Tom Corkett – Translator

Hello, Reedsy community! 👋

Thanks for visiting my profile. Since 2011, I have been a professional translator (French-English and Spanish-English) and editor, collaborating with authors and publishers to produce engaging and beautifully written books.

Here are my key strengths as an editorial professional:

Qualifications: In addition to holding university-level qualifications in modern languages and editing, I have passed the translation-certification tests of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (United Kingdom). Over the past decade, I have translated over a dozen non-fiction books and more than a hundred articles for academic and mainstream journals and periodicals. Whether you’ve written a book to communicate complex expertise or delight readers with elegant narrative, I have the skills to make your book’s translation shine as brightly as the original version, not stand in its shadow.

Readership Awareness: No two languages are perfect equivalents of one another, because our ways of expressing ideas are tethered to our own culture’s reference points. This fact is the root cause of the dreaded “lost in translation” problem. Whenever I translate a book, I make it a priority to take the perceptions and assumptions of the translated version’s target readership into account. I see it as my duty to inform the authors I work with of any potential cultural obstacles that may stand in the way of making the English version of their book speak to readers with authenticity, and I think creatively to propose ways to overcome them.

Great Communication: Editorial workflows fail when the different people involved in them do not communicate effectively and efficiently. I respond promptly to authors’ and editors’ queries, and I am thorough but concise in communicating issues and information that may have a bearing on the success of the project. If I identify a problem, in raising it with the author or editor I will always do my best to propose a viable solution to it.

Reliability: I respect the sanctity of the deadlines I have agreed with my clients, and to date I have never let an author or editor down by submitting work late. The time frames I suggest for completing work are always well calculated, and I will never make unrealistic claims about the time required to complete a project.

Thoroughness: Above all, a good book translation requires a translator who cares about getting the details right. When it’s sent to the publisher, a manuscript translation must be accurate in terms of substance and style, but it should also have been prepared according to the highest editorial standards, including consistent adherence to the publisher’s house style and application of sound copyediting practices. My work ethic as an editorial professional is founded on these principles.