In 2006 one of my clients asked if I could read old German handwriting. She had some correspondence from the nineteenth century, from her husband's immigrant ancestors, that she wanted transcribed and translated as a Christmas present for him. Intrigued, I plunged in, and before me unfolded a vivid description of immigrant life in Brooklyn and Chicago, as well as the daily life of relatives back home in Germany. Like oral history, these personal letters opened up a rich view of the human side of the past, making them fascinating reading. I found this project so rewarding that I decided to add transcription of old German script to my translating service.

I grew up in Lübeck, Germany, and then emigrated to the Bay Area of California. After receiving my master's degree in German literature from UC Berkeley, I taught German for twenty years. I have been a translator since 1997. My translation experience includes texts in the fields of journalism, psychology, biology, medical research, technology, and theater. My translations of some cookbooks, articles on criminology, and the documentary Exodus to Berlin have been published.

Here I am at work in my home

office (with my cat Katja).

AlteSchrift

German Transcription and Translation