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TRANSLATION
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I am an accredited professional translator at the South African Translators’ Institute (SATI). You will find me here.
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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.
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.
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Vuvuzela |
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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...] |
Three Polish Films |
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The
first film indicated below was the only one of three films I translated
from scratch. I showcase all three films in this section, because
although I was initially merely responsible for the editing of the
other two, there were so many problems with the English scripts that
they eventually turned into full translations, resulting in full Polish
and full English versions of all three films. You can read more about
the processes involved and the difficulties encountered here . |
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I bóg stworzył seks... (And God created sex...):
A Polish documentary film by Konrad Szołajski, produced for HBO Central
Europe Original Programming. It was released in August 2011, and
featured on HBO’s satellite TV channels across Europe as well as at the
Polish Film Festival in Chicago in November 2011. The film tells the
story of Father Ksawere Knotz, a Polish priest, who caused a revolution
among Polish Catholics when he wrote a book about sex in 2009.
More... |
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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.
More...
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."
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Konrad Szolajski
(Director: ZK Studio) |
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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.
More...
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."
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Monica Braid
(Producer: Braidmaid Films) |
"Her work was very efficient, with exceptional attention to detail."
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Grzegorz Pacek
(Director: Wytwórnia Filmów) |
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And
more... It is not possible for me to showcase all my work here,
firstly, because I do not have the documents available, and secondly,
translation companies most often let their translators sign
confidentiality agreements. 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. |
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