LOOKING FOR JOB AS ENGLISH TEACHER, TRANSLATOR, OR SALES REP. CV IS BELOW:
CURRICULUM VITAE
Akoli Penoukou
B. P. 13191
Lome-TOGO
(West Africa).
Tel: +228-949 61 97 ; Fax: +228-222 22 52
Email: akolipenoukou@yahoo.co.uk
Manager who develops and turns around businesses. Team builder and team member who enjoys challenging jobs. Makes a difference by devising ‘those new ways which deliver the goods’. Versatile worker who also does teaching, writing, and translation.
Work experience
Translation work
As freelance translator, have been co-operating with translation agencies, especially with Cabinet de Traduction ALPHA & OMEGA for which I have translated a book and documents for the Alliance Biblique du Togo, the regional Bible Alliance office.
Institut Technique Notre Dame de l’Eglise (ITNDE), and Ecole Supérieure de Gestion et d’Administration Notre Dame de l’Eglise (ESAG-NDE), Togo, 2000-date
Teach business and economic English to students preparing for their ‘A’ level examinations (Baccalauréat) in secretaryship, accounting and commerce and for those who have already obtained that qualification, the (Brevet de Technicien Supérieur, BTS) vocational training certificate in secretaryship, accounting, management, marketing and computer science. Also taught, evening adult classes in English for professionals wishing to improve their knowledge of English. Finally I was asked to design and teach with others, the personnel of the headquarters of CICA-RE, a regional reinsurance company. Key approach in each case centred on reading and oral comprehension, grammar, letter writing, essay writing, speaking skills and translation, from English to French and vice versa. Special assignments included:
● Organization of the laboratory work, especially designing the documents and the cassettes
used.
● Organization of the evening classes, from conception to documents and publicity.
Other special assignments as a teacher include:
● Marker, examiner (orals) and member of the Board of Examiners of the national vocational
training examination.
● Part-time English teacher at CIFOP, one of the premier vocational training institutions in
Togo.
● Proposal of examination question papers for ‘A’ level and the vocational certificate
examinations at the request of the Examination Boards.
ONG-HABED,Togo, 1994-2000
Developmental Non-Governmental Humanitarian Organization specialized in helping the needy and the school drop-out. My part-time translation work of their entire documents and correspondence and interpretation from French into English led to the signing of a grant in 1998 with Krammer International of Milwaukee, OHIO, USA for the building of two youth training centres in Togo.
Ets Pyramide, Togo, 1993-date
Assumed full control of my company at a moment of intense socio-political and economic crises in Togo following upon a difficult democratisation process. Having lost the shop through burglary, I opened an import-export office. Specialized in brokerage services . Notable achievements included:
● A grant of US$4,000 in 1999 from the French government’s Agence Intergouvernementale
de la Francophonie (AIT) to buy equipment for translation services.
● Successfully paired MIWAG AG, a West German investor and business partner, with
Ghanaian businesses in 2001 to go into cultivation and export of fruit and vegetables.
● Signing of a contract with the International Trade Centre, ITC, of Geneva in 2002 to
translate a book for training trainers from English into French and Spanish.
● As commission agent, successfully placed Italian Paone pasta products on the Togolese
market in 2003.
● Personally created websites for myself and for the company and registered them on major
search engines. This enabled me to make a lot of business contacts worldwide.
Ets. DAFRIMEX (Dutch-Africa Import-Export), Togo, 1991-1993
Was maintained as Manager on the sale and the change of name of P. T. C to DAFRIMEX. During this period:
● Launched Paul Masson wines and Braun products in The Republic of Benin.
● Opened the Benin branch of DAFRIMEX ending 1992. In addition to widening the sale of
the wine, I launched a new brand of yeast on the Beninese market.
Ets. Pyramide, Togo, 1987-1992
Founded my own company which I run part-time to prepare for self-employment in order to practise diversification ideas I had no free hand to implement at P. T. C. Major successes included:
● Maintenance of constant sales through better customer care.
● Diversification into imports and exports in 1990. The company imported some products
and exported handicrafts to France.
Ets. Pabu Trading Compagnie (P. T. C.), Togo, 1984-1987
Due to knowledge of German gained from my stay in Germany during the period 1980-1982, I was employed by this West German Import & Export Company which served as West African representative of the cosmetic products of Henkel KGäA of Düsseldorf Germany. Responsibilities included:
● Organized the maiden office as office clerk; had responsibility for recruiting junior staff.
● Organized sales to stores and supermarkets during launching period of Henkel’s range of
Fa cosmetic products on becoming executive secretary 6 months after assuming duty.
● Run the company as Acting Manager in August/September 1985 and in 1986-1987.
Motivated personnel by registering them with the labour office and the Social Security.
● Was Assistant Manager between 1987-1988. Successfully strengthened the company’s
existing customer base in Togo and opened a warehouse for wholesales. Under direct
supervision of the manager, launched Fa products in Benin, Ghana and Burkina Faso.
● Promoted to Manager from1988-1991 to salvage the company from bankruptcy.
Reorganized the personnel and achieved growth in a period of recession through better
communication with clients, publicity and product diversification: Paul Masson wines and
Braun household products were introduced in 1990 in Togo and later in Ghana and Burkina
Faso.
Torno for Shiroro, Federal Republic of Nigeria 1979-1980
Employed as clerk in the Maintenance Engineer’s office of the Mechanical Workshop of this Italian civil engineering firm building a hydroelectric dam. Responsibilities included marking workers cards, ordering spare parts from the Main Stores Department, keeping and checking maintenance records of the fleet of vehicles as well as heavy construction equipment.
● I was constantly offered pay increase due to my devotion to duty and for my display of
intelligence in understanding quickly simple instructions in Italian.
Collège Technique Notre Dame de L’Eglise, Togo, 1979
Recruited by this Catholic school to work as Supervisor of students during their free periods while waiting to be employed as English teacher. Helped students with their English.
Direction Nationale des Oeuvres Catholiques, Togo, 1978
Invited by Directeur National des Œuvres Catholiques to assume the interim of the secretary’s office.
● Besides reclassifying the centre’s files, I used the abundant free times to write a novel and
a large number of poems.
Boa Amponsem Secondary School, Ghana, 1976-1977
Recruited to second the Head of the French department.
● Rekindled interest in the French Club of which I became patron.
● Proficiency in teaching French led the school to ask me to teach English too on departure
of one of the English teachers on maternity leave.
Education and training 1982-2005
2004: ● Entered for a poetry writing course with The London School of Journalism
(Yet to be completed).
● Entered for “Beyond the Basics,” the adanced course in Writing short stories
and articles for Children and Teenagers with the Institute of Children’s
Literature in West Redding, Connecticut, U. S. A (Yet to be completed).
● Entered for “Breaking Into Print,” the course for writing short stories and
artciles for adults with The Long Ridge Writers Group also in West Redding,
Connecticut, U. S. A (Yet to be completed).
2000: Centre du Mouvement Humaniste, Lome: Initiation to Windows, Word, Excel,
Internet, 1 month.
1998: Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of
Ghana, Legon, Accra: Short training course on research methodology and Report
Writing, 1 week.
1996: German as a foreign language, Institut Goethe, Lome., 3 months.
1989-1993 : Université de Lomé (UL): BA, MA Sociology.
1991-1992 : Institut National de Science de L’Education (INSE) of UL : Initiation to data
processing.
1990 : Association des Volontaires Bénévoles du Togo, AVOBETO : Seminar-
Workshop on the founding of companies, 1 month.
1989: VALCO Trust Fund: Workshop on Writing, 1 week.
1989-1991: INSE of UL: Training for Professional Life.
1986-1988: National Writers’ School, USA: Certificate of Achievement in The Professional
Writing Course (By distance learning).
1982-1985: The Institute of Children’s Literature, ICL, Redding Ridge, Connecticut, USA:
Diploma in Writing for Children and Teenagers (By distance learning).
1978: University of Michigan Language School, Ann Arbour, USA: Certificate of
Proficiency (Hons) in English (By examination).
Personal
Date of birth : 06 May 1953
Status: Married; one daughter, two sons
Nationality: Togolese
Interests: Reading, writing, studying, travelling, music, languages, gardening, dancing,
art and photography.
Special skills
● Capacity for self-teaching allows me to adapt to new professions or learn new things.
● Capacity to learn languages exemplified by my knowledge of English, French, German
(European) and Ewe, Twi, Fante, Hausa (African).
● Ability to adapt to new situations testified by sale of used automobiles in Lome port and
readjustment to the classroom after a long absence.
● Ability to communicate my ideas easily, especially through writing, proved by published
pieces and god results of my students in English each year.
References
1. Rev. Sister Pauline-Kisita Suka,
Directrice
ITNDE & ESAG-NDE
B. P. 8019
Lome-Togo
(West Africa)
Tel: +228-221 39 66
Email: itnde@ids.tg
2. Mr Tata Dzonoukou,
Lecturer
Département de Sciences Sociales, FLESH
Université de Lomé
B. P. 1515
Lomé-Togo
(West Africa)
Tel: (Office) ; +228-250 52 48
(Mobile) ; +228-902 13 30
3. Mr Réné Agamah
Owner-Translator-Interpreter
Cabinet de Traduction Alpha & Omega
B. P. 13618
Lomé-Togo
West Africa
Tel : +228-949-79-86
Email: agamah.rene@caramail.com