Translation

Source language: English, German

Target language: French

Source language: English, German

Target language: French

I translate:

Fiction: novels, short stories, stories of all length

Non-fiction: essays, biographies, memoirs, documentary works, magazine articles, documents on art, history, literature, social sciences, well-being, health, nature, ecology, tourism, gastronomy, sports and hobbies.

What is translation?

I often compare translators with musicians for several reasons:

A musician receives a sheet music – which is simply the written language of music – and converts this sheet into sounds – the oral language of music. Some musicians play the violin, others the clarinet, others the bass. But each one of them translates the music notes into the language he/she masters, while trying to be as faithful as possible to the sheet music.
Meanwhile, a translator receives a text written in a specific language and converts this text into another language. Some translators are English, some are French, some are German. But each one of them translates the text into the language he/she masters, while trying to be as faithful as possible to the source text.

I often compare translators with musicians for several reasons:

A musician receives a sheet music – which is simply the written language of music – and converts this sheet into sounds – the oral language of music. Some musicians play the violin, others the clarinet, others the bass. But each one of them translates the music notes into the language he/she masters, while trying to be as faithful as possible to the sheet music.
Meanwhile, a translator receives a text written in a specific language and converts this text into another language. Some translators are English, some are French, some are German. But each one of them translates the text into the language he/she masters, while trying to be as faithful as possible to the source text.

To some extent, we can say that translators are musicians; they type on a computer like pianists and convey the music of the text from a language to another. By “music”, I mean the spirit, the style, the tone and the message delivered by a work. The form and content. These two elements cannot be separated from the text, since the content would not have the same impact without the form, and the latter itself would not have the same relevance if it was not built to serve the content.

Thus, as musicians ought to pay attention to an infinity of nuances, it is the duty of a translator to take account of every feature of a work in order to master this oddly paradoxical art: the transformation of a text into a twin that is perfectly identical and yet radically different.

This is precisely what I find fascinating with translation. Like if some kind of magic was involved in the process. And that is why I offer my services as a literary translator, driven by my love for the French language, for literature and for the international culture.

Thus, as musicians ought to pay attention to an infinity of nuances, it is the duty of a translator to take account of every feature of a work in order to master this oddly paradoxical art : the transformation of a text into a twin that is perfectly identical and yet radically different.

My skills:

Frenchis my mother tongue and I have an excellent knowledge of all of its subtleties thanks to my education and my writing habits. I am also very fluent in English and German – I believe the English and German pages of this website provide a good overview of my linguistic level. My education was mainly focused on literature and language studies – as you can see on Who I am – and the whole year I spent in Leipzig, Germany, during my Bachelor’s degree helped me to develop my communication and understanding skills in English and German. These two languages became part of my everyday life for several years now. Finally, my Master’s degree in Translation and my translation-related internships helped me to strengthen my knowledge and to acquire new skills regarding translation, both on a theoretical and practical level.

→ Please note that translators are mostly required to translate a foreign language into their mother tongue. As far as I am concerned, I will therefore translate English and German documents into French.
My services do include translations of French documents into English or German in exceptional cases, depending on the level of technicity of the text. However, this service is mainly addressed to French customers, and any production of this kind should be reviewed by a native speaker afterwards. I cannot translate a long and/or complex document into English or German, especially if the target public will expect to read a text translated by a native speaker. If this is what you are looking for, please contact English- or German-speaking translators.

Otherwise, I’m looking forward to working with you! Please do not hesitate to contact me for further information.