Linda Gaus – Translator

Native speaker of US English with over 25 years' translation experience and a very deep understanding of German language and culture.

For me, it's pretty much been "all German all the time" since I visited Germany as an exchange student at the age of 16. I majored in German Studies (German, history, and economics) in college and I hold an M.A. and Ph.D. in German (literature) from the University of California-Berkeley. My Ph.D. dissertation was about "older" (early modern) literature, so I absorbed a healthy dose of history along the way. Over the years, I have also taught German to people of all ages, from Kindergarteners to college students (and even beyond), in no small part to help other people enjoy the language as much as I do. Sometimes it's my "Saturday kids" (my 4th graders) and the funny things they say that keep me going! My Saturday teaching also keeps me engaged in the world of children, so I understand how they think and act and what kind of language is most appropriate for them.

Furthermore, it's pretty much been "all translation all the time" for me for the past 20+ years. I established MadDocs LLC when I began taking on freelance translation work in 2000 and I really haven't looked back. Delving deep to uncover the real meaning of what people are trying to say has become my passion, whether for technical translations (for these are usually the ones that put food on the table) or other kinds of translations; my aim is always to convey precisely what the author is trying to say in just the right words.

While I am passionate about making technical translations extremely accurate and also extremely readable, my heart truly lies in other kinds of translations: bringing works of literature to life is a dream come true for me, and providing excellent, idiomatic translations of non-fiction works also inspires and fascinates me.

I really love working directly with authors, answering their questions, refining the translation so that it reflects what the author really means. I know I have succeeded when an author tells me that I've found just the right voice for a character in a work of fiction or when a non-fiction author remarks how smoothly my translation reads. The books to which I have provided links here are representative of my portfolio thus far; I hope to work with YOU to provide the best possible translation of your work and to continue building my translation portfolio.