My earliest ambition was to be a writer. As a child, I loved fantasy and magic, and I saw writing as a way of immersing myself in the imaginary worlds that obsessed me. I particularly liked the idea of Myst -- that you could write books that would create and transport you to other worlds.

In high school, I became interested in more serious literature and poetry. I read authors like James Joyce and T.S. Eliot and studied European History, deciding that I would like to become widely read in the European tradition. It was about this time that I became really interested in languages. I had studied French since middle school and done decently, but reading Dante and James Joyce in high school, I encountered excerpts of Italian, French, and Latin. They were little puzzles, pieces of the book that were locked away from me, and I felt that if I could understand them, what I was reading would take on a new depth and richness. This led me the study of Latin and Greek in university.

Studying Latin and Greek gave me a sense of power over and engagement with language I had not felt before. I became aware of grammar not as a set of arbitrary rules but as a kind of key to interpretation, something practical and logical. My sense of the English language changed also, as I became aware of all the words that had been built up from Latin and Greek roots. It was almost as dramatic as learning to read, because every word I saw took on a slightly different figure, seemed ready to show its meaning almost in its form. But most impressive were the baroque styles of the Classical authors, the complicated but precise way they weaved their meaning into a full-bodied period.

Studying the Classics also stoked my interest in translation. During my freshman year, for instance, I took Hum 110, the required curriculum for students entering the college. Many of the readings were more jarring and difficult than I imagined, and I often felt that the writers lacked the flow and accessibility of those I had read in my high school literature classes. No doubt part of this was that I did not fully appreciate what I was reading, but I thought part of it must be due to the translation. I began exploring different translations of the readings to see whether I could find something that was more fluid, more elegant. I saw that the style of translation varied widely according to the style and period of the translator: you might get Greek poetry in rhyming poets if you were reading Dryden or blank verse if you were reading H.D. In one of my Latin classes we did a translation project called "Hoc Opus, Hic Labor Est," where I developed my first ideas about translation. I saw translation as a creative act and wrote, perhaps a little too provocatively, that the duty of the translator is to improve on the original.

After I graduated from college, I found ProZ and worked on a few translation projects from English to French (software localization). I also gained experience in various types of clerical work and data entry in many industries including healthcare, communications, and national security. In my spare time, I studied logic and philosophy and taught myself to read German. In 2007 I enrolled at UC Santa Barbara where I obtained two master's degrees in Classics and Philosophy. Throughout, I continued to pursue my interests in translation, especially literary translation, and reading the classical works in the original language. After five years, however, I decided that I was ready for a change. I had become very interested in Classical Chinese, so I decided to teach English in China.

During my five years in China, I became aware of the vast difference between practical fluency in a language and translation ability / reading comprehension. My Chinese vocabulary increased very quickly, but writing and speaking Chinese were more challenging. I also came to appreciate the large differences between written, especially literary, Chinese and everyday vernacular Chinese. After 5 years, I obtained functional fluency as well as a high degree of literacy in the Chinese language. At the same time, I have realized that mastering a language is a life-long process, like mastering an instrument.

The philosopher Wittgenstein compared a language to a city with its various districts and their agglomerated history. I know in my own case that I tend to establish myself in only one section of the cities I have lived in, and my life follows a fixed circuit from home to work and back. One of the exciting things about translation jobs is that they afford me an opportunity to explore new areas of the city and learn about areas of life and business of which I was previously unaware. I love being confronted with an unfamiliar text and piecing out the puzzle of what it means, and translation affords the perfect opportunity to refine that skill.

Currently, I have been working in Chicago as a legal assistant in Foreclosure. I have also translated several Latin documents into English for TaikaTranslations LLC and am actively seeking further opportunities.

To conclude, I would like to answer the question, why should you hire me for your next translation project?

*I have a very solid foundation in Latinate and Indo-European languages, which means that I can make informed decisions about the meaning even of unfamiliar passages. I also understand how syntax and logic works -- my translations go beyond "word for word" and show a grasp of the underlying meaning and argumentation in the text being translated.
*I am a fluent writer and can produce translations that are smooth and easy to read. It is important to hire a translator who can produce legible and comprehensible English prose.
*I have a wide variety of experience in academic, business, and legal settings. I am versatile and can competently translate a variety of texts. I am also a skilled researcher and understand the best methodology to use when faced with unfamiliar terms or ideas.
*I am still gaining experience, so I am flexible to a variety of projects and time-lines at a variety of rates.

I hope this background has given you a better sense of who I am and what I can do, and I look forward to working with you on your next project!