A SENSE OF WORDS - Chapter One - London heat and a translation-office crisis

Jul 31, 2026

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Judith faces a demanding assignment in Switzerland translating for a major engineering firm, but her immediate challenge begins in sweltering London. Returning from holiday, she must handle an urgent message from her translation agency amid a staff crisis: a valued translator has abruptly left after a confrontation with the firm’s stern head. Guided by workplace rivalries, accents, and shifting departmental needs, Judith decides how to respond while balancing personal time and professional obligations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages173

Reading Time4 h 26 min

AccessFree to download

Chapter One

London heat and Judith’s return

The urgent note from Barbara

Reaching the translation agency and staff context

The crisis: Joe’s sudden departure

A SENSE OF WORDS [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Madeline Charlton Judith knew that her assignment in Switzerland, translating for a big engineering firm, was going to be a challenge. But just how much of a challenge she didn't realize, until she met the stern head of the firm, Dieter Steiner, who believed only a man could tackle the job. So Judith had to prove him wrong! CHAPTER ONE LONDON was hot. It was an oppressive, stifling, sticky heat that sent an uncomfortable trickle of perspiration down Judith's back; her clothes clung clammily to her. She was newly returned from a holiday at home among the fresh breezes of the Northumberland moors, and as she stepped with her case from the sticky shade of King's Cross and. struggled to commandeer a taxi she wondered—not for the first time—why she was spending her life working in a busy and airless city. Actually the answer was simple, she admitted ruefully; if she wanted to make use of her talent, a facility for foreign languages, she had little choice. Any translation agencies foolish enough to open their doors in the countryside would rapidly go bankrupt; a commercial city, particularly the capital of the country, was the only place for such an international concern. Still, she shouldn't grumble, she chided herself as the taxi bore her Bloomsburywards. Many girls would give their eye-teeth to be in her shoes; a well paid job that she enjoyed, a flat in 'swinging' London ... though to dignify it with the title of 'flat' was flattery, she admitted as she let herself in. Originally one large room, it had been divided with paper-thin partitions into two minute bedrooms and one not very much larger room that served as living-room-cum-dining-room-cum-kitchen. The toilet facilities were along the corridor, shared with the other four apartments on the same floor; but it was clean and cheerful, not too expensive, and within easy walking distance of the agency where she and her flatmate Barbara worked. The heat as she entered made her gasp and move hurriedly across the room to fling open the window; glancing out briefly over the familiar view of backyards and dustbins and a few dusty plane trees, she switched on the kettle. A note on the table beside it caught her eye and she smiled as she scanned the scribbled lines; Barbara wrote exactly as she talked—impulsively, flippantly. She loved to put on the most outrageous cockney accent. 'Dear Judy,' she read, 'welcome home, ducks. How were things in the frozen north? Plenty of eats in store, but we're short of coffee—I'm bringing some in tonight. Hope you've remembered it's your turn to pay the rent—I'm skint! 'Crisis in the office—our aristocratic lord and master would be "frightfully grateful" if you would contact him immediately you get back.' Judith raised a brow as she put down the note and made a drink—tea, in view of the coffee shortage. It must be urgent indeed if Anthony CrightonJones had gone to the trouble of leaving a message to contact him straightaway—she still had two days of her holiday left before she was due at the office. However—she shrugged—if she was asked to give them up it wouldn't matter. She could easily take them later on—she had only intended to do a little shopping anyway; so after a refreshing cup of tea she clattered down the stairs to the hallway to use the telephone there. As only too often when urgently required it was completely dead, and she bit her lip in vexation: the nearest callbox was a couple of streets away, and also out of order more often than not. Grimacing, she decided it would be just as easy to call in and set off on the quarter-hour walk to Russell Square. The Crighton Translation Agency's premises just off the square were not large. Although the staff numbered over a hundred most were part-time freelancers, usually foreign students at nearby London University earning a little spare cash by translating documents into and out of their native tongues in their fr

FAQs

What assignment is Judith facing in Switzerland?

Judith has been tasked with translating for a large engineering firm, an assignment she expects to be challenging.

Why is Judith in London’s sweltering heat at the start of Chapter One?

She has just returned from a holiday and makes her way to the translation agency despite the oppressive weather.

What crisis does Judith learn about at her translation agency?

The staff secretary reports that a translator named Joe has walked out after a serious dispute with the agency’s head, leaving no notice.

Jul 31, 2026

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