About Sollas Translation

I live and work on the stunning island of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides. I have a small studio here in our family home which is the hub for my translation and bookbinding work. I grew up in East Germany and left to study for an MA in English and Celtic Studies at Edinburgh University. I moved to North Uist in 2001 where I combined working academically (researching and writing my PhD thesis on self-translation in the context of modern Gaelic poetry) and working with my hands (establishing my artisan bookbinding practice). Having gained my doctorate from Edinburgh University in 2008, I established a combined business of Sollas Bookbinding and Sollas Translation to work creatively in both fields and to maintain that balance between head and hands.

Working from Uist is important to me as it literally gives me the wide and endless horizon I need to allow my mind to concentrate and at times to wander. At the same time I feel connected to my fellow professionals via networks and am able to work closely with my clients online to achieve projects that always demand unique and creative approaches.

I am a translator working from English into German, a member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (MCIL) and a certified proofreader specialising in bilingual proofreading. This involves checking a translated text carefully against the original text to make sure nothing has been left out or mistranslated as well as making sure it reads well and is correct in terms of grammar, spelling, syntax, style etc.

• Certificate ‘Basic Proofreading’ from the Publishing Training Centre, London, November 2012
• PhD: Eadar Dà Chànan: Self-Translation, the Bilingual Edition and Modern Scottish Gaelic Poetry, Edinburgh University, June 2008
• MSc (Research) in Translation Studies, Edinburgh University, translation of modern Scottish Gaelic poetry into German, Sep 2001
• MA (Hons) English and Celtic, Edinburgh University, June 2000

During researching for my PhD thesis, I gave a number of talks at different conferences on the theme of postcolonial and minority translation. I was also invited to contribute to several academic publications. During this time I thought a lot about the context and the process of translation and the responsibility of the translator when negotiating an understanding between cultures which are by their very nature defined by differences. One of the most important insights I gained is that only through the visibility and acceptance of difference will we be able to accept each other and realise what connects us as people. In the celebration of difference translation plays a vital role.