Practising What I Translate

During the pandemic, I started to research experimental photography techniques. This expands my personal technical knowledge of photography, which can also support my translation work. I started with anthotypes, which are incredibly simple to make with plants alone. I then wanted to try cyanotypes and found a one-day course at a local school that offered...

Rewards for the Translator-Photographer

The dull lockdown period, with limited activities and less work, has been brightened up by a couple of perks this month. This past winter (and the winter before), I translated the catalogue and other texts for the pan-European photography festival CIRCULATION(S), which takes place in Paris and a few other EU countries each spring. This...

How Brexit has Affected my Work so far

The bulk of my work consists mainly of two areas: art texts and books for art galleries, museums and publishers, and certified translations of personal documents. The first area has not really been impacted yet: galleries and museums are still receiving EU funding where applicable and, unlike some of my colleagues, my work is not...

When Work and Fun Come Together

As a translator specialising in visual arts, pictures on my website are a must. The issue is that translation does not quite lend itself to pictures, hence the plethora of translation websites displaying either photos of shelves loaded with language books and dictionaries or images of foreign countries. While both themes are perfectly relevant and...

The Added Value of a Specialist

Although checking the facts in your text is beyond the translator’s remit, hiring a linguist who has a certain level of expertise in your particular field could save you from the embarrassment of oversights. Of course, a translator will focus on the language first; the content is down to you and, if there are mistakes...

Translating Chinese Whispers

We all know the hackneyed expression “lost in translation”. Yet, some seem to expect translation to work like an exact science. I was recently working on an exhibition catalogue and one of the texts, written by a German artist, had been translated into English for me to translate into French. Not having been offered to...

When Translation Gets Emotional

If the tone or content of a text can affect how you feel when reading it, the work of translation goes further still as you must somehow absorb the author’s ideas as your own, feel the tone of the text and process them to recreate them faithfully. While the majority of assignments (in my case...

Translating for the Arts

Following my previous article in The Linguist, I was invited to write a double-page article on art translation – and it’s made the front page! This article demonstrates the importance of working with a specialist translator and explains what a specialist does to keep up with a constantly evolving field. Please go to page 6 to...

Translating with Design in Mind: the Space Challenge

When working on texts destined to be published in a strongly visual context (e.g. website, magazine, brochure, illustrated book, etc.), one of the challenges is space. Because the same story in two different languages will always result in two different lengths, the layout, font size, and other visual parameters need to be adjusted significantly. English...

Give the Cream to Those who Want it Most

Out of the blue, a Toronto-based artist contacted me, asking whether my MA dissertation (on J. M. W. Turner and the Industrial Revolution) was available for purchase. Who would have thought! The artist is currently doing some research on Turner and found my details in the Association of Art Historians’ member directory. While my translation...

Cheaper, But at What Cost?

Last month I was commissioned by a translation agency to proofread an English-to-French translation for an art centre. I was simply told that the end client wanted to make sure that the text was impeccable. The proofreading task turned into an editing one. While all translation agencies claim to focus primarily on quality, the reality...

Volunteering: Good for You, Good for Business

Working from home can be a little lonely at times. For this reason, some translators choose to do a bit of volunteering work. It’s a chance to meet fellow human beings and, while you’re busy helping out, it may help your business too. Volunteering offers the obvious benefits of being a change from the office,...