoria S. Jimpson-Fludd
How language coaching relates to management consulting
Effective management consulting requires that the consultant understand how a business operates – inside
and out. Specialized translations, executive and technical coaching all have that same requirement.
C-level language coaching
As a language coach for C-levels, it was necessary for me to be highly conversant in the specific topics of
interest to each client. It was not only important for the client to have a command of the appropriate
vocabulary, but also to be able to speak confidently while under pressure. Frequently, my task was to
challenge the client’s statements in preparation for potentially adversarial dialogues with stockholders,
analysts, unions/workers councils, public and regulatory authorities, etc. That, of course, meant I had to be
highly conversant on the issues from a number of different aspects.
Specialized translations
Specialized translations require that I possess an in-depth knowledge of topics in commercial real estate,
finance and accounting. It is not enough to be able to describe a ‘process’ or topic in English words which are
synonyms of their German counterparts. The text must contain the correct American or British industry jargon
which must also be phrased correctly. For instance, in German (English) ‘the holding’ refers to the holding
company, while in the USA and the UK it refers to the subsidiary.
Technical English coaching
As a Technical English coach, it was important that I walk the factory floor, identify the various pieces of
equipment and understand their functions, as well as understand the operational and administrative
processes and flows.
Conclusion
In sum, my MBA background combined with my consulting experience put me in good stead for my language
services assignments. Conversely, those language assignments allowed me to keep current on a wide variety
of business operations and issues.
Brief Description of Selected Language Services Assignments
While many of the following topics might not be relevant to midsize American businesses, I feel that the
following information provides an indication of my ability to gain knowledge and insight into a wide variety of
industries, businesses and their issues.
Accounting / audit / tax
 Cost control and metrics used with foreign subsidiaries: going concerns and pre-bankruptcy
 Cross-border tax issues related to M&A, transfer pricing, import/export duties & tariffs
 Comparative analysis of the roles, responsibilities and compensation of various types of C-levels in international
business: in-country, EMEA countries (Europe, Mid-East, Asia), US parent/headquarters
 Management letter issues (audit)
German business structure
 Comparison of the ‘famed’ German Mittelstand to SMBs (US) and SMEs (EU).
 Understanding German family-owned businesses: their role and impact - as the backbone / driving force of the
German economy* - as well as the issues which uniquely impact such businesses (German culture and tradition,
succession, responsibility to their local community, cash & financial management [no risk philosophy], corporate
culture, career opportunities, etc.) * Germany is the engine which drives the European economy and supports
the economies of the former Eastern Bloc countries. The Mittelstand (most of which are family-owned
businesses) comprise the majority of businesses in Germany. The Mittelstand range from moderate-size
businesses with several million in revenue to some of the largest businesses in Germany (Volkswagen, BMW,
Aldi, etc.).
Manufacturing
 Automotive: console production, rear-window heat-grid technology (defrosters on tempered glass)
 Chemical: airport runway foam (disaster prevention), animal food additives
 Instant coffee: raw material inventory management, production and multi-stage bottling/packaging equipment
 Solar energy: panel production and cost structures

3. Victoria S. Jimpson-Fludd
Brief Description of Selected Assignments – cont’d
Real estate (credit, investment funds, construction management, commercial property appraisal,
facility/property management, risk management)
 Structured finance (syndication, club deals, covered bonds)
 Claims management in major construction projects (i.e. European Central Bank building)
 Understanding the role of the BaFin (German securities regulatory agency) in real estate investment funds.
 Understanding the US sub-prime mortgage crisis and its impact on German banks and investors.
 Facility / property management of a modern European skyscraper and portfolio properties
 Understanding the retail and office market structure in several major US markets.
 Understanding the Dictionary of Real Estate Appraisal (Appraisal Institute – US publication), as well as other
construction and related books in order to:
o Translate valuation reports for various real estate entities, appraisal companies and other RE service
providers.
o Teach German valuers (government appraisers) how to write appraisal reports in English
o Teach German bank personnel how to evaluate appraisals for presentation to their credit committees.
(Note: These reports were generally written in vernacular English by non-native English speaking
appraisers.)
Central banking (European Central Bank, German Bundesbank, German state banks)
 Understanding the process issues that European Central Bank examiners would face when administering
financial stress tests to German banks during the financial crisis.
 Understanding the concept of the German Pfandbrief (covered bonds)
Transportation
 Understanding the rationale for the divestment of the German rail system (tracks, land and equipment) from the
operating company (real estate: train stations, offices and other commercial properties).
 Understanding a variety of issues facing a major German airport: runway expansion plans to accommodate
primary carrier needs for international travelers; operating economics of the expansion (vis-à-vis the unions on
one side and the carrier revenue on the other); impact of noise pollution caused by the new runway in residential
areas (health, reduction in residential property values); feasibility of ‘going green’ (new construction, cost of
retrofitting existing buildings); competitive bidding for the management of foreign airports; competitive
pressures from other domestic German airports as primary carrier hubs, etc.
Alternative energy (solar, wind, nuclear)
Solar industry
 Industry structure: major players, role of German Mittelstand companies
 Government: government financial incentives and subsidies [to companies to produce panels in East Germany
and elsewhere; to banks to provide consumer credit to finance purchase of panels; to consumers as rebates for
reduced energy usage], collapse of the industry and the shake-out of major and Mittelstand (mid-sized) players.
 Technology: inability of the national grid to handle peak hour surges, low-sunlight country
 International: Understanding the emerging solar industry in India and the feasibility of a German company
entering the country with / without an in-country partner; feasibility of entering the mid-East, Italy, etc.
 Other solar applications: electric cars (private vehicles, local fleets) and bikes, charging stations as sources of
corporate or municipal revenue or consumer incentives from mall operators
 Understanding the cost impact of sourcing in China versus tax-incentivized production and assembly in Poland
(former Eastern Bloc countries).
Wind
 Private: investment and development of the wind turbines (land-based), cooperative ventures with municipalities
Nuclear
 Impact of nuclear energy on the German economy (age of facilities, need for domestic energy production [vis-a-
vis gas import from Russia], public reaction to new facilities, anti-nuclear protest demonstrations, etc.)
Scientific and academic (bio-tech, pharma, medical/social science)
 Understanding the cerebral-pedal response mechanism of the Aplysia Californica (sea snail) as it relates to the
central nervous system for use in the study of Parkinsons’ and other human neuronal diseases.
 Understanding the creation and use of scaffolding in human cell culture and skin grafts.
 Understanding the financial and cultural impact of an aging population on the German socialized medicine
system.