Who am I?
Hi! My name is Sandra Schellhase and I am an English-German translator, passionate gamer and language enthusiast.
My story so far
My life as a freelance translator started in 2017 and during the following years, I was able to gain invaluable experiences in the field of subtitle translation, localization and quality control. At the end of 2020, I was finally able to fullfil a big dream of mine and expand my expertise of work to video game localization — a combination that would connect two things that make up a tremendous part of my life.
Translating, subtitling & video games
Growing up in a rather monolingual environment until after I took my A levels, I never would have thought that being a translator would become my absolute dream job. A few years after finishing school, I got a B.A. in both linguistics and Japanese studies, the latter exposing me to professional translation for the very first time. While I thought an M.A. in computational linguistics would be the chosen path for me and I continued my studies, I started to work as a volunteer translator in my spare time, was absolutely wrapped up in it and eventually left university to pursue this new path right in front of me.
To this day, being able to provide professionally translated and carefully crafted subtitles for those with little to no knowledge of English and thus enabling them access to yet unknown content, is an incredibly fulfilling task and also genuinely motivating. As an avid language learner who likes to consume movies and series in my target language as a form of practice, well-made subtitles can be the decisive point whether watching such content is an enjoyable or absolutely frustrating experience.
Now, how do video games fit in the mix? Ever since I can remember, video games have been a huge part of my life. Being able to understand English and Japanese has also helped me gain access to a wide variety of games that I otherwise would not have been able to understand, let alone play. Not everyone is as keen to learn foreign languages in their free time, but the German gaming community is ever-growing and I want them to experience the wonderfulness of international video games, regardless of whether or not they speak English.
About me as a translator
I place high demands in my own work, I am a conscientious worker and enthusiastic learner, and I am convinced that communication is the key to a successful cooperation.
