My Experience
In 2011 and 2012, while at university, I attended a literary translation workshop led by Zsuzsa Hetényi, where we had the opportunity to work on texts both as translators and editors. At the end of the year, these texts were published in two anthologies that I’m still immensely proud of—my first proper translations were two short stories by Sir Terry Pratchett.
Ever since then, I’ve been honing my craft and working with some of the pillars of the speculative fiction genre, such as Agave Könyvek, Fumax, GABO, and Delta Vision, as well as Kolibri, a publisher of young adult and children’s books. I have had the opportunity to work on the writings of some of the biggest names in the genre, like Brandon Sanderson, Robin Hobb, Shelley Parker-Chan, Jenn Lyons, Scott Lynch, R. F. Kuang and Christopher Buehlman.
Feel free to check out the list of my publications here.
My Philosophy
Translation
Translation to me is a lot like co-authoring a work of literature. I firmly believe that the translator’s influence is inseparable from the work, and their performance can determine its success.
While authors have creative freedom, translators must faithfully convey the original meaning in another language. To achieve this, I think accuracy is paramount. A translator must possess a deep understanding of the source language’s grammatical nuances, vocabulary, and idiomatic expressions, while skillfully articulating the author’s ideas in their native tongue.
But translation is about more than mere accuracy. We also have to convey the author’s style and the mood of their work to readers, which can be difficult, especially if an author has a vastly different style than ours.
Balancing style, mood, and accuracy is a challenging but essential part of the job, for which few of us get enough credit, often being an afterthought in readers’ minds. #namethetranslator
Editing
Editors are crucial partners in the creative process. They bring a fresh perspective that’s needed after working for months on any given text. Editors may even save a poor translation.
I think the best editors approach their work with sensitivity. They understand the collaborative and artistic nature of literary translation, knowing when to ask questions rather than impose changes. They acknowledge that, despite their expertise, they spend less time with the text than the translator and may not grasp all its nuances.
My Services
Genres I’m especially interested in: fantasy, science fiction, comic books, crime fiction, historical fantasy, historical romance, non-fiction books, popular science books, YA and children’s literature.
Authors whose works I especially enjoy: Terry Pratchett, Brandon Sanderson, Anne Rice, Robin Hobb, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Jordan, Susanna Clarke.
My calendar is usually quite full, but feel free to contact me, and let’s have a chat. 😊
