Profile

How I add value

My services build on my core strengths:

  • Experience
  • Knowledge, and
  • English language skills

Experience

I have worked as a language professional in Germany for over thirty-five years, serving leading enterprises in-house and as an external supplier. Core client needs – quality, process, reliability, value for money, and a proactive approach – are second nature to me. I have also trained over 150 staff members in the course of my career. At the same time, I never stopped being a working translator and reviser, producing high-quality translations of complex texts to tight and dynamic deadlines.

Knowledge

In addition to my academic and professional qualifications, my many years as a specialized translator have given me a thorough grounding in the areas I translate. This is reinforced by my extensive collection of reference resources. Continuous professional development helps me keep abreast of the fast-moving areas I work in. This allows me to translate texts fully and faithfully and to bridge the gap to their target audience. I also liaise with clients to interpret or modify source texts, and warn of cross-cultural issues and where additional background is needed.

English language skills

I am a native English speaker who was born and raised in the United Kingdom; I also have considerable experience of the United States. I translate only into my mother tongue and am a highly experienced reviser and editor of English texts. I capture both message and tone, and can adapt the style and language of the target text if required. Years of training translators and working with German typesetters also form the basis for my popular training courses in this area.

Customer satisfaction

Much of my work comes from long-standing business relationships and referrals – a clear vote of confidence. Current clients include leading enterprises and financial institutions, accounting firms, lawyers, and communications agencies.

Although many wish to remain anonymous, the genuine reactions under “What clients are saying” show how I’ve helped and what you can expect from me, too. Refresh the pages or navigate through the site and the quotes will change.

Professional biography

Before setting up as a freelance translator and consultant, I spent twenty years as co-owner and co-manager of a leading boutique financial translation company in Germany. Before that, I built and ran the corporate language services department for a major German software house. I have also worked as an in-house translator, technical writer, corporate communications specialist, and English editorial assistant. This broad range of roles has given me insights across the language services chain in a variety of client industries.

Education and qualifications

I have an MA in Law and Oriental Studies from the University of Cambridge and have passed the UK Institute of Linguist’s Diploma in Translation, and the State of Hesse’s translation exam (“staatliche Prüfung”). I also completed the Amsterdam Institute of Finance’s “Foundations of Finance” summer school.

Continuous professional development activities include national and international training courses in my specialist areas and in general management, tools, and soft skills.

Industry activities

I belong to a number of professional language associations, including Germany’s Bundesverband der Dolmetscher und Übersetzer (BDÜ). In addition to my specialized consulting and training work, I have spoken repeatedly at national and international industry events. Topics include the language industry and the financial market crisis, translation quality, and translator smarts – the technology, language, subject area, and business skills that successful translators need.