Stellenbosch Publishers

Ilse Evertse: editing, writing and translation services.

I have been a freelance editor and translator since 1985. Under my maiden name Ilse Steyn I have written 35+ romances for Lapa and Tafelberg Publishers (now called NB Publishers Limited), most of which have been reprinted. I am therefore able to provide the writing skills lacking in many academic and business texts.

I work with various versions of Microsoft Word, using the Reviewing mode. If you are not familiar with this, I’ll send you a short explanation. My fee is negotiable.

My client base mostly consists of:

1. German and Swiss academics in the field of business and economics. It does help that I have a very good knowledge of German and can therefore do a "back" translation if required. I hasten to add that this does not always solve all editing problems as I have quite a few clients who have a knack for creating their own, very original, English idioms.

My clients come from a wide range of institutions. Among others, the universities of St. Gallen, Geneva and Munich feature regularly.

I really like translating from German, but I prefer translation projects that allow me leeway to do a creative translation. This is important if, for example, the client wants an academic text to be adapted for the general public, for American readers etc.

2. Finnish academics in the field of anthropology. And no, I don’t know Finnish, but close proximity to a Finn and many years of editing their texts have given me a good insight into the typical errors that Finns make when writing English. Having edited books consisting of contributions by anthropologists throughout world, this has widened my experience of English "as she is writ" worldwide.
3. Dutch academics associated with a scientific institution. I understand and read Dutch perfectly and speak it almost fluently. Editing and/or translating texts produced by Dutch speakers is therefore another of the language services that I offer.
4. Afrikaans speakers who need any texts translated into English or who need their English edited.
5. Then there are those weird and wonderful projects: editing a manual for Israeli irrigation software; translating and editing Dutch short stories into English and Afrikaans - translating the wordplay turned me grey overnight!; editing a book on sport history etc.

And then I also have to write novels during quiet times. However, I far prefer editing to writing, so if you’re writing fiction and want a published author to take a first look – I’m available.

My clients almost automatically become part of my worldwide tribe and I try my best to keep up with their careers and family life. One tribe member started off as a student’s whose Master’s thesis I was asked to edit, then his PhD and these days he is a professor married to an editor – we do make an impression! Many of my tribe members have become acquainted, which has enlarged the network even more. Thank you to everyone who sends me wedding invitations and those important first-baby photos!

Languages:
English
German
Dutch
Afrikaans

Downloads:
The Guru speaks
Writing to be read
A shortcut to understanding tenses