Breaking Language Barriers
For Annalisa Mora, language is more than words. As the founder of Sinfonia Language Services, she helps people bridge language barriers through interpreting and translation. A native Italian speaker, Annalisa studied International Business for Languages, developing her skills in Spanish and French alongside her Italian and English. Annalisa has experience in multiple sectors, including logistics, where she worked for three years before gaining the courage to make a complete career change and create her own business to utilise her interpretation services.
She explains, “People often confuse interpreting with translation. An interpreter actually speaks live, like when I help patients at hospitals or clients at law firms communicate by consecutively interpreting between Italian and English.” Her dedication to making language a tool for connection comes through every interaction, fulfilling her goal of using her multilingual background to help others.
Juggling the demands of running Sinfonia Language Services whilst being a mum to her eight-year-old son is one of the biggest challenges she faces. “One of the biggest reasons I started was to have more time for him,” she says; however, she struggles to find a healthy work-life balance.
“I’m getting to the point where I really need to focus on balance so I don’t end up overworked.” Annalisa highlights the importance of avoiding burnout. With so much on her plate, she explains, “I literally block off time to follow my clients. I don’t pick up calls urgently; it’s about managing my time, being strict with myself, and organising both my schedule and others’.” This disciplined approach helps keep her business growing while maintaining balance.
Annalisa thrives on the variety her work brings, describing her days as “always different” depending on meetings and tasks. As an interpreter, she often receives last-minute calls to assist clients in hospitals across Greater Manchester, though she notes, “interpreting is not like a 9 to 5 job; it’s something that comes up once in a while, a good extra income but not a full-time reliance.” To diversify, she has expanded Sinfonia Language Services to include virtual assistant (VA) services, managing clients’ calendars and admin tasks. Annalisa also emphasises the importance of networking, sharing how recent events have connected her with new collaborators, leading to exciting opportunities in sectors like real estate investment.
In the early days of building Symphonia Language Services, Annalisa Mora tried to do everything herself. “I always wanted to do everything on my own,” she reflects. “I didn’t want to rely on anyone.” However, as the business grew, she realised the importance of collaboration and seeking support from others with different skills. “Now I understand there is a lot of help I need, especially in areas I’m still learning about,” she says. Reflecting on her experience, she wishes she had reached out to trusted people earlier in her journey.
Though she’s still in the process of building the right support systems, she sees this as a positive evolution rather than a setback. “It’s something I’ve learned along the way.” Success is about more than just business growth for Annalisa; it’s about achieving goals while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. “If I can reach a point where my business is successful, everyone is happy, and we can collaboratively tackle challenges, that’s ideal,” she says. Equally important is having time for herself, her family and travel, especially frequent trips to Italy. “Having my own business gives me the freedom and flexibility to do both successfully without feeling overstressed or overworked.”
Annalisa emphasises self-care, sharing that when stress builds, she takes breaks, meditates and reassesses her direction. Ultimately, her measure of success lies in helping others. “The aim of my business is to support interpreters in helping people, and receiving good feedback feels like real success. It’s not really about the money, it’s about making a difference.”
Annalisa encourages anyone starting a business to really take the time to identify their strengths and passions. She admits she wasn’t sure at first, considering options like graphic design or social media, but ultimately chose to follow her love for languages. She also highlights the importance of educating others about your work, especially in fields like interpreting that aren’t widely understood. Her key advice is don’t be afraid to take risks. “Overthinking and worrying about failure can hold you back,” she explains. She stresses trusting your instincts, being honest, and staying true to yourself because people want to work with someone genuine. “Just go for it,” she adds.
Annalisa is co-hosting a real estate investment event in Manchester on 30th July in collaboration with Paul Smith from Innov8 Recruitment Agency, where they will be showcasing the new Laguna Residency and encouraging lots of networking opportunities. Check it out here.
You can find out more about Annalisa and Sinfonia Language Services here.
