Silvan used to be an opera singer, living "a pretty Bohemian life," but after a friend, who is also a translator for Smartling pointed out that Silvan's education and interest in language might make for a more steady career, he made the switch.

"I love the size of this city, and the charming, small town feel. My wife is a city girl but I prefer the more rural areas, so this is a good compromise."

A scene from a streets of Clermont-l’Hérault.

Silvan's dad is an English teacher, which is how he was first introduced to the art of language. "We didn't speak English at home, but I was always exposed to it, whether he was on the phone or grading a stack of papers." Like his dad, Silvan also speaks some German and Occitane, a local dialect.

Silvan has worked with Smartling from the start, and he loves his job. "It's a great gig for me because it allows me to grow intellectually," he says. "It also satisfies my obsession to detail -- I would definitely call myself a perfectionist."

Silvan and his wife welcomed twins just two months before I met with them, and parenthood has been rewarding this far, but also very exhausting. "When I'm lucky I can start working at 8pm, but then I have to take a break to feed the babies," he says. "Sometimes I'll stay up until dawn working, and then sleep again and then nap later in the day, switching off with my wife on feeding and diaper duties."

Silvan and his wife feeding the twins.

Silvan says he prefers a late schedule, starting work around 2pm and then wrapping things up by midnight. "Working remotely and being able to work those hours allows me to keep a more American schedule, if you will," he says. "It's so convenient to communicate with my directors and clients, the latter of which I can do directly through Smartling's platform. And then of course I can take a break whenever I like to tend to the twins or cook, so this is really ideal.

"I love to cook," Silvan says when I ask of his hobbies. He whips up a delicious dinner for us when I visit, and introduces me to some locally made meat pies he purchased from the market.