ABOUT ME

I didn't follow the path of most translators. I didn't grow up in a multilingual household with globe-trotting parents who gave me an international-school education. Instead, I just liked speaking, reading and listening to German.

I studied German and French at the University of Edinburgh, graduating with First Class Honours and distinction in spoken French and German. This was followed by a Master's in Translating and Interpreting at Heriot-Watt University, which gave me a sound theoretical basis.

After graduating, I worked at a Scottish translation agency for a spell. This showed me just how steep the learning curve was to put theory into practice. It was tough and demanding, but it forced me to learn to adapt to clients' needs, meet every deadline, adhere to style guides and develop a meticulous approach to all aspects of writing. It's probably fair to say it was a struggle at times, but it made me the translator I am today.

Over the last five years, I've worked with private individuals, businesses and translation agencies, all the while honing my skills and establishing myself as a high-quality, dependable and friendly service partner.

I never miss a deadline and pride myself on direct and personable professional relationships. Machine translation can't grasp every intricacy of human communication and can't match a human translator's ability to adapt and find solutions.

If there's a German term I don't quite understand, I'll research and ask you if necessary. If I think an English text needs to be tweaked to convey your message, I'll check with you. And, if the unimaginable happens and I spot a typo in your German text, I'll gently flag it for you.

I'm good at what I do. At the same time, I know my limitations. I never commit to a project I can't complete flawlessly – which means I don't take on projects with medical or pharmaceutical content, for example. However, if this happens, I'll always take a look and pass you to another colleague better suited to your needs.