Edwin Miles - Translator
Deine Geschichte, meine Sprache! Literary, fantasy, historical fiction, German-English. I bring your words to life for the English market.
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Overview
I'm Ed Miles and I've been writing professionally, one way or another, for most of my adult life.
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 "While the World is Still Asleep," the first in her marvelous "Century Trilogy"). I continue to work in the film and TV sector: screenplays, pitches, dialogue books, treatments, you name it. In 2020-22 (so far) I've translated nine books in the Tom Wagner series by Austrian authors Roberts & Maclay, and am currently (Sep 2022) working on the tenth.
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's Literary Award for Young Writers.
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.
Deine Geschichte, meine Sprache! Let me bring your words to life—in English.
Services
Book Translation
Languages
German to English
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Fiction
Fantasy
Historical Fiction
Literary Fiction
Certifications
- Master of Fine Arts (Fiction Writing), University of Oregon, 1995
- BA (Hons) Communication and Cultural Studies, Curtin University of Technology, 1992
Awards
- Australian/Vogel's Literary Award, shortlist 1996
Work experience
AmazonCrossing translator
AmazonCrossing
February, 2013
–
Present
(over 9 years)
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.
English teacher and language skills trainer
Skills 4 Business
June, 2003
–
June, 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.
Translator
action concept
March, 2002
–
Present
(over 20 years)
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.
Translator
Various
October, 1999
–
Present
(about 23 years)
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 (21 selected works)
The Saga of the Elven (3 Book Series)
Bernhard Hennen, James A. Sullivan
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 realms. Northlander Jarl Mandred witnesses the ruthless attack on his men, and he seeks vengeance with the help of the elf queen, Emerelle. Despite Mandred’s barbaric human nature, the queen orchestrates an... read more
The Seed Traders' Saga (2 Book Series)
Petra Durst-Benning
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 journey from her home, Hannah arrives at a charming village nestled in the foothills of the Swabian Mountains, eager to find Helmut Kerner, a traveling seed merchant she loved and lost. Enchanted by the gl... read more
The Elven (The Saga of the Elven Book 1)
Bernhard Hennen, James A. Sullivan
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 realms. Northlander Jarl Mandred witnesses the ruthless attack on his men, and he seeks vengeance with the help of the elf queen, Emerelle. Despite Mandred’s barbaric human nature, the queen orchestrates an elfhunt join... read more
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 1890s Berlin.After the tragic death of her little brother, Josephine travels to the Black Forest to heal. There she discovers a feeling of freedom astride a brand-new invention: the bicycle. The very ide... read more
Elven Queen (The Saga of the Elven Book 3)
Bernhard Hennen
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 and the endangered fortress of Phylangan is a coalition force led by Alfadas, human hero and protector. He’s amassed his own legion of swordsmen, elves, and ragtag thieves to stave off the enemy. And the ne... read more
Elven Winter (The Saga of the Elven Book 2)
Bernhard Hennen
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 tribes gather to reaffirm their loyalty to the queen, treachery festers within the nobility. An assassination attempt leaves Emerelle severely injured and plunges the realm back into the throes of an ancie... read more
The Photographer (The Photographer's Saga Book 1)
Petra Durst-Benning
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 1905, on her twenty-sixth birthday, Mimi Reventlow receives a marriage proposal from the vicar of her family’s church. But a future of housework, childcare, and servicing a parish doesn’t appeal to the r... read more
While the World Is Still Asleep (The Century Trilogy Book 1)
Petra Durst-Benning
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 1890s Berlin.After the tragic death of her little brother, Josephine travels to the Black Forest to heal. There she discovers a feeling of freedom astride a brand-new invention: the bicycle. The very idea of a woman ... read more
The Champagne Queen (The Century Trilogy Book 2)
Petra Durst-Benning
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 she expected, and Isabelle finds herself daydreaming, envisioning the wines she and Leon will make when they have their own land.An unexpected inheritance opens a door for the newlyweds—Leon’s uncle has le... read more
The Queen of Beauty (The Century Trilogy Book 3)
Petra Durst-Benning
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 convention, and strived to make the world around them more beautiful.Despite all that Clara Berg has achieved as a wife, mother, and chemist—especially for a woman in turn-of-the-century Berlin—ending her abu... read more
The Seed Woman (The Seed Traders' Saga Book 1)
Petra Durst-Benning
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 her home, Hannah arrives at a charming village nestled in the foothills of the Swabian Mountains, eager to find Helmut Kerner, a traveling seed merchant she loved and lost. Enchanted by the glorious wildfl... read more
The Flower Shop (The Seed Traders' Saga Book 2)
Petra Durst-Benning
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-old Flora Kerner has arrived in Baden-Baden, the “Summer Capital of Europe.” Having spurned the family seed trade, Flora has instead chosen to accept a floristry apprenticeship in the famed German spa to... read more
A desperate letter from her best friend sends Lady Jane rushing from her cozy Cornwall home to the remote reaches of Northumberland. Alison’s frantic plea for help hints that something sinister is going on in the gloomy halls of Winton Park, so Jane braves the misty moors in the dead of winter to get to her pregnant and bedridden friend.A menacing sense of doom grips Jane the moment she arrive... read more
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 London society. But when the night of the dance arrives, things do not go as planned.To escape the superficial drama of the party, Jane seeks refuge in the garden of Rosewood Hall, where she discovers a gr... read more
The Beginning (Berlin Gothic Book 1)
Jonas Winner
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—straddles the line between good and evil. The family has graciously taken in Till Anschütz, a young orphan on the run, and he quickly befriends his new brother, twelve-year-old Max. Together, the boys explore the... read more
Doomed City (Berlin Gothic Book 2)
Jonas Winner
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 family’s youngest daughter.Till carries with him the disturbing memories and macabre secrets surrounding Xavier’s death. And although he doesn’t know it, his return to Berlin has set in motion a sinister pl... read more
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 pain of abandonment, frees up all of our bound energy and finally leads us to the Big Laugh. And in the Big Laugh, we realize that all our struggles are caused by the avoidance of our pain.Mike Hellwig—orig... read more
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 hope of a happy end in sight! Only with the aid of an extraordinary weapon does Nikko manage to escape with his life.Back home again, undreamt of opportunities open up. The landgrave takes Nikko into his s... read more
The Warlock of Hymal - Book II: The Fall of Hocatin
N. Bernhardt
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?Back home again, everything is even worse. Khondharr marches against Hocatin, and the people of the landgraviate have no choice but to flee. But where can anyone feel safe in a world filled with danger? ... read more
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 companions revealing unexpected sides.The capital only reluctantly welcomes their arrival. But wont the Order, at least, be well disposed toward Nikko? Or is a very bad surprise waiting for him?*** 175,000 copies ... read more
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