What fun it was to participate behind the scenes in the translation of the French entries of this unique guidebook. Sitting here at my desk in Marseille, I was able to discover and rediscover gem locales all over the City of Light, including 19th-century cabinets of curiosities, a surprisingly endearing museum of hunting and natural life, a round-the-clock outdoor sculpture museum, and so much more. Author Anne Carminati does a fabulous job making even the big institution museums seem fresh and intimate. And working with Karen Seiger, the charming editor of this series, was a treat in itself.

Challenges on the translation end of this project included:

–> This book was authored by two ‘guides’–one French (Anne Carminati) and one American (James Wesolowski) –so part of the job involved keeping Anne Carminati’s tone of voice, while harmonizing the translation style with the existing American copy.

–> Reviewing and incorporating the 111 Style Guide preferences. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, adapting a translation to a House style guide (or client style preferences) is an important part of any translation project.

–> Familiarizing myself with the different museums. Each entry in a guidebook requires some research to ensure that I’m accurately translating descriptions. I also ‘fact check’ a bazillion details, including proper names, cultural references, addresses, artwork titles, etc.

Learn more about 111 Museums in Paris and its authors, and pick up a copy, here: https://www.111places.com/111-museums-in-paris