Translation, editing and proofreading:
French and German into English (UK/US)
PGDip (Merit) in Translation Studies
BA (Hons.) in French and German
Associate member of the
Institute of Translation and Interpreting
Ready to find out more? Click on a specialisation:
Which languages do you translate into?
Always English: professional translators only ever translate into their native tongue. I’m a native Brit, but after having many of my translations proofread by US English speakers and assimilating a lot of American English from films/TV while growing up, I’m also happy localising to US English or “generalised” English (not localised to a specific country).
Ssshhh!!
Confidentiality is very important to me: I won’t breathe a word about your exciting, upcoming release. You can rest assured that your secrets are safe with me…
What types of games do you translate?
Mostly tabletop games, although I’ve also copyedited an RPG video game. I’ve translated all sorts of tabletop games: from eurogames to roleplaying games; from lengthy campaign games with miniatures to dexterity-based children’s games. Something for everyone! Find out more here.
With a fine-tooth comb…
I love to hunt down pesky typos. Although I can only offer to proofread texts in my native language (English), I’ll give you a heads-up if I spot something that’s not where it should be in your original text. Once I’m happy with my translation, I go through the text three more times, each time checking a different element of the text: for flow and pace, for consistency against the source text, and then finally, for any stray punctuation and to pick up any other sneaky minutiae that might still be hiding. Finalising the text in this way means I’ll catch any typos and inaccuracies, so your translation is in the best possible shape before publication.
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What can a human translator do that machines can’t?
Translating board games encompasses a number of different text styles. Firstly, I make sure the language complexity and style suits the game’s target audience: if you’re translating a dexterity game for 5 year olds, you’ll need a simplified, jargon-free style, but if the game is a multi-narrative campaign containing handfuls of different miniatures, you can expect the players to know exactly what 2D12 means.
Within a board game, you may find several different styles of prose:
• crystal-clear and relatively concise explanations of the rules, with idiomatic choices of key terms and appropriate use of textual markers, such as numerals;
• short and slick marketing text so the box draws attention on a shelf;
• a pithy description that will entice seasoned players who are wondering which game to buy/crowdfund next;
• pacy narratives of only a few lines that need to quickly convey information through a scene and draw players into the atmosphere of the game universe.
This tailoring of the text to its intended audience and applying the correct language style to the different levels of text is what differentiates human translation from machine translation. Translating a game well requires a thorough understanding of the text so that the rules are watertight and the players have all the information they need, rather than being stumped by loopholes or having to scratch around on online forums for clarifications. I see a lot of game rules and regularly play a wide variety of tabletop games myself, so I’m walking through the playing experience in my head as I translate. If your translator is clear on what the rules are, your players will be too.
What else do you translate?
Over the years, I’ve translated countless texts for the French NGO Entrepreneurs du Monde, plus many marketing texts, such as product descriptions for clothing. I have also translated historical documents for some university research, and am knowledgeable in a few other fields, including music and psychology. I’ve even translated knitting patterns before.
I love a good narrative, and the descriptive language I use in campaign games transfers very well to literary projects. Being a keen amateur writer with a couple of novellas in progress (and many poems), I’m always on the hunt for a great novel to translate. So get in touch if you’d like to see your novel published in English!
What others say…
Really exceptional translation.
Proofreader
And finally and obviously, if Harriet Cooper is available
we will be happy to work with her again.
We highly appreciate her work and behaviour so much…
she’s a great and pleasant help.
Harriet Cooper has been translating our presentation portfolios, success stories
and annual reports for 8 years, with strong quality and reliability.
I was very impressed by the quality of both texts.
GAME TRANSLATIONS
Anti-discrimination statement
Introducing Harriet Cooper (AITI)…
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