Education and Culture Translations
English to Spanish translations specialising in Museums and Heritage, History and Education
What makes a good translator?
- To have the ability to listen, to understand, to be flexible and to deliver what the client needs.
- To have a sound knowledge of the source language (the language to be translated from) – not only a linguistic knowledge, but a genuine social and cultural understanding of its use.
- A sound knowledge of the target language (the language to translate into) and, above all, impeccable writing skills. We’ve all come across bad translations where an unnatural way of saying something stops the flow of the text, meaning the credibility of the message, be it a marketing, academic or political one, is lost.
- To be a genuine specialist in the area. Real subject expertise is very difficult to acquire from a textbook or from Google. Confident language use comes from real life experience. It’s also impossible to be an expert in everything (unless you are Leonardo Da Vinci!) so most professional translators hopefully know a lot about a couple of things, and a little about many others.
A good translator needs all of the above as well as a passion for languages,
excellent research and IT skills, an eye for detail,
honesty and an endless curiosity.
So why choose me?
Because, as you can see from my background and experience,
I am able to offer all of the above.
- I am a qualified (Dip Trans) full-time professional translator.
- I translate only into Spanish, my mother tongue.
- Qualified secondary and higher education History teacher.
- Strong background in Social Sciences.
- MA in Museum Studies.
- Over 20 years work experience – in Argentina and the UK - in translation, education, museums and academic research.
- Unlike an agency, I offer a bespoke service where you, as the client, are in direct contact with me at every stage of your project, so I can pay attention to your needs and listen to you with no interference.
- As a member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) in the UK I must abide by their Code of Professional Conduct (please click for full details) and act in accordance with its high standards.
For full details about the importance of hiring a professional translator please have a look at the excellent information provided by Chris Durban in these ITI booklets:
Translation: Buying a non-commodity