I have always used my French for my work but in recent years I have been doing more translations. For Eurosport this has primarily been in the Essential Stories series of long-form features - 10 parts of which were turned into an Olympic Essential Stories podcast in 2021. I have also translated two children’s books from French into English for ZebraBook: the Talent Book and the European Tour. My latest large translation project is an entire history of the Solvay Conferences. For more information on Quantum Fantasies, see the entry below.

Fantaisies Quantiques =>  Quantum Fantasies

Quantum Fantasies takes the reader on an odyssey through the history that led to the founding of Quantum Theory. It does this through the lens of the Solvay Conferences, their founder Ernest Solvay, and the scientists who attended them. The journey begins with the study of the atom at the start of the 20th century and ends with the prediction of the Big Bang and black holes in 1958.

The brainchild of the Belgian chemist Ernest Solvay, the inaugural Solvay Conference of 1911 was a turning point for modern Physics at a time when the nascent quantum theory of energy was upsetting the certainties of Classical Mechanics. These ground-breaking Conferences would become a unique forum where the scientific elite could meet, exchange and debate on controversial issues – most notably in 1927 when Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr argued about God playing dice.

Over the course of the twentieth century, the Conferences were at the forefront of scientific advancement, not least with the nuclear arms race, the discovery of DNA, and the birth of Big Bang Theory. Set against the fascinating backdrop of two world wars while blending real accounts with a vibrant fictionalised history of imagined dialogues as well as detailed explanations of the technical aspects of this burgeoning new physics, this book tells the adventure of quantum mechanics and the colourful cast of extraordinary characters involved.

This is the first full-length book that I have translated. Running at 156,000 words, it was a huge undertaking. It was also a highly rewarding collaborative effort with the co-author, Marina Solvay, and a Belgian PhD student, Aidan Wastiaux, whose input on the more scientific passages was invaluable. Now the work is fully translated, Marina is seeking a publisher in the UK or the USA. Here is a link to the original French version of Fantaisies Quantiques.

The Talent Book

The premise of the Talent Book is quite simple: fairies have received word from a child’s doting godparents, and they lean over the crib to offer the baby a host of talents for different future careers. Each one of these talents match a letter of the child's own name. Take little Lucy Johnson for example: she is offered the meticulousness of a Librarian, the organisation of an Urban planner, the get-up-and-go of a Civil servant, the zen spirit of a Yoga teacher, the style of a Jeweller, and so on. All in all, I had to translate around 70 poems for this tailored book – at least two for every letter of the alphabet – to build up a large-enough library for all possibilities of names. Suitable for children of any ages. Find out more here.

The European Tour

In the European Tour, Harry, James, Lucy, Thomas – basically your child – will be the hero of a great search across Europe for the 26 letters of the alphabet. Their quest will take them to all the major countries of the continent. They will have to pick tulips in the Netherlands, put Swiss cuckoo clocks back together, save a young stork in Poland, learn the art of drinking tea properly with the Queen of England, console a little Romanian vampire, and so on. This unique, enthralling tale plays on national stereotypes and characteristics. It will not only encourage your child to learn to read but will also help them discover more about Europe as they completes their journey full of fun tasks and challenges. Suitable for children from 4-10. Find out more here.