Barry Hudock – Translator

My area of expertise of theology and spirituality. Also very interested in humanities-related subjects, such as history, culture, literature, philosophy, as well as more "popular" projects. My book-length translations have been published by Liturgical Press, Paulist Press, Orbis Books, Bayard, Ave Maria Press, Novalis, and Edizioni San Paolo. Several of these books have won awards from the Catholic Media Association, Catholic Press Association, and the Association of Catholic Publishers.

Published book translations include 12 Italian to English, 4 French to English, and 2 Spanish to English. One of these translations is of a novel rather than nonfiction, and I would like to expand my work further into fiction.

Be cautious in choosing a translator. I've been commissioned several times by publishers to revise/correct translations that they have already paid other translators to prepare in the first place. Make sure you are commissioning a skilled translator who is going to do more than run the original through Google Translate!

A good translator needs to be more than just skilled in the source language. They must also (1) be able to recognize the distinctive voice of the author in the original, and (2) be a skilled writer in the target language in order to provide a translation that is readable, clear, and reflects the original author's voice.

I have a BA in English from Gannon University, an STB in Theology from the Gregorian University, and an STL in Sacramental Theology from The Catholic University of America.

I live with my wife and kids in rural central Minnesota -- though to my shock, six of our seven kids are now grown and out of the house. I love spaghetti carbonara, crepes with Nutella, and Bruce Springsteen. (Could talk with you for hours about the music of Bruce Springsteen.) I'm inspired by Dorothy Day and Oscar Romero.

(Note: I live and work in the US, where standard references are The Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. If you're project calls for British spelling and style conventions, I'm probably not your best choice.)