How I nearly didn't become a translator
In the quiet Classics garret, I discovered that, rather than developing in isolation, languages evolved and branched off from each other, and there are many links between them. At this point, I almost regretted ditching French for Latin because the nerdy thrill I got from seeing those connections made me think that translation would be a wonderful job. Sadly, there wasn't much need for Latin translators in rural Northumberland. This was the early 1990s, when girls were still often pushed towards a narrow set of traditionally female careers.
So off I went to the Birmingham suburbs to train as an English teacher at a small but well-regarded teacher training college. I focused on poetry and early years reading – both of which, in their own way, involve decoding and interpreting language. I loved teaching and graduated with honours, but fate had something else in mind for me.
How I became a translator
Instead of becoming a primary school teacher, after graduating, I moved to the Netherlands, where I lived for sixteen years, working first at Time Warner, then at The American Book Center, a huge, independent bookshop in the centre of Amsterdam. It was a dream job – reading, selling, buying, talking and writing about books all day. I wrote copy for the newsletter, website and social media, and contributed a quarterly review feature for a national magazine. Along the way, I built a deep love and understanding of Dutch language and culture.
I accidentally fell into translation when a colleague recommended me to two authors who were unhappy with the translation of their Dutch book about IVF. Knowing I had a way with words and had edited the travel guide Holland in a Hurry for a colleague, she suggested that I might be able to 'fix' this book. And so I took a deep breath and dove into translation – or what I now know was revision – for the first time.
Later, after I moved back to the UK, another bookshop colleague who was now working for a 'Big Five' publisher asked me for a favour. They needed some sample chapters of a Dutch romantic thriller translated in time for the London Book Fair but hadn't been able to find a translator in time. I agreed, assuming a real translator would redo them if the book sold. When the publisher asked me to translate the whole book, I was stunned. Did that mean I was actually good at this? Could I turn it into a job?
At the time, I wasn't sure. I didn't even have a desk! Working in an armchair on a tiny laptop, I split my screen between the source text and Word, translating for up to twelve hours a day, seven days a week for four months. I loved every single minute of it. I knew this was what I wanted to do.
Since then, I've also translated all of Jeroen Windmeijer's bestselling Peter de Haan mysteries, a commemorative book for the much-loved Dutch housewares manufacturer Mepal, screenplays for established writers, a medical memoir, and a pretty broad range of other types of texts!
Eventually, I realised that a split screen on a small laptop was not the most efficient way to work. I cleared out the spare room, set up an office with multiple screens and a shelf full of reference books, and started taking myself seriously as a language professional.
I learned how to use CAT tools and transcription software, gained professional proofreading qualifications from the CIEP and the Publishing Training Centre and worked continuously to improve my Dutch language skills. I was approved as a Proz.com Certified Pro and became a Full Member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists. I recently completed a recognised copywriting course, passing with Distinction to earn a level 4 diploma.
When I'm not working with words, I spend time with my partner and son in our wonky old house in a small town in Durham, surrounded by rolling countryside. I walk a bit, read a bit, crochet a bit... and I still romp around unsupervised in the local woods.
