About
Catherine Garson

I was born and grew up in South Africa. After studying at the University of Cape Town and Wits, I became a secondary-school teacher of English Language and Literature. I then studied TEFL at International House, London, after which I moved to Barcelona, where I lived for eight years, working as a teacher to adults, and, later, as my Spanish became more fluent, as a translator. On my return to South Africa, I started my editorial career, setting up my own company, Catherine Garson & Associates. 

 

Since 2002, I have been delivering high-quality communication products to large, reputable clients in national and international development. These have included a number of organizations in the United Nations system, and other global development institutions.   

 

An important chapter in my professional life was my fifteen-year association with the South African National Treasury. From 2002 to 2016, I was a consultant for a number of flagship publications: most notably the annual Estimates of National Expenditure. I was Co-Editor until 2010, and Managing Editor from 2011. This 2,000-page statutory publication on the national budget is for public scrutiny, providing comprehensive financial and non-financial information on 38 government departments and their public entities. 

 

I was centrally involved in developing the publication’s templates and editorial style. I advised and worked closely with Budget Office senior management and other internal teams and managed my own team of commissioned editors in developing and editing the complex content and preparing the publication for print. South Africa’s consistently high ranking in the Open Budget Index, which measures transparency, public participation, and oversight of the budget process, is testament to the excellent quality of its budgetary reporting. I also won the tender to develop and produce National Treasury’s public-private partnership (PPP) manual for practitioners in the public and private sectors, another flagship publication that is internationally recognized as a best-practice guide. 

 

In 2012, I went to the UK to expand my career opportunities. I was keen to work in a teaching environment again. From 2014 to 2021 I was a teaching fellow at University College London on their pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes programme. These were intensive summer programmes to prepare foreign students from a range of disciplines for post-graduate study in the UK. The work involved supporting students to build effective study and work management practices, develop solid research skills, draft and write research papers, and prepare and deliver academic presentations. I developed appropriate materials, lessons, and pedagogical tasks for multi-lingual and multi-disciplinary classes, gave pastoral support through weekly tutorials, and supported students to prepare for their final assessments. 

 

I did further studying mid-career. In 2004, I received an MA in Mass Communications from Leicester University in the UK, and in 2009 I completed a BA (Hons) in Translation Studies (Spanish and French) at Wits University. 

 

In 2020, I moved to Madrid, Spain. 

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I have always loved working with words. 

 

The combination of my skills and experience in high-level editorial and teaching work has made me an effective mentor and coach in the writing and communication field. Apart from working with individuals and groups on the technical side of their writing and language, I am able to work with them on any personal or interpersonal issues that may be inhibiting their ability to communicate as effectively and authentically as they would like.