Paul Carslake – Translator

Having spent 12 years as a non-fiction book publisher (at Quarto Publishing) I am now a freelance editor and translator (French-to-English). My career experience has given me a profound understanding of what it takes to get a non-fiction title to really engage with its readership and sell in high volumes across multiple language areas. I am also the author of two non-fiction titles, most recently with 'Psychology: A Crash Course', and my career has spanned magazine journalism and copywriting as well as book publishing and editing.

As a translator I have taken on some highly specialised areas (from basketweaving to whisky distilling!) and I will leave no stone unturned to find the correct technical terms, often in fields where no technical glossary exists. I have a keen appreciation for tone-of-voice, looking not only at the style of the original text, but also the expectations and idiom of the target English-speaking audience.

The result of all this is copy that is essentially 'ready for layout' - meaning it is sharply written, accurate, reads well, is error-free, and does not feel like a translation. For illustrated layouts, text is written to fit perfectly into the page, saving time on cuts and edits later.

While my focus is on translation, I also provide a range of editing services to help writers in shaping and sharpening their work.