Translations
for handicraft instructions and historical documents
I translate for you with precision and passion
knitting instructions
from English into German.
Knitting instructions, letters and historical documents into English from the following languages:
Icelandic
Danish
German
Norwegian
Swedish
"I don't speak German and will not be able to help, if a customer has a question!"
While translating, I visualize the most complex techniques and constructions. If I can't figure out an instruction, I will ask you as long as I need to understand completely what you are meaning, in order to describe exactly what to do in German. Since september 2016, I have never received any questions from my clients' customers about my translations.
For references and information about me, please scroll down the page.
Knitting patterns
Would you like your designs to conquer the German market with it's approx. 98 million speakers? Then I am the right person for you! Being a master knitter and designer myself, I am fully aware of your needs of precise and clear pattern instructions, so you don't receive "1000" questions about how or what to do.
For your convenience, I also format your text and layout your PDF document, so it looks appealing to your customers and you are able to publish it directly.
Are you publishing articles and patterns in print and online? I'm your expert translator, turning German and Nordic languages into English "knit speak"!
Historical Documents
Did you find letters from your great-grandmother or a certificate of an ancestor, written in Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian or Swedish? If you can't read these languages anymore, I am able to shed a light on your family's history.
In the meager years of the middle and late 19th century, a huge part of the rural population of the nordic countries crossed the ocean and tried their luck in North America. Documents from personal belongings often reveal valuable information about the newcomer's background and conditions.
If your text is handwritten, I first produce a transcription true to the original, then a translation to modern English.
Take advantage of my investigative and research skills, as well as my language competences, to find out more relevant information about your ancestors in the archives of the nordic countries.
Language and knitting enthusiast with marketing, wording and layout skills
"But dearie, this is _just_not_possible_!"
I still hear my textiles teacher's voice in the 5th-10th grade, exclamating these words with blank astonishment, when I was explaining to her my plans for the newest assignment.
It _was_ possible, of course it was. I had a picture in my mind, made a plan and stuck to it. And got an A+ each time.
School time is long ago, but my love for colorful yarns and fibers has never faded. In 2016, I discovered, that I have fun designing patterns and writing them down.
As a linguist, I found out, that there is a need for knitting pattern translators: Someone, who knows the techniques, can visualize a short row shaping or a raglan top-down construction and knows exactly, what they are writing about.
Do you want to publish your designs in a different language to reach a bigger audience?
Do you need help writing a pattern down in an understandable way, so others will be able to knit it as well?
Remember: everything is possible!
If you are stuck, contact me. :)
Born and raised in Cologne, Germany, I first began learning Swedish 14 years old.
Eager and curious to learn everything I could about the nordic countries, I organized working stays in Norway, Denmark and Iceland by myself.
Later, I studied Scandinavian culture and languages at Bonn University in Germany. I was granted scholarships for deepening my language studies at the Swedish minority university in Turku, and at summer courses both in Finnish in Rauma and Icelandic in Reykjavik.
For my master's thesis, I moved to Iceland in 1999 and still live in Reykjavik, now with my four children.
Since then, I have been translating short and crime stories, poetry and articles for the tourism industry. I am as well a social interpreter and work - amongst others - at the emergency ward of the university hospital in Reykjavik.
References
"Elena translated Cherry bloom [cardigan pattern] into German for me. She works throughly and accurately. If something in the text was unclear or unusual techniques were used in the pattern, she posed questions until she was sure she understood how to proceed with the knitting, before she translated. This is important, because pattern descriptions are most often not possible to translate word by word.
German knitters confirmed, that the pattern is very well translated. I have not received any questions regarding the pattern, which indicates, that all details are translated rightly and accurately. I am highly pleased both with the translation and the collaboration."
Lene Tøsti - Ravelry designer page
"Our collaboration was much fun and very constructive, as Elena is easy-going and down to earth. She supported me very well in wording my German knitting instructions and pointed out confusing ambiguities. My comments and wishes were answered right away and implemented immediately.
In the result, her wording, layout and colorscheme both for the German original and the English translation are perfectly hitting the mark. I recommend Elena’s service at any time."
Bärbel Salet - VerstrickteKunst