Bénédicte St-Cyr

Fueled by a lifelong passion for languages and raised in a family of teachers, I contemplated the idea of becoming a language teacher throughout my studies. I first earned a DCS in languages from Dawson College, then went on to complete my bachelor’s degree in Language Sciences at Université Laval. Opting to focus on languages and linguistics, and carrying the teenage dream of joining a student exchange program, I spent my second academic year at Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich. After that, driven by a powerful desire to live my own “Auberge espagnole” (The Spanish Apartment) experience, I surrendered to the call of the old continent and enrolled in the master’s degree in Research in Language and Literature Teaching at the University of Barcelona. Through this program, I discovered the concept of intercomprehension, which completely fascinated me. I chose to focus my final project on this subject, specifically exploring how knowledge of one’s native language can serve as a tool for learning a second language.

After completing my studies, I wanted to put all these skills and knowledge into practice. I had the opportunity to do so by teaching French in Brazil during a five-month internship. This experience was both formative and disruptive. In fact, I realized that the day-to-day management involved in teaching was simply not for me: I was constantly doubting myself, wondering whether I had done too much preparation for my courses, or too little. Upon my return to Quebec, the idea of working for an academic publisher seemed like the ideal way to combine my interests with a daily routine that suited me perfectly. After a few years of detours, I finally found my true path at Logitell Publishing. Working on the creation of instructional material allows me to make the work of those who are called to teach easier. As for me, I found my calling in the field of educational publishing in 2017, and I have not looked back since.

Initially, I worked on creating software textbooks and discovered the joys of collaborating with a team. When the opportunity arose to contribute to writing guides on translation and second language learning, I was more than delighted to put my editorial skills to good use and reconnect with my first love—languages—while being supported by experienced colleagues.