Hi there, I’m Alison, a German and Italian-to-English translator, specialising in law, the arts and the environment. I also proofread and edit English documents written by non-native writers.

I grew up in leafy Surrey where a short train journey could whisk me into London. My initial ambition, fuelled by school choirs, ballet lessons and trips to the theatre, was to turn life into a musical.

Aged 11, having just started learning French, I was assigned an Austrian penfriend, meeting her in Vienna just a year later after my first few German lessons. There followed school exchanges to Freiburg im Breisgau in the Black Forest. So, my interest in this creative language simply grew as did my continuing friendships.

With my passion for music, I opted to study German with Italian in Southampton. Then, I would know the languages for classical western music at least. After graduation, I spent a year teaching English in northern Germany, returning to teach English as a foreign language in the UK. I ultimately decided to focus on my favourite linguistic task and completed an MA in Translation at Surrey University. After some relevant work experience, my full-time freelance translation career took off in September 1997 in Southampton. Since 2005, I’ve been based in bustling Bristol where I’ve made great connections in my specialisms.

My days are very flexible. Sometimes, I work until 8 pm or later, depending on the deadline. On other days, I may be off to a hobby in the evening and need to stop working at a normal EOB time. Errands fit around ‘spare’ mornings or I meet up with a colleague for a coffee, which is always lovely.

Around 8 am: I get up. I discover we’ve run out of tomatoes. So, given our very mild November, I pop into the garden and pick a few. Then, I make a packed salad lunch for my husband and my own lunch too. Next, I have a relaxing breakfast, watching the news before a quick bath.

By 9.45 am: I am at my desk. I first check any urgent emails and find a proofreading request. So, I need to check my schedule and give a quote with a potential deadline. Then, I head on over to LinkedIn and Facebook. I have a social media role for two professional networks. So, I need to respond to comments about a post-event blog and share any other relevant posts with those networks. I also check WhatsApp and my committee emails.

A committee colleague has shared her draft of a report we’re jointly writing. So, I need to proofread that and return it to her. Once that’s complete, I need to proofread a large translation I finished drafting yesterday. As it is about a composer not that familiar to me, I listen to some of his music during my first read-through.

By midday: It is most definitely time for a coffee and some cake. So, I go to the kitchen downstairs and bring my refreshments back up to the office. It’s time to check messages again briefly. Then, I return to checking my translation for accuracy, comparing the source and target versions.

By 1.45 pm: I have my pre-prepared lunch and watch a comedy show. Then, I do some washing.

By 2.30 pm: I am working again. A colleague has sent me the minutes of our recent AGM to check. Once I have sent that file back, I check for any other messages. The deadline has been confirmed for the potential proofreading project and I add that to my scheduled deadlines. Then, I complete the accuracy check of my translation, providing explanations to the German music titles. What appears simply to mean ‘Writing’ (‘Schreiben’) is also a play on the words ‘Schrei’ (‘shout’) and ‘reiben’ (‘to rub’), reminding me again of the playful nature of German and this composer in particular, who likes instruments to be played in unconventional ways.

By 4.30 pm:  I realise I have forgotten about the washing. So, I hang that up and make a cup of tea and have a banana. Then, I read through my translation again. I am quite happy with it, but it will have a final read-through and spellcheck tomorrow morning. With distance, you can create something that sounds authentic.

At 6 pm: I pack a rucksack and walk to my jazz tap dance class.

At 6.30 pm: We dance to a mix of jazz classics and, sometimes, punk – anything with a good rhythm that suits the routine we’re learning!

At 7.30 pm: There is some time to chat with friends there before I walk home, doing some food shopping on the way.

At 8 pm: I am home again and do some singing practise. After all, those carols won’t sing themselves in my choir’s concerts next month.

From 8.30 pm: My husband and I cook supper, our main meal of the day. This evening, it’s a quick veggie curry.

From 9 pm: We enjoy supper, watching the end of a pivotal televised football match: Scotland will play in the World Cup for the first time in 28 years! We’re not Scottish, but it was very exciting to see (with apologies to any Denmark fans reading this). As it’s midweek, we have a peppermint tea rather than anything stronger.

By 11 pm: The kitchen is tidy again and it’s time for me to be a test audience for my husband’s forthcoming presentation on Demand Responsive Transport (DRT, for short, aka those colourful mini-buses that you can pre-book).

By 12 pm: It’s finally time for bed.

As we’re heading towards the end of the month, I will be tackling my invoices and monthly accounts before December. There will be other projects and committee work too, including an online meeting. Most of all, I am looking forward to a Christmas meal with my regional network next month.

You can stay in touch with me on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisonhindley/

and read my (very occasional) blogs on my website:

Welcome