I am an accredited professional translator at the South African Translators’ Institute (SATI). You will find me here.

South African Translators' Institute (SATI) Bridging Language Barriers

I am also a certified professional translator on the internet platform, ProZ.com – The Translation Workplace. In the top right corner of my profile page, you will find some client feedback on my work.

The translation workplace

ProZ.com Certified PRO in English to Afrikaans

Through ProZ.com, I am affiliated with Translators without Borders, an NGO involved in humanitarian work. I am also involved in the reviewing process of new volunteer translators for the organisation. Read more here.

Vuvuzela, an Afrikaans youth novel by South African author Engela van Rooyen, was published as a bilingual edition (in English and Polish). It was aimed at the Polish tourist market in the run-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which was hosted in South Africa. I translated the story into English, while a team of co-translators took care of the Polish section of the book. You may well ask why this is showcased in the writing section, then.

It was only after I started translating that I realised this story was intrinsically bound to the South African context. For a Polish person who hadn’t lived in South Africa, the milieu would be about as foreign as snow to the inhabitants of the Kalahari Desert.

In order to keep the South African flavour while introducing it to the reader in such a manner that he or she could get a feel for the dynamics of our country, I wrote an introductory chapter and a glossary. I tried to keep as many original indigenous language terms and phrases as possible while attempting not to change the story into a choppy and fragmented piece of confusion. The glossary thus had to do more than just explain the meaning of foreign words. Instead, it provided the reader with small windows through which to look at the diversity of our rainbow nation. [Example...]

Kop głębiej (Dig deeper): A Polish feature film by Konrad Szołajski. It premiered at the Polish Film Festival in Chicago in November 2011, after which it featured on the cinema circuit in Poland. It is a comedy about an old German gentleman who comes to Poland in search of his parents’ remains. He ends up at a poor Polish family that will do anything for money.

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CLIENT COMMENTARY:

"Mrs Van der Westhuizen's translation and editing was excellent.

She is diligent in her task and known for her meticulous attention to detail."

Tato poszedł na ryby (Dad went fishing): A Polish documentary film by Grzegorz Pacek, set in Pomfret, South Africa, which featured at several film festivals in Poland. The story chronicles the personal journey of Juan van Tonder who established the Emanuelle Children’s Home for the families and orphaned children of the famous 32 ‘Buffalo’ Battalion, which formed part of the former South African Defence Force.

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CLIENT COMMENTARY:

"We were impressed by Ms van der Westhuizen's keen, thorough and professional approach, and the ease and speed with which she did the translation. She highlighted linguistic nuances that helped us to understand the characters and the situations in which they found themselves much better, and thus made an invaluable contribution to the film."

"Her work was very efficient, with exceptional attention to detail."

To summarise:
• School books
• Medical and pharmaceutical translations
• Technical translations
• Short-term insurance
• GPS navigation system
• Online shopping advertisements
• Promotional materials

To see full details and a chronological list of all my work, please contact me.