How I work
My philosophy
A translator is not an island
For a translator, it is vital to have an extremely firm grasp of both the source and target language, an attention to detail and a sensitivity for the subject-matter. This same attention may reveal nuances in the text that could be interpreted in various ways or that might not be immediately clear.
A translator (or language editor for that matter) is not an island. For me it is immensely important to work in close collaboration with the author, in order to grasp exactly what he or she intends to say and hence relay precisely that meaning. A good working relationship between writer and translator/language editor is key to a faithful and accurate finished product.
My added value
Why choose me
Academic texts have specific characteristics: in-text citations, notes, bibliographies, indexes, particular attention to inclusive language.
In addition to the commonly used formats and styles – Chicago Manual of Style, APA, Cambridge, New Oxford Style Manual, etc. – every publisher or journal has its own publishing guidelines to follow. The aim of my meticulous attention to these guidelines is to produce a text that is clear, precise and inclusive.
Translating a text gives a unique familiarity with all its aspects – linguistic, structural and thematic – which makes the translator the perfect person to create a book index. Index creation is another service I offer.
As for in-text quotations, some passages may come from works originally in English or which have been translated into English from other languages. To find out whether this is the case, I consult the British Library catalogue which contains all works published in English.
In order to find the quoted passages, in addition to the now immense number of resources on the Internet, I am lucky enough to live close to the well-stocked EUI library in Florence, as well as being able to access university libraries in England for texts that are particularly hard to find.
Praise
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Thanks so much for your invaluable help and the precision you put into your work! Top marks for the doubts you solved using the original English text.
—Prof. Simonetta Soldani, University of Florence
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I wanted to thank you for your sensitivity and ability to grasp the deeper meaning of some statements, which goes so much further than solid language skills.
— Prof. Roberta Altin, University of Trieste
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Good morning Karen, I’ve just finished going through the text and I’m very happy with it. It’s made that leap in quality I was hoping for.
—Prof. Francesco Molteni, University of Milan
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You’ve done an excellent job. I’m lost for words.
—Achille Filipponi, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Axis Axis
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Thank you for the time and the great competence and attention you’ve dedicated to this job. If the project has any chance of success, it’s also thanks to you.
—Prof. Simone Venturini, University of Udine
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Thanks for your superb professionalism, as ever.
—Antonella Campobasso, Fondazione Modena Arti Visive
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Thanks for the excellent work. […] I greatly appreciated the attention to detail in the corrections as well as the passion and commitment you put into revising the texts.
—Prof. Pierpaolo Donati, University of Bologna
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I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your commitment to both translations. It has been a pleasure to work with you.
—Prof. Ignacio Chuecas Saldías, Universidad Finis Terrae, Chile
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Infinite thanks to Karen for her extremely careful revision and for making a definite improvement to my text. It’s not often that you come across language editors who are so attentive and sensitive to the text.
—Prof. Rosita D’Amora, University of Salento