Melody Shaw

Melody Shaw – Translator

German-English translator of children's, YA and literary fiction. Winner of the John Dryden Translation Competition 2017

Overview

Show me the funny! Whether it's a picture book to make children gurgle with delight, or a crime novel with snarky humour darker than an Arctic winter, I can guarantee the translation will hit the mark. Got some wordplay? Let me wrangle it!


I'm a literary translator, working from German into English, specialising in children's and YA novels, humour, literary fiction and magical realism. Published books include translations for self-publishing authors and traditional publishing houses. Four more ingenious, heart-warming and hilarious children's books to come in early 2024 for Gecko Press, as well as the UK edition of the international bestseller 'The Door-To-Door Bookstore' by Carsten Henn in late 2023.


You can also find a video of me reading my translation of an excerpt from 'Hi, I'm Death Junior, But You Can Call Me Frida' (seeking a publisher) on the #WorldKidLitMonth 2022 playlist on the Jill! YouTube channel.

Services
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs Children’s Non-Fiction DIY & Crafts Home & Garden
Fiction
Children's Contemporary Fiction Humor & Comedy Literary Fiction
Languages
German to English
Awards
  • John Dryden Translation Competition, First Prize winner, 2017
Certifications
  • IoLET Diploma in Translation DE>EN

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2016 — Present

Portfolio

Book Translation
Book Translation
Book Translation
Book Translation
Book Translation
Book Translation
Book Translation
Can I Sit in the Middle?

Strasser, Susanne

Book Translation
Book Translation
Aquitaine: The End of a War

Nikolaus, Annemarie

Book Translation
Mystery File: Labrador

Milewski, Andre

Book Translation
Book Translation

Melody has 1 review

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Christine L.

Christine L.

Oct, 2023

My collaboration with Melody was really the best. She is clearly a very professional, friendly and gifted translator. Her language is poetic and she took great care to get the nuances right in her translation of a novel set in 4th century China. Melody is not the cheapest by far but when I compared her translation to that of other professionals who also sent in a trial piece it was an absolute...
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Melody S.
Thank you so much Christine. Collaborating with you was a joy! Thanks for your responsiveness to questions, and for your suggestions that helped us find the right nuance in some tricky places. I lo...
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