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Freelance translator and/or interpreter, Verified site user
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French to English: Short story extract General field: Art/Literary Detailed field: Poetry & Literature
Source text - French J’ai hésité sur la meilleure manière d’installer ma mère. Le bon angle était-il dans le prolongement de la rue ou face à la place ? Même en l’asseyant de profil, elle tournerait toujours le dos à des clients potentiels. J’ai regretté brièvement de ne pouvoir la faire pivoter sur elle-même comme ces objets chic dans les devantures de luxe. Ma mère attendait patiemment, agrippée à son sac, les yeux braqués sur moi. J’ai sorti de la voiture son fauteuil favori et, en m’arrangeant pour ne pas croiser son regard, je l’ai aidée à s’asseoir. Avec discrétion, j’ai accroché un panneau de carton sur le dossier en velours fatigué. J’y avais écrit : Mille cinq cents euros, siège compris. Je dépareillais ainsi la paire qui perdrait de sa valeur, mais c’était inévitable. J’ai toujours vu ma mère assise dans celui-ci, je n’imaginais ni l’en priver ni prendre place le soir face à lui et le trouver vide.
Translation - English I wasn’t sure of the best way to show off my mother, whether it would be better to have her facing the road or towards the square. Even if I tried placing her sideways, she would turn her back on potential clients anyway. I wished for a moment that I had thought of a revolving platform like you see in window displays for luxury items. My mother waited patiently clutching her handbag with her eyes fixed on me. I got her favourite armchair out of the car, and making sure not to catch her eye, I helped her into it. I then discreetly placed a cardboard sign on the frayed velvet back. On it I’d written: One thousand five hundred euros, armchair included. Of course, selling just one armchair would devalue the pair but that was unavoidable. My mother always sat in that one and I couldn’t imagine depriving her of it, nor of having it staring me in the face, empty, in the evenings.
My work experience extends to areas such as travel and tourism, wine, humanitarian, trade union, and business administration. As a qualified TEFL teacher, I taught English in Ireland, Austria, Japan, and France, and now live and work as a freelance translator in gorgeous Gascony.
I attended the British Centre for Literary Translation summer school at UEA, with award-winning translator, Daniel Hahn, and have published translations of poetry and short stories. A short story I translated by the wonderfully talented Frédérique Martin appeared in Asymptote journal and can be read online here: Despair of the Roses.
My own writing has been published in literary journals such as Words With Jam and The Ofi Press, and I have won or been placed in competitions such as Writers & Artists, Writing West Midlands, and Fish. I earned a distinction in my MA in creative writing in 2016 at Teesside University. I also compiled the Gascony Writers Anthology 2016, and am currently focusing on CPD to improve my editing and proofreading skills.
My strength lies in a balanced focus on both sides of the translation equation. I have spent over sixteen years in France (Nantes, Paris, Gers department) and continue to build on my linguistic and cultural knowledge. I also pay a great deal of attention to the tone, style and flow of the English translation, producing a text that is accurate and reads well.
I take pride in the fact that most of my clients return again and again and we have built solid and trusting relationships. I look forward to working with you.
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