Naked Translations
naked translations Stripping a text bare to reveal its mechanisms, its internal logic and its meaning to then transfer it into another language as faithfully as possible while using appropriate terminology and style.
Céline Graciet, English to French translator and interpreter
I am French (born in Bayonne, in the South-West) and live in Brighton, in the UK. After studying for three years at the University of Toulouse II I came here to finish my Masters in English at the University of Sussex and decided to stay on another year to improve my English… thirteen years later, I'm still here!
After qualifying as an English teacher and realising I wasn't happy in the classroom, I did some English to French translation work and understood that that's where my true passion was and that I needed to become a translator, so in 2000, I took and passed the Institute of Linguists' Diploma in Translation as well as the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting, thus acquiring recognised qualifications in English to French translation and interpreting. Living and working in the UK for twelve years has allowed me to develop an intimate understanding of this country, its language and funny ways. This makes me particularly well-equipped to translate English into French, my mother tongue. I keep constantly in touch with French by listening daily to RTL podcasts, which include news programs and debates on current affairs, reading Les Inrockuptibles every week as well as novels in French and of course, talking regularly to my family and friends.
English to French translator and interpreter
I am a Member of the Institute of Linguists, having passed the Diploma in Translation (French and English, 2 Distinctions, 1 Pass) and the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (French and English, Law option, 4 Distinctions, 1 Pass). Before that, I completed a Masters degree in English at the University of Toulouse II.
Specialisations
Subtitling, Waste Management (landfill sites, leachate treatment centres, incineration, sorting centres, recycling centres, energy recovery, waste reduction), Public Sector/International Organisations, Environment/Wildlife, Tourism, Marketing, Management, Education, Telecommunications, fitness/bodybuilding.
English to French translation
Public sector / International organisations
- 1999 Activity Report (World Organisation Against Torture) **
- Report on Children's Rights in Costa Rica (World Organisation Against Torture) *
- Report on Children’s Rights in South Africa (World Organisation Against Torture) *
- Report on Children’s Rights in Burundi (World Organisation Against Torture) *
- Report on Human Rights in South Africa (World Organisation Against Torture) *
- Annual report on Human Rights Defenders (World Organisation Against Torture) *
- Report on Children's Rights in Congo (World Organisation Against Torture) *
- Report on Human Rights in Africa (World Organisation Against Torture) *
- Web site on Internet content filtering (ICRA: www.icra.org) **
- DTLR correspondence *
- US Government agency articles (Economic Reform Today) *
- Documents on intellectual property for the World Trade Organisation **
- Clandestine immigration (Eurotunnel / UK Home Office) *
- Immigration detention centre rules and information *
- Home Office presentation on criminality *
- Home Office asylum seekers reason statements ***
- Articles on sustainable development for the World Bank Institute ****
- Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors documents on geographic information systems and sustainable development **
- North Staffordshire information documents for asylum seekers and refugees *
- Information brochure for the Marine Accidents Investigation Branch (British Department for Transport) *
- Yarl's Wood detention centre's internal documentation for inmates *
- HMP Eastwood's internal documentation for inmates *
- Article on the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) for the Agency for International Trade Information and Cooperation *
- Presentation on governance in Sierra Leone *
- Background documents for EU summit on transport and public private partnerships **
- Evaluation of aid modalities (general budget support) in seven countries (190,000 words)
- Report on post-disaster reconstruction and the transition from humanitarian relief *
- Proposal on economic advice to the European Commission delegation in Kigali **
- Study of HLI (Highly Labour-Intensive) programs in Madagascar *
- Monthly newsletter on Security Sector Reform (SSR) ***
- Report on putting aid on budget in Mali ****
- Study on the rehabilitation and reintegration of former child soldiers in Colombia ***
Environment / Wildlife
- Air pollution report for East Sussex County Council ***
- Brochure on energy saving for Lewes Council **
- Web site for animal lovers **
- Canac products for pets *
- LIFE project on strategies to improve the environment in Europe ***
- Interreg II and III projects on Environmental stewardship for East Sussex County Council and Nord-Pas de Calais (ongoing over 5 years) ****
- Documents on waste management in East Sussex and the Rouen region (Interreg III, ongoing over 2 years) ****
- Book on ladybirds (Darren J. Mann, Ladybirds, natural pest control) ****
- Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors documents on geographical information systems **
- Documents on Environmental Management Systems ****
- Documents on waste reduction at Kent County Council ****
- Exhaustive environmental study of the West coast of Morocco for the Moroccan government ****
- Documents on the preservation of beaches for East Sussex County Council *
- Documents on the preservation of marine life *
- Documents on waste management ****
- Documents on landfill sites, material recovery facilities, sorting centres, incinerators, leachate treatment centres and recycling centres ****
- Documents on composting/recycling and energy recovery ****
- Resource pack for teachers on coastal preservation ****
Tourism
- Tourist brochure on the David Livingstone Centre *
- Tower of London information signs/boards *
- Web site on tourist guides (www.wcities.com) ****
- East Sussex County Council Interreg II project (ongoing) ****
- Rother District Council Interreg project on transfrontier tourism ***
- Bulletin for a golf resort *
- Interreg III project on regeneration of Folleville and Rye through their medieval past *
- East Sussex County Council Brochure on events in the region during summer 2004 ****
- Rye Partnership tourism literature **
- British Airways Holidays brochure ***
- Bougainvillea beach resort website and brochure **
- Cycling route leaflets for Sustrans ***
- Touristic leaflets on Edinburgh and Glasgow *
- Brochure on the Falkirk Wheel, Scotland **
- Brochures on hotel resorts ****
Marketing
- Marketing and internal documents, brochures, leaflets for a large company selling financial products ****
- Presentation for bank products *
- Customer literature for a hotel chain ****
- Brochure on home furnishing range **
- Product description for an outdoor company ***
- Part of the website of a company specialised in digital photography ***
- Adverts for bank products *
- Part of the website for a low-cost airline ****
- Ad campaign for digital photography products **
- Description of footwear for sports **
- Press releases, product descriptions and marketing documents for a company specialised in sports products ****
- Part of the website of a manufacturer of transportation solutions **
- Articles on commercial systems **
- Promotional literature for a big airline company **
- Promotional literature for a company specialised in computers, laptops, servers, printers and more ****
- Cerestar website **
- Skrivanek Translation Services website *
- Translator's website *
- Promotional literature for car hire company ****
- Documents on the services provided by an Internet portal ****
- Promotional literature for a well-known sports brand ****
- Documentation on a new device tracking runners' performance **
Management
- Employees skill assessment software **
- Presentation on Product Lifecycle management **
- Project management course for chartered surveyors) **
- Production management system **
- University management assessment *
- Internal newsletters *
- Internet portal employee performance evaluation process ****
- Clients questionnaires **
- Car company portal for their dealers ***
- Documents on operational excellence and commercial process management ***
- Documents on data management solutions and business content management **
Education
- Embassy CES (English language school) website ****
- Study Group brochure ****
- Study of New Labour's education policies ****
Telecommunications
- Satellite telecommunications tender bid ***
- Telecommunications presentation *
- Wireless LAN systems **
- Billing system documentation **
- Wireless messaging services *
- Telecommunications company's messaging services terms and conditions ****
Fitness / Bodybuilding
- I translate articles for a popular monthly magazine on fitness and bodybuilding (210,000+ words so far)
English to French and French to English interpreting
- Workshops on waste management for Vivendi Environment (consecutive)
- One-day conference on environmental preservation (consecutive)
- One-day conference on chalk grasslands preservation (whispered/simultaneous)
- Two-day meeting on protected sites interpretation (consecutive)
- Two-day meeting on tourism development (consecutive)
- Presentation for a marketing pitch on mobile libraries (consecutive)
- Quarterly steering committee meetings on environmental management (Interreg III, ongoing for 5 years) (consecutive and whispered/simultaneous)
- Regular visits to landfill sites, Material Recovery Facilities, recycling centres and incinerators for a transfrontier project on waste management in East Sussex and the Rouen region (Interreg III, ongoing for 3 years) (consecutive and whispered/simultaneous)
- Training day for Unilever training managers (consecutive)
- Training day for Calvin Klein marketing directors (whispered/simultaneous)
- Day of negotiations between commercial partners (consecutive)
- Phone conference with lawyer and plaintiff for a child abduction case (consecutive)
- Three interviews between a psychiatrist and a client for a psychiatric report (consecutive)
- One-day meeting on the protection of coasts in the Channel region (simultaneous, whispered)
- Half-day meeting on church renovation/enhancement project (consecutive)
- One-day visit by a group of French farmers on the theme of farm diversification (consecutive)
- Business meeting a product manufacturer and a distributor (consecutive)
- Visit of a landfill site and a leachate treatment plant for landfill site managers (consecutive)
- Visit of an offshore windfarm (consecutive)
Subtitling
I have subtitled numerous Hollywood films, directors' commentaries and documentaries. Films include Charlotte Gray (Gillian Armstrong, 2001), Jeepers Creepers (Victor Salva, 2001), episodes of The Simpsons, Teen Wolf (Rod Daniel, 1985), Forty days and forty nights (Michael Lehmann, 2002), I'll Be There (Craig Ferguson, 2003), The Life of David Gale (Alan Parker, 2003), Jesus Christ Superstar (Norman Jewison, 1973) and many more. Directors' commentaries include Black Hawk Down (Ridley Scott, 2001), ED TV (Ron Howard, 1999), Charlotte Gray (Gillian Armstrong, 2001), From Hell (Albert and Allen Hughes, 2001), Back to the Future 1 (Robert Zemeckis, 1985), About a Boy (Chris and Paul Weitz, 2002), Apollo 13 (Ron Howard, 1995), Red Dragon (Brett Ratner, 2002), The Life of David Gale (Alan Parker, 2003), 2 Fast 2 Furious (John Singleton, 2003), Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004) and many more.
* - 10,000 words
** 10,000 – 20,000 words
*** 20,000 – 40,000 words
**** + 40,000 words
