Edwin Miles

Edwin Miles – Translator

Deine Geschichte, meine Sprache! Literary, fantasy, historical fiction, German-English. I bring your words to life for the English market.

Overview

I'm Ed and I've been writing professionally for most of my adult life.


For me, translation is all about the story, far less about one-to-one word correspondence. What good is an English sentence if it sounds like it was written by someone with a tin ear? Rhythm and mood matter at least as much as the actual words. I'll work closely with you to bring your story to an English-speaking audience!


My translation foot-in-the-door was a dream job: in 1999 my wife and I tag-teamed on the script of "Good Bye Lenin!" for Miramax, the film that introduced Daniel Brühl to the world. Since then, I've worked mainly in the film-&-TV and literary fields. Here in Germany, I spent many years translating alongside teaching English, but in 2013 I took the gamble and began translating full-time.


In recent years, I’ve completed more than a dozen novels for AmazonCrossing, with total sales well in excess of half a million books as of 2022. My focus has been on fantasy novels (read Bernhard Hennen's splendid "The Elven") and historical fiction (starting with Petra Durst-Benning's marvelous "Century Trilogy"). I continue to work in the film and TV sector: screenplays, pitches, dialogue books, treatments, you name it, especially for action concept


2020-24 (so far) I've translated ten books in the Tom Wagner series by Austrian author duo Roberts & Maclay, and recently completed "The Lion of Ishtar" for Guido Schenk, set in ancient Iraq, and Kelly Cait's "Das Nasse Kätzchen," currently awaiting publication.


Major commissions have also come from Piper Verlag and Zeitsprung Entertainment, and I've completed countless assignments for private, commercial and industrial clients.


A bit of background: Perth in Western Australia is my hometown, but I've lived, studied and worked for extended periods in Australia, Japan and the United States before moving to Cologne, Germany in 2000. I earned my MFA at the University of Oregon (go Ducks!) in 1995, where I majored in fiction writing. At U of O I also worked as an editor on "Northwest Review" literary magazine, and on my return to Oz in 1996 I made the top-3 shortlist for the prestigious Australian/Vogel Literary Award for Young Writers.


Deine Geschichte, meine Sprache! Let me bring your words to life in English.

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Fiction
Fantasy Historical Fiction Literary Fiction
Languages
German to English
Awards
  • Australian/Vogel's Literary Award, shortlist 1996
Certifications
  • Master of Fine Arts (Fiction Writing), University of Oregon, 1995
  • BA (Hons) Communication and Cultural Studies, Curtin University of Technology, 1992

Work experience

AmazonCrossing

Feb, 2013 — Present

For Amazon, I've translated more than a dozen novels. 'My' main authors are Bernhard Hennen (high fantasy, world building on a par with LOTR), and Petra Durst-Benning and Annis Bell, both of whom write historical fiction with female protagonists.

Skills 4 Business

Jun, 2003 — Jun, 2019 (about 16 years)

Professional English skills consultant for global companies (Bayer, Lanxess, Ford, Mazda): presentations coaching, BEC exam prep; one-to-one experience at senior management level in Bayer AG and Bayer sub-group companies.

action concept

Mar, 2002 — Present

Action concept have been making action films and series in Germany for decades, and I've been translating scripts, dialogue books, pitches, treatments and various other documents for them since shortly after my arrival in Germany in 2000.

Various

Oct, 1999 — Present

I've worked with numerous companies and individuals over the years, translating and also proofreading in business, engineering and commercial fields, as well as in the film-and-TV industries. Key and ongoing clients over the last 19 years include Schukat Electronic, Bayer, Nickelodeon, Peter Clausen Film and Television, Zeitsprung, Skills 4 Business, Grundy UFA, Die PR Berater, Jochen Breitenstein, Lanxess AG, Translation Engineering, Piper Verlag and Luther Rechtsanwaltgesellschaft mBH.

Portfolio

From the bestselling author of The Glassblower Trilogy comes an inspiring historical saga of a female photographer who must defy convention to live her dreams in turn-of-the-century Germany.In... read more
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The battle for sovereignty over the realms reaches a devastating turning point as the international bestselling fantasy series continues.All that stands between the advancing army of trolls an... read more
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An ancient war reignites as the international bestselling fantasy saga continues…At the height of its power, the elven court of Queen Emerelle revels in the joyful Festival of Light. Yet, as t... read more
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The Century Trilogy

Petra Durst-Benning

From Book 1: The first in a new series from Petra Durst-Benning, the bestselling author of The Glassblower series.An inspiring historical tale of one woman risking it all for her dreams set in... read more
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From Book 1: The international bestseller and epic adventureA fierce and merciless demon has been unleashed on the world, spreading destruction and bloodshed in both the human and the elven re... read more
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Lion of Ishtar

Schenk, Guido

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From Book 1: From bestselling author Petra Durst-Benning comes a sweeping emotional story of courage, triumph, and love against all odds in nineteenth-century Germany.After a long and trying j... read more
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Three companions, three motivations, one goal: Zundaj, capital of the realm. But things already start to go wrong in Terys. But the journey onward turns into a nightmare, with Nikkos companion... read more
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Back to Hymal, back to the orcs! And everything ends in disaster again, of course. Could Danuwil really be dead? At least Nikko is able to free a prisoner from the orcs clutches. But who is he... read more
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An unexpected journey turns into a nightmare. Nikko, a simple farm lad, suddenly finds himself running for his life. Dark executioners, orcs, a strange land brimming with danger … and little h... read more
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The German No. 1 bestseller, now available for the first time in English:Radically Allowing everything inside us. Everything!Turning gently to our deepest wound, feeling exactly through our pa... read more
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The second book in Jonas Winner’s haunting Berlin Gothic series.Ten years after the death of patriarch Xavier Bentheim, long-estranged Till Anschütz returns to Berlin for the wedding of the fa... read more
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Long after the Iron Curtain has crumbled, an invisible wall remains between the good citizens of Berlin and those who dwell in the city’s dark underbelly. And one family—the Bentheims—straddle... read more
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On his death bed, Lord Pembroke took great care to try to ensure the future of his beautiful, unconventional niece, Lady Jane. Her debutante ball would feature the most eligible bachelors of L... read more
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Bestselling author Petra Durst-Benning’s Seed Traders’ Saga continues, as a young woman in nineteenth-century Baden-Baden risks everything to pursue her dream of becoming a florist.Twenty-year... read more
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From bestselling author Petra Durst-Benning comes a sweeping emotional story of courage, triumph, and love against all odds in nineteenth-century Germany.After a long and trying journey from h... read more
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Petra Durst-Benning’s captivating historical novel pays homage to the trailblazing women of the early twentieth century—like Elizabeth Arden and Estée Lauder—who shaped culture, shattered conv... read more
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When Isabelle took a chance and eloped with Leon Feininger, her true love, she hadn’t stopped to consider what would happen next. Winter on his family’s isolated vineyard proves tougher than s... read more
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Edwin has 1 review

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Guido S.

Guido S.

Aug, 2023

Ed has been an amazing collaborator. He went above and beyond by thoroughly getting to know the narrative, doing his own research on the setting and providing invaluable suggestions. I would now consider the english translation provided by Ed to be almost stronger as my original. Calling it simply "translation" would not do justice to his work. Working with Ed, I rather felt like I was collabor...
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Edwin M.
Hi Guido, and thank you for the glowing review! It was a pleasure working with you on this book. The Mesopotamian setting and story was new and fascinating for me, too. I was recently in Berlin and...
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