T: +49 (0)30 44035117 M: +49 (0)1739021268 E: reusch@englishagency.de

What's in a name?

Find out more about my personal and professional background on this page.

PERSONALLY

I'm equally at home in two languages and cultures: Born in 1968 in Lincoln, England to German parents, I grew up with both English and German as my native languages and completed 13 years of education in the English school system. After passing my A-levels in 1986 I moved to Germany, first to Stuttgart to spend a year working as an au pair, then to Tübingen to study German and English Linguistics and Modern English Literature. I graduated with an MA in 1993 and subsequently trained as a teacher of English as a foreign language in London. Between 1995 and 1998 I taught English at the University of Bonn. I gained my Diploma in Translation from the Institute of Linguistics in London in 1998. In October 1998 I embarked on a freelance career and I have been steadily expanding my client base ever since. In 2001 I moved to Berlin, where I still live and work.

Language is the thread that runs through my life. No doubt that has something to do with having two mother tongues and the fact that I have never lost touch with the two cultures that are important to me – my family and friends are spread across both Germany and the UK. But language and languages have always fascinated me: in theory, in literature and in practice when learning foreign languages. Ultimately, however, it is my clients' texts – your texts – that make my work so interesting and give me the opportunity to work with such a variety of subjects and registers, from formal legal texts to lively film dialogues.

PROFESSIONALLY

I've been working with spoken and written language for more than 30 years – primarily as a translator, but also as a copy editor, proofreader and teacher of English as a foreign language.

In 1987 I was asked to translate a PhD thesis by the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart – my first paid translation, which also became my first published text. Since then the spectrum of my translation work has steadily broadened. Working for a law firm in Stuttgart ensured that I gained a firm grasp of legal terminology. Teaching translation courses for exam candidates at the University of Bonn gave me an even greater awareness of the technical finer points of translation and subtleties of grammar.

Over the years I have also gained a thorough understanding of the entire editorial process – from the writing to the galley-proofing stage – be it working as a lexicographer on a technical dictionary, as Editorial Co-ordinator at NAVAL FORCES Magazine, as a copy-editor for Thieme Publishers, or as the editor of a novel and author of an accompanying book for teachers for Cornelsen Publishers.

My clients benefit from my many years of experience working with the most diverse English texts, subjects areas and linguistic styles. Whether I'm translating, proof-reading or writing, striking the right note and making use of my Inner Stickler for punctuation and grammar are a matter of course in my work.

Membership

Member of the German Association of Interpreters and Translators (BDÜ) and of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL)

My career history in brief:

1987–1994 Translator, editor

Student assistant to Prof. Dr W. Doppler, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart

Translating (German > English) and proofreading diverse academic texts

1994 Lexicographer

German Technical Dictionary (Routledge, London & New York)

1994–1995 Translator

Gleiss, Lutz, Hootz, Hirsch & Partner, Stuttgart

Translating (German > English) legal texts

1995–1998

Full-time teacher of English as a foreign language

English Department, University of Bonn
Teaching translation, grammar and conversation courses, phonetics and essay writing; various levels; preparing, designing and developing course materials

1999 Author

of an accompanying book for teachers and editor of "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill, Cornelsen Senior English Library, Cornelsen Publishers, Berlin

1999 Editorial Co-ordinator

NAVAL FORCES Magazine (published in English), Mönch Verlagsgesellschaft, Bonn-Duisdorf

Editing, translating, proofreading

2000–2007 Copy-editor

Thieme Publishers, Stuttgart
Copy-editing English medical texts