My Philosophy

I always aim to provide high quality translations which are delivered on time, returned in the required format, finished to the required standard, adapted to meet the needs of the end-client, and constitute a professional finished product. One of my main philosophies of translation is to "go native". I never work into a non-native language, and as such, only ever translate INTO English. I always advocate native speakers of a language to undertake translations. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I believe in value for money. The service I offer is a high quality service, but most importantly, a service which is fairly priced - one which reflects these difficult economic times, but also which reflects the quality of the finished product.

My Work

I undertake a wide range of work, predominantly translating from French and Russian into English. My main specialisms in these languages are: law, business, international relations/politics, finance/economics and media/journalism. As part of my regular work I frequently translate a large number of certificates of various types, including birth certificates, marriage certificates and educational transcripts. In addition, I also work to a lesser extent from Ukrainian, Belarusian and Spanish into English, however this is largely for more general documents such as certificates and correspondence. Details of notable projects are included in my CV, which can be downloaded from my profile.

My Educational Background

After secondary school at a Grammar School in Horncastle (UK), I attended the University of Sheffield, where I studied for a BA (Hons) French and Russian (with a minor elective in Spanish). This course included a wide range of cross-disciplinary studies including: Soviet history and foreign policy, translation studies in French and Russian, French revolutionary history, current affairs, Russian literature, French literature, French Canadian literature and cultural studies. As part of my course I spent 6 months studying at Université de Bordeaux III (Michel de Montaigne) where I studied specialist units in French translation and French culture. Following this spell in France, I moved to St Petersburg where I spent 6 months at St Petersburg State University, similarly studying specialist units in Russian language, translation and culture. I graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2009 with a 1st class honours and a distinction in the use of spoken Russian. In 2018, I completed my PhD in Translation Studies at University College London and have taught modules on Russian-English translation, translation technology, and intercultural project management at Durham University since 2012.