Parlez-vous Olympics? Former NC resident works as high-profile translator in Paris

Margaux Veyne grew up learning multiple languages due to her family’s many moves.

She started learning English at age three in France and picked up Portuguese while living in Brazil at age eight. At 14, her family moved to Greensboro,where she furthered her English studies and learned Spanish.

Veyne later lived in Japan, the U.K., and Spain before settling in Berlin, where she learned German. After earning her bachelor’s in business management in France, she took the summer off before starting graduate school.

Veyne’s journey through various cultures and languages naturally led her to a role where these skills were crucial: the 2024 Paris Olympics.

She didn’t expect much to come from her Olympic volunteer application when she submitted it last fall. At best, Veyne was hoping to scan tickets during the games and get to see a few sports from afar.

Instead, weeks later, that application landed her a job as the official translator for Matt Carroll, the Secretary-General of the Australian International Olympic Committee.

“At the moment, you don’t really realize how important the person is when you’re with them because you’re with them on a daily basis,” Veyne said. “We talk often and it’s very relaxed. Matt’s quite important in this context, and we’re always surrounded by a bunch of super important people.”

Veyne has accompanied Carroll to every Olympic event he has attended so far. In doing so, she has met celebrities and communicated with high-level government officials, all because of her training growing up.

In addition to her professional communication, Veyne enjoys connecting with her coworkers from around the world during their free time. Being multilingual enables her to engage in conversations with people from diverse backgrounds and enrich her social experiences.

“The cultural diversity that we have in our team has been amazing,” Veyne said. “We need people who speak languages that aren’t common and ones that are, and I can try and talk with all of them.”

Over time, Veyne has realized the importance of communicating with people wherever she travels. It’s a trait she has carried into her role today with Carroll and will continue to pursue after graduate school and into her career.

“It’s good to be able to help everyone out wherever we are,” Veyne said. “Even if they’re just someone trying to find their seats in a venue, being able to help them out and making them feel like they can be understood is really important to me.”

Maya Waid is a student with UNC Media Hub, a program with the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, reporting from the Summer Olympics in Paris.