While conducting doctoral research in Copenhagen in 1994 on a Fulbright grant after completing my Master’s Degree in Scandinavian Languages and Literature at the University of Washington, I became interested in the Dutch language and ended up relocating to the Netherlands in 1995. I spent the first few years studying Dutch and perfecting my language skills. The decision to become a professional translator was an easy one because it combines my love of languages and the written word with a passion for creativity.
In 2006, I relocated to Norway, where I re-established my business. Completely by coincidence, I ended up 20 minutes away from the farm where my grandmother was born before her family emigrated to the U.S. I felt as if I had come full circle.
When I first began translating, I received documents by fax and deadlines were long. Communication with the client was by phone or non-existent. My internet connection was dial-up and my office was filled with every imaginable kind of dictionary since, after all, Google did not yet exist. If I needed help with a tricky phrase or term, I had to pick up the phone to call another translator. Times have definitely changed. But even after more than two decades of translating, I still thoroughly enjoy the challenge that each and every text brings, regardless of size or subject matter.
– Cindi Beckman Hansen
