About me

I’m a teacher and translator, with a particular interest in literature, culture and the arts, history and politics, and diversity and inclusion.

I teach German and Russian at all levels, and Arabic, French and Spanish up to a lower intermediate level. More here about my teaching experience and interests. In the academic year 2025-26, I will be studying towards my PGCE at the University of Bristol while working in local schools in Gloucestershire.

As a literary translator, I translate fiction and nonfiction from Arabic, German and Russian for English-language publishers worldwide. I’m particularly interested in international children’s literature, writing by authors of colour and immigrant authors, queer writing, and texts exploring neurodiversity, disability and diffability.

Since 2013, I’ve translated or co-translated over 30 books, by authors from Croatia, Finland, Germany, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Russia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Syria. Several of my translations have been awarded PEN Translates awards, one was included in the IBBY Honour List. See below for other prizes my translations have been shortlisted for, and see my full publications list here.

I’m a passionate advocate of world literature for young people and diversity in children’s publishing and education. Since 2024, I’ve been managing director of the nonprofit voluntary organisation World Kid Lit CIC, where we aim to raise awareness of and improve access to inclusive, global literature for young people.

I’ve worked with various literature festivals as a children’s literature consultant, and I review translated children’s books and write about global reading for young people at Words Without Borders, World Kid Lit, and World Literature Today. I also promote global reading, language learning, and creative translation for young people through workshops in schools, working in particular with the Stephen Spender Trust, Queens Translation Exchange and World Kid Lit.

Qualifications

• Currently studying for PGCE: Modern Languages (University of Bristol/GITEP, 2025-26)
• MA in Translation and Interpreting (University of Bath, 2006)
• CIOL Diploma in Translation: from Arabic (2013), from German and Russian (2004)
• MA Oxon Modern and Medieval Languages (University of Oxford, 2003)

Translation accolades

• English PEN ‘PEN Translates’ award for Brothers by Jackie Thomae (2022)
• The Raven’s Children by Yulia Yakovleva, in my translation, selected for the IBBY Honour List (2022)
• English PEN ‘PEN Translates’ award for The German Crocodile and Punishment of a Hunter (2020)
• English PEN ‘PEN Translates’ award for A History of the World with the Women Put Back In (2019)
• Trees for the Absentees shortlisted for the GLLI Translated YA Prize (2020)
• Trees for the Absentees shortlisted for the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for literary translation from Arabic (2020)
• Farewell to the Horse shortlisted for the Helen & Kurt Wolff Translator’s Prize (2019)
• Shortlisted for The Arts Foundation fellowship in literary translation (2016)

Consultancy & other roles (languages, literature, education)

• World Kid Lit roles: blog co-editor 2018-2021; administrator of Project World Kid Lit 2019-2023; managing director 2024-now
• Cheltenham Literature Festival Reading Teachers = Reading Pupils panel member, 2022 and 2023
• Society of Authors/Goethe-Institut Award for Translation from German, member of the judging panel, 2021
• Member of the Society of Authors/Translators’ Association committee, 2019-2021
• Examiner for Edexcel GCSE Arabic and Russian GCSE, and the CIOL Diploma in Translation
• Arabic, German and Russian tutor for private pupils; visiting Arabic teacher at Cheltenham Ladies College (2007-2014, and again from 2024-now) and at other schools in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire (2009-2014)
• Arabic linguist and researcher at UK civil service (2004-2009)

Professional memberships