Education
In 1997, I moved to the Netherlands, after completing my studies in the United States. I received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Swarthmore and a master’s in linguistics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where my professors included Noam Chomsky, Morris Halle and Samuel Jay Keyser.
In the Netherlands, I studied Dutch at Leiden University and earned a second master’s degree, in international relations, from the Leiden campus of Webster University. In my experience, this academic background is essential for the complex, demanding translation work in which I specialize.
I have been certified as a Dutch-to-English translator by the American Translators Association (ATA), and I belong to the Dutch translators’ organization (NGTV), Sense, and ALTA. The NLPVF, a Dutch semi-governmental organization, has approved me as a literary translator from Dutch into English.
Experience
In 1998-1999, I began my freelance translation career and contributed to the new edition of the leading Dutch-English dictionary, published by Van Dale. From 1999 to 2006, I was a member of the Translation Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. There, I regularly translated major speeches to be delivered in English by top-level Dutch dignitaries, including two prime ministers. My other work included international agreements and Dutch legislation, as well as numerous documents on political and cultural topics.
During this period, I also attended many international workshops and conferences on translation, law, and world politics. With Peter J. van Krieken, I co-edited The Hague: Legal Capital of the World, a collection of essays on international organizations in The Hague, published in 2005 by T.M.C. Asser Press and distributed by Cambridge University Press.
Open Book Translation
Throughout my time at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I took on select freelance projects in the fields of art, history, and literature. In January 2006, Open Book Translation opened for business. Since then, it has been my privilege to work with some of the finest Dutch museums, publishers, writers, and scholars.
In a world where English is the primary medium of international communication, good translation is more than the right words in the right order. Translators can be cultural mediators, making the distinctive ideas and voices of their clients heard in a new language. For me, the challenge of translation is to communicate not only the literal meaning of a text, but also the author’s style and cultural context.
For many projects, I team up with other skilled, experienced translators, particularly Beverley Jackson of Jackson Academic. I take pride and pleasure in my work, and my clients tell me it shows. If you’re interested in my services, or have any questions, please contact me.