Rachel Ward
@racheltranslates.bsky.social
FITI, Literary & creative translator, German & French to English: children's/YA and crime fiction, history; proofreader, bookworm; food, crafts, history; cats; climbing; cycling; she/her; Twitter: @FwdTranslations Mastodon: @[email protected]
Reposted by Rachel Ward
Looking for translators with cats! Please help me find my people.
November 26, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Looking for translators with cats! Please help me find my people.
Reposted by Rachel Ward
Journalist challenge: Use “Machine Learning” when you mean machine learning and “LLM” when you mean LLM. Ditch “AI” as a catch-all term, it’s not useful for readers and it helps companies trying to confuse the public by obscuring the roles played by different technologies. 🧪
November 22, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Journalist challenge: Use “Machine Learning” when you mean machine learning and “LLM” when you mean LLM. Ditch “AI” as a catch-all term, it’s not useful for readers and it helps companies trying to confuse the public by obscuring the roles played by different technologies. 🧪
Reposted by Rachel Ward
"Getting a robot to use the treadmill for you at the gym doesn't make you any fitter"
You don't say?
You don't say?
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
November 21, 2025 at 12:51 PM
"Getting a robot to use the treadmill for you at the gym doesn't make you any fitter"
You don't say?
You don't say?
Is there such a thing as a Wasserhüpfburg in English?! Hüpfburg is bouncy castle. You can have inflatable water slides but I can't think what to call this. It's only a throwaway line, memory of a summer past, don't want to make a big thing of it. They swam "über die Bucht zur großen Wasserhüpfburg".
November 21, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Is there such a thing as a Wasserhüpfburg in English?! Hüpfburg is bouncy castle. You can have inflatable water slides but I can't think what to call this. It's only a throwaway line, memory of a summer past, don't want to make a big thing of it. They swam "über die Bucht zur großen Wasserhüpfburg".
Reposted by Rachel Ward
Hey! Northern hemisphere folks:
this is my annual reminder to myself and perhaps also to you that if you have the schedule autonomy to permit it, get out for a walk or whatever during daylight hours! It's important!
You can work more when it's dark but you need whatever sunlight is available!
this is my annual reminder to myself and perhaps also to you that if you have the schedule autonomy to permit it, get out for a walk or whatever during daylight hours! It's important!
You can work more when it's dark but you need whatever sunlight is available!
November 18, 2025 at 4:39 AM
Hey! Northern hemisphere folks:
this is my annual reminder to myself and perhaps also to you that if you have the schedule autonomy to permit it, get out for a walk or whatever during daylight hours! It's important!
You can work more when it's dark but you need whatever sunlight is available!
this is my annual reminder to myself and perhaps also to you that if you have the schedule autonomy to permit it, get out for a walk or whatever during daylight hours! It's important!
You can work more when it's dark but you need whatever sunlight is available!
Reposted by Rachel Ward
Just arrived - thank you so much @orendabooks.bsky.social - “Sharks” by @ohneklippo.bsky.social (trans @racheltranslates.bsky.social). More Chastity Riley! Due out Feb 2026!
November 17, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Just arrived - thank you so much @orendabooks.bsky.social - “Sharks” by @ohneklippo.bsky.social (trans @racheltranslates.bsky.social). More Chastity Riley! Due out Feb 2026!
Reposted by Rachel Ward
For anyone looking to deepen their craft... check out this Mst in Creative Translation!
We're launching a really exciting new MSt in Creative Translation - details here. Oxford has a wealth of brilliant translator energy and I am excited to see what will come out of this. Please forward to likely sorts! www.mod-langs.ox.ac.uk/news/2025/11...
MSt in Creative Translation
The Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages is delighted to announce the launch of a new course, the MSt in Creative Translation.
www.mod-langs.ox.ac.uk
November 14, 2025 at 3:39 PM
For anyone looking to deepen their craft... check out this Mst in Creative Translation!
I've got a "Darf ich Du sagen?" as a plot point. Can't just skim over it: it comes at a crisis point, followed by "fancy worrying about a thing like that at a time like this". First names don't really work here. Person B has already called A by first name + Sie... Maybe some other etiquette thing?
November 14, 2025 at 2:05 PM
I've got a "Darf ich Du sagen?" as a plot point. Can't just skim over it: it comes at a crisis point, followed by "fancy worrying about a thing like that at a time like this". First names don't really work here. Person B has already called A by first name + Sie... Maybe some other etiquette thing?
OK, I have only the woman in her PJs to go on #HiddenBooksGame and I am totally stumped. Apparently there's a book called Angry White Pyjamas, but it isn't that!
November 13, 2025 at 4:35 PM
OK, I have only the woman in her PJs to go on #HiddenBooksGame and I am totally stumped. Apparently there's a book called Angry White Pyjamas, but it isn't that!
How did I not know it's #HiddenBooksGame day?!
November 13, 2025 at 3:40 PM
How did I not know it's #HiddenBooksGame day?!
Wordle 1,603 1/6*
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
I need another new starting word!
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
I need another new starting word!
November 8, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Wordle 1,603 1/6*
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
I need another new starting word!
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
I need another new starting word!
Reposted by Rachel Ward
“In the end, it takes more time, energy, and could be more costly for clients in the long run to correct something a machine has translated badly.”
🤖 ‘They wanted me to make myself obsolete’: #translators find themselves at the sharp end of AI; here, one linguist talks about the challenges of working in an industry most at risk from automation
ft.com/content/50b1...
via @financialtimes.com
ft.com/content/50b1...
via @financialtimes.com
‘They wanted me to make myself obsolete’: translators find themselves at the sharp end of AI
One linguist on the challenges of working in an industry most at risk from automation
ft.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:54 PM
“In the end, it takes more time, energy, and could be more costly for clients in the long run to correct something a machine has translated badly.”
Reposted by Rachel Ward
CAMBRIDGE! We are coming! Come see the wonderful Antti Tuomainen and I this Monday, Nov 10th at 18:30 at Bodies in the Bookshop. Dark Icelandic crime meets funny Finnish thrillers — the north in all its contrasts.
#authorsontour
@orendabooks.bsky.social
#authorsontour
@orendabooks.bsky.social
November 7, 2025 at 1:35 PM
CAMBRIDGE! We are coming! Come see the wonderful Antti Tuomainen and I this Monday, Nov 10th at 18:30 at Bodies in the Bookshop. Dark Icelandic crime meets funny Finnish thrillers — the north in all its contrasts.
#authorsontour
@orendabooks.bsky.social
#authorsontour
@orendabooks.bsky.social
This story came up in my text this morning and I had to look up further details... How Bismarck almost drowned while swimming at Birarritz with his Russian princess mistress: www.theguardian.com/world/2006/a...
The things we learn while translating!
The things we learn while translating!
How France missed a chance to sink Bismarck
New documents found in a dusty town hall reveal that the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck nearly drowned while swimming at the French seaside resort of Biarritz, an event that could have profoundly...
www.theguardian.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:16 AM
This story came up in my text this morning and I had to look up further details... How Bismarck almost drowned while swimming at Birarritz with his Russian princess mistress: www.theguardian.com/world/2006/a...
The things we learn while translating!
The things we learn while translating!
Patronising and infuriating email from school, which basically boils down to "congratulations, your child happens to have been healthy for half a term, well done you."
November 4, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Patronising and infuriating email from school, which basically boils down to "congratulations, your child happens to have been healthy for half a term, well done you."
Reposted by Rachel Ward
In 1107, King Henry's butler founded the abbey of Wymondham, & he donated 2 things to help the monks get by:
1. the right to salvage shipwrecks on a nearby coast
2. a rent of 2,000 eels per year
Time for an eel picnic on the beach!
🗃️🧪
1. the right to salvage shipwrecks on a nearby coast
2. a rent of 2,000 eels per year
Time for an eel picnic on the beach!
🗃️🧪
October 30, 2025 at 4:22 PM
In 1107, King Henry's butler founded the abbey of Wymondham, & he donated 2 things to help the monks get by:
1. the right to salvage shipwrecks on a nearby coast
2. a rent of 2,000 eels per year
Time for an eel picnic on the beach!
🗃️🧪
1. the right to salvage shipwrecks on a nearby coast
2. a rent of 2,000 eels per year
Time for an eel picnic on the beach!
🗃️🧪
Went down a rabbit hole of the German prefix "ver" prompted by "verlieben" and a whole bit of grammar in the middle of my novel translation! #amtranslating
yourdailygerman.com/german-prefi...
yourdailygerman.com/german-prefi...
The meaning of German Prefix "ver" - The 1 Core Idea
'ver' is the most common prefix in German and there seems to be no logic to it. In this article, we'll discover its one core meaning and what we can do with it.
yourdailygerman.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Went down a rabbit hole of the German prefix "ver" prompted by "verlieben" and a whole bit of grammar in the middle of my novel translation! #amtranslating
yourdailygerman.com/german-prefi...
yourdailygerman.com/german-prefi...
Reposted by Rachel Ward
A reminder to fellow NT members - the Restore Trust lot are at it again, trying to insert ideology into NT’s curation of our heritage.
Don’t forget to vote for historical accuracy over politicised nostalgic fantasy
Don’t forget to vote for historical accuracy over politicised nostalgic fantasy
*Calling all members*
Get your votes in for our Annual General Meeting before it’s too late: buff.ly/reNDWPy
Voting closes midnight on 31 Oct.
Get your votes in for our Annual General Meeting before it’s too late: buff.ly/reNDWPy
Voting closes midnight on 31 Oct.
October 29, 2025 at 9:40 AM
A reminder to fellow NT members - the Restore Trust lot are at it again, trying to insert ideology into NT’s curation of our heritage.
Don’t forget to vote for historical accuracy over politicised nostalgic fantasy
Don’t forget to vote for historical accuracy over politicised nostalgic fantasy
Reposted by Rachel Ward
👋 Hello lovely Blueskyers! Do I (or you?) know any gothic novel fans (or even better, with links to the UK publishing industry)? A student I know is keen to ask research questions about British gothic novels by women authors over the years and their correlation with societal changes. And pls share!
October 29, 2025 at 8:54 AM
👋 Hello lovely Blueskyers! Do I (or you?) know any gothic novel fans (or even better, with links to the UK publishing industry)? A student I know is keen to ask research questions about British gothic novels by women authors over the years and their correlation with societal changes. And pls share!
And it includes children's books in translation too! 🥳
My good news has just come in! LOOK AT THIS! So pleased to see this! www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
Booker prize launches £50,000 children’s award
Children will help judge the new prize along with children’s laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce
www.theguardian.com
October 24, 2025 at 12:07 PM
And it includes children's books in translation too! 🥳
Reposted by Rachel Ward
🔔FUNDRAISER ALERT🔔
AND, if our new-style merch is more your bag, shop now and help us support BIPOC translators. Mousepads, coasters, shirts, bags, and more--plus, no Jeff Bezos! #Christmas will be here before you know it, and we've got you covered! #xl8 #translation
translatorsaloud.com/shop/#!/
AND, if our new-style merch is more your bag, shop now and help us support BIPOC translators. Mousepads, coasters, shirts, bags, and more--plus, no Jeff Bezos! #Christmas will be here before you know it, and we've got you covered! #xl8 #translation
translatorsaloud.com/shop/#!/
Shop – Translators Aloud
translatorsaloud.com
October 24, 2025 at 11:48 AM
🔔FUNDRAISER ALERT🔔
AND, if our new-style merch is more your bag, shop now and help us support BIPOC translators. Mousepads, coasters, shirts, bags, and more--plus, no Jeff Bezos! #Christmas will be here before you know it, and we've got you covered! #xl8 #translation
translatorsaloud.com/shop/#!/
AND, if our new-style merch is more your bag, shop now and help us support BIPOC translators. Mousepads, coasters, shirts, bags, and more--plus, no Jeff Bezos! #Christmas will be here before you know it, and we've got you covered! #xl8 #translation
translatorsaloud.com/shop/#!/
Reposted by Rachel Ward
"Almost half of everything AI assistants tell you is wrong" and "Oxford university gives AI assistants to all its students" are two headlines we are forced to accept as coexisting in this appalling timeline.
The response of UK universities to this is, almost universally, to say "Tch, what can you do?"
Or in some cases, to very overtly decide that the thing to do is join in...
Or in some cases, to very overtly decide that the thing to do is join in...
October 23, 2025 at 8:24 AM
"Almost half of everything AI assistants tell you is wrong" and "Oxford university gives AI assistants to all its students" are two headlines we are forced to accept as coexisting in this appalling timeline.
Reposted by Rachel Ward
Ok, here's a weird one. Did you know that in Germany, we talk about 'Digitalisierung', but in English we have two words, and they mean different things. I often see DE companies write about the advantages of 'digitization' when they mean 'digitalization'.
englishtextservices.de/en/digitizat...
englishtextservices.de/en/digitizat...
Digitization vs digitalization: Why the German word “Digitalisierung” is often mistranslated
The German word “Digitalisierung” is often mistranslated – is digitization or digitalization the right word? Learn the difference between these two words, and how they relate to digital transformation...
englishtextservices.de
October 23, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Ok, here's a weird one. Did you know that in Germany, we talk about 'Digitalisierung', but in English we have two words, and they mean different things. I often see DE companies write about the advantages of 'digitization' when they mean 'digitalization'.
englishtextservices.de/en/digitizat...
englishtextservices.de/en/digitizat...
Reposted by Rachel Ward
Comedy Wildlife Awards 2025 – in pictures
Comedy Wildlife Awards 2025 – in pictures
From a red-throated loon touching down on water, to good and bad hair days, and an airborne squirrel, here is a selection of the finalists in this year’s Nikon Comedy Wildlife awards
www.theguardian.com
October 23, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Comedy Wildlife Awards 2025 – in pictures
Reposted by Rachel Ward
The words "guilty pleasure" don't exist with books. No guilt, just pleasure. Books are there to enjoy.
Tell me your most life-affirming literary opinion.
October 14, 2025 at 3:58 PM
The words "guilty pleasure" don't exist with books. No guilt, just pleasure. Books are there to enjoy.