My passion for languages is the key to my success

It is no coincidence that I have a deep love for languages. Being born in the Netherlands to a Dutch mother and a German father, I grew up surrounded by both languages and cultures. Because of my migration to Germany at the age of nine, I have a native level command of the German language. I knew from a young age that I wanted my future profession to have something to do with languages, cultures and people.

At school I discovered my interest in English. After graduating from secondary school, I studied for a bachelor's degree in Applied Linguistics, Cultural Studies and Translation at the University of Mainz, with German, English and Dutch as my chosen languages. The ensuing master's degree program enabled me to focus on the translation of literary and academic texts as well as texts on culture, tourism, sports, nature and medicine.

Translating is far more than transferring information from a text into a different language. Having a wide knowledge of the cultures, styles and etiquettes involved is just as important as finding a way to stay truthful to the original text whilst creating an appealing text in the target language. During my master's studies, I did not only improve my skills as a translator, but also discovered my talent for optimizing and writing German texts. My main priority is to fulfill – and whenever possible, exceed – the expectations of my clients and to satisfy my own ambition. In order to do so, I always work professionally, thoroughly and with the passion for languages that is the key to my success.