1. You are here:
  2. Homepage
  3. Knowledge hub
  4. Search the knowledge hub
  5. Meet our member: Jill Cucchi
Meet our members
30 Jan 2026
by Jill Cucchi 

Meet our member: Jill Cucchi

Jill's story

The opening page: My favourite word 

Gouté – a sweet afternoon snack, which I always need when I’m editing. 

Chapter 1. How it all began 

Q: You’re an editor, translator and archaeologist, which is a fascinating mix! How did your career begin and what led you into the world of editorial work? 
 
A: My editing career began when I moved to France with my husband and baby daughter. In the UK, I’d been working as an archaeologist and museum educator, but I needed a job where I could work from home and use my previous experience. I’d done a little editing at university – basically rereading and correcting essays – and enjoyed it, so I decided to give it a try, found the CIEP (or the SfEP as it was then) and started my own business.  
 
Translating came a little later – I had no French when I first arrived in France, so it’s been a steep learning curve.   

Chapter 2. What I do now 

Q: What does your work look like today, and what do you enjoy most about it? 
 
A: My editing work (books, journal papers) comes primarily from universities, museums or big institutions like the CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique), INRAP (Institut national de recherches archéologiques preventives) or Sciences Po. Mostly, the texts are on environmental archaeology, but I’ve also done quite a few on European policy – I worked for 12 years in the civil service, so that’s another area I’m quite comfortable with. However, my translation work comes from pretty much everywhere, so I’ve worked on everything from press releases and travel websites to children’s books and art catalogues.   
 
It’s an eclectic mix, but it’s never boring. 

Chapter 3. My biggest challenges 

Q: Self-promotion can feel tricky for many editors. How have you found ways to talk about your work that feel authentic and comfortable for you? 
 
A: Yeah, I’m not great at self-promotion. I find it much easier to promote the work of others, so often I’ll just post the author’s book on social media and say something like ‘Really enjoyed working on this – thank you.’ If nothing else, hopefully someone will see the post, buy the book and enjoy it.

Chapter 4. My proudest moments 

Q: Which achievements, publications or collaborations stand out as particularly meaningful to you? 
 
A: One of the first editing jobs I ever did was for a well-known French zooarchaeologist at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris. Since then, he’s recommended me to many of his colleagues, and we’ve worked together on numerous projects – it’s been a 10-year collaboration. When he retired last year, his department asked if I would edit a monograph that will be presented to him at an honorary conference. I think this might be my most meaningful achievement to date.   

Q: Is there a moment in your career that made you think, ‘Yes, this is why I do this!’? 
 
A: During Covid, I translated a lot of scientific press releases for CNRS Media. It felt useful to be helping disseminate the latest scientific data from CNRS labs to the rest of the world, and I hoped that the people reading felt reassured to know that scientists were working hard to find a cure. 

Chapter 5. How I stay connected 

Q: Editing can be quite solitary. How do you create connection and community alongside your work? 
 
A: Editing can be solitary, but I feel that with the CIEP forums, webinars and Cloud Clubs, plus all my edibuddies on social media, I’m already part of a strong, social community.  

Outside of that, I’m heavily involved in my children’s collège – school trips, the annual play and as a member of the Board of Governors – and I also do some copywriting for a local acting school. It’s a good mix of solitary and social. 

Chapter 6: My advice for others 

Q: What advice would you give to someone just starting out or considering a career in the editorial profession? 
 
A: I’d say what I’ve always said: join the CIEP and get some training. Once you’ve done that, start networking, use your old contacts and tell people what you’re doing. And if you get stuck, ask your edibuddies. 

Have a look at some of Jill’s work: 

Copyediting 

Translated 

Return to listing