Valerie Barnes was born in England but lived most of her life in Switzerland, working for the United Nations in Geneva. She started work there in October 1948 as a trilingual reporter, became a translator (English, French, Spanish and Russian) and then a simultaneous interpreter (English, French and Spanish). She interpreted at UN conferences in India, most of the countries of Africa and Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, China, Korea, Japan, Iran, Kuwait and now Australia, Kuala Lumpur, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Tahiti, Samoa, Fiji, Rarotonga, New Caledonia and others. She has led an exciting life, kidnapped in Cairo and proposed to by an African potentate who invited her to accept the honour of becoming his fourteenth wife. Tired of airports, luxury hotels, lavish cocktail parties, formal dinners and speeches and living out of suitcases, married an Australian in 1981 and settled in Canberra, interpreting at Parliament House for the Prime Minister when non-English-speaking statesmen came to visit, as well as organizing interpretation and translation teams at international conferences held in the Asia-Pacific region. In 1987 she came to live on the windswept coast of New South Wales where she has embarked on a new career as a writer. She has published two books and contributed to two others.

"Walking along the drab, grey streets past bomb craters and piles of rubble, I daydreamed about a more romantic world where people spoke exotic languages, played music, sang and danced with passion." 'Trapped in the austerity of post-war London, 20-year-old Valerie Barnes yearned for the good times promised by the wartime songs. Then two chance meetings catapulted her into a high-flying career at the newly-formed United Nations in Geneva and the arms of a glamorous Frenchman ... Joining an elite breed of independent women who travelled the world in the 1950s and 1960s, Valerie lived a jet-setting life as an interpreter, working in exotic locales and rubbing shoulders with prime ministers and presidents. At the same time she was juggling a Swiss chalet home, three children and a love rat of a husband back in Geneva. But whatever Valerie did, she threw herself into it with zest. From dancing flamenco to being kidnapped in Cairo, being wooed by an African president or falling for a passionate Pole, Valerie's gift for storytelling makes A FOREIGN AFFAIR a lively, funny, utterly delightful memoir.'

Published under her professional name of Valerie Taylor-Bouladon, Conference interpreting is a comprehensive overview with something to offer all interpreters - experienced, beginner or would-be. It begins with the history of interpreting in Europe and Australia, then looks at how it is done today, and what lies ahead. The interpreting profession is fairly unknown in Australia today and even government departments, faced with organising an international conference, are often unfamiliar with simultaneous interpretation, how it works, how it should be organised and where to find interpreters. The different modes of interpretation and the problems with using relay are explained. There is advice for language students, telling them where and how to train and tips for beginners, such as how to overcome stagefright, what to do if you miss something, and booth behaviour and microphone manners. You will learn how to become a graceful scapegoat, how to economise your voice, how to make delegates laugh when necessary and how to deal with Australianisms.

There is information for conference organisers, explaining the necessity of having competent professional interpreters, and for Australian government ministers relying on interpreters from other countries when travelling overseas. An entire chapter is devoted to protocol and etiquette for interpreters working with government ministers when they are visiting or receiving overseas colleagues. The author also discusses interpreting for after-dinner speeches and press conferences, and at the dining-table, as well as etiquette, table manners and appropriate gifts in various countries.

Interpreters' duties, responsibilities and ethics are dealt with, how to improve one's performance and maintain one's health, and whether or not you should be working into your B language. Interpreting for television and radio is covered, and there is a special and very important section on court interpreting, which discusses the gravity, complexity, special requirements and great rewards of this kind of work. This chapter was requested by court interpreters and also by Australian judges with whom the author was in constant contact throughout the writing of this book.

There is a chapter about the bodies that make up the UN and EU, the languages they use and how to approach them for work. Details are given about the various national and international professional organisations for interpreters. Finally, the author discusses the future of language, including the impact of television and computers. Special committees have been set up a UNESCO in Paris and also at the Council of Europe, Strasbourg (which piloted a new European Language Portfolio in honour of 2001, the Year of European Languages), studying the future of languages such as Italian, German and Dutch which it is felt are likely to be the first to gradually fade into a sort of dialect unless something is done to prevent this happening. The governments of the countries concerned are investing considerable sums in research on this subject. There is also a comprehensive bibliography, with suggestions for further reading.

Conference Interpreting is not intended to take the place of a training course, but rather to be an adjunct to assist the beginner interpreter who has just completed a course and knows all the theory, but is lacking in experience. It will also serve to inform experienced interpreters, community interpreters and conference interpreters about this vital, exciting profession.

Those who have read the book say it is a 'good read'; the author has tried to make it entertaining as well as informative and has included many anecdotes.

"Take Me With You"
(ISBN 1 86325 556 7), published by Random House Australia in December 2005, is an anthology of tales of long distance love featuring 'In Praise of Coffee' by Valerie Barnes which tells how she fell in love with an Australian and came to live in the antipodes. Part of the proceeds of this book support Oxfam Australia's work to reduce poverty and injustice in more than 22 countries around the world including Indigenous Australia.

Public Speaking
Valerie has given talks all over Australia: she was keynote speaker in Darwin at the 9th National Languages Conference of the Australian Language Teachers' Associations (AFMLTA) and has been asked to speak at various venues in Canberra regarding the importance of Australian government officials learning languages when handling matters of trade, especially when travel is involved. Valerie has also given talks at Wollongong & Ulladulla Friends of the Library (future talks are planned for Nowra and Kiama), and at various Literary Festivals and Writers' Festivals in Sydney, Canberra and at Newington College Literature Festival, Shearers bookshop in Leichardt, Sydney, and the South Coast Writers' Centre.

Interviews
Valerie has been interviewed by Margaret Throsby on ABC Classic FM and twice by Julie McCrossin on ABC National Life Matters, as well as for a third Life Matters broadcast about events concerning the Governor of Tasmania, Richard Butler, where she was called upon to speak as an expert on Protocol in view of her UN experience. Valerie was also interviewed by Caroline Baum (who also writes for the Sydney Morning Herald) (formerly SBS television Book Show) at Dymocks bookshop, George St., and Lindfield bookshop, Sydney. She has given talks in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney when 'A Foreign Affair' was launched, and been interviewed many times on radio. She was also interviewed on television for Sky News' Book Show about languages and United Nations.

2004 -"Interpretation in Australia" for 'Forum'
"Interpretation in Australia" was commissioned by La Sorbonne University in Paris and KSCI, Seoul and published by them in April 2004.