Books

As a translator, I am highly experienced in translating and—by extension—rewriting, editing, and proofreading books, many of which are children’s and young adult books. 

Translating children's and young adult books requires more than just language proficiency. As a professional translator, I strike the right tone, capture the natural rhythm and ensure the authenticity needed to make a story really come alive for young readers. AI can surely support me with the groundwork, but it cannot replace what makes the difference: human literary craftsmanship. That is why an AI-generated preliminary translation that is subsequently proofread is rarely the best approach. A strong book translation—and this applies to books for adults too —starts not with correction, but with creation!

At the moment I am working - on behalf of author Yvonne Gillissen - on the English and German translations of de wereld van knoebeltje Hobbeldebob, a series of stories about a fantasy creature for children aged 4 to 6.

I am also pleased to work as an advisor and feature editor for the author of "a bit out of the ordinary" Dutch management book, and which will definitely get the must-read label.

For author Mijke Bleecke I provided the German translation of 'Joris - Gewoon een heel normale hond ' (Joris - Just an ordinary dog'). Joris is her own dog and a great source of inspiration for this book. Her Dutch debut book is suitable for children aged 4 to10. 'Joris - Gewoon een heel normale hond'was published in August 2022 as a book, audiobook and E-pub and is available at kalikopublisher.com and a select number of bookshops. My book translation 'Ottie - Ein ganz normaler Hund' was published in November 2022 and will eventually be published in Switzerland as well. The childlren's book about Joris also has its own Instagram page!

Thanks to Anne Marie's fantastic work, 'Ottie - Ein ganz normaler Hund' has become the wonderful translation of my children's book 'Joris - Gewoon een heel normale hond'. I am very happy with the great relationship I had with Anne Marie during the translation process and with the result! Highly recommended for anyone who wants their book for children translated.Mijke Bleecke, author of children's books

On behalf of author Yvonne Gillisen and in collaboration with XPath Design - a young multimedia company/publisher with a passion for stories, art and culture - I am working on the English and German translations of de wereld van knoebeltje Hobbeldebob, a series of stories about a fantasy creature for children aged 4-6. These stories for children will be published as e-books and audio books. The English and German episodes 1, 2, and 3 were published in 2022 and 2023. The e-books are available from bol.com. Audiobooks will be available later. The fourth English and German episodes 'a visit to Birdie' and 'Amy Besuchen' were published in 2024.

I approached Anne Marie Westra-Nijhuis for the translation of one of our projects 'de wereld of knoebeltje Hobbeldebob', a series for children aged 4-6. Anne Marie is an experienced English and German children's book translator for this audience.As an author I find it fun and exciting to read my work in a different language; and it's therefore important to find a good, skilled translator who feels connection with the original story. I can only say that I am very happy with her work and our partnership. Anne Marie sticks as closely as possible to the original text, she is constructive and consults with me whenever neccesary. The translation reflects and maintains the story well. Very nicely done! She is also creative and imaginative in finding names for the characters in the series. I am very happy with her translation of the main title of the series: 'the world of woodsy Dapplefluff' and 'die Welt von Knutti Rodelflausch' are definitely a hit! I have full confidence that the following episodes to be translated are in good hands with Anne Marie. How great is that?Yvonne Gillissen, author

I was the editor and proofreader of the book '25 jaar aan de bal' (25 years of football'), commissioned by FC Delta Sports '95, a publication on the occasion of their 25th anniversary. It contains stories, memories and photos of the first twenty-five years of the Houten football club. The book was published November 2021.

Anne Marie has once again shown how valuable and indispensable her contribution to word processing and linguistic civilization has been!Wilfried Hess, treasurer of FC Delta Sports '95 and co-compiler of the jubilee book

In April 2021 Iprovided the English, German and French translation of the NightWatch book for children. The little book about Buddy the owl are the result of a 'Research and Design' project by three final-year high school students at Veluws College Walterbosch in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. They investigated ways of making it more pleasant for children with epilepsy when they suddenly have to wear an armband at night. They came up with a children’s book that parents and children can read together before bedtime. Buddy the owl has its own website page at NightWatch, which I also translated into English, German and French.

It took about a year to get the Dutch version of the children's book 'Oehoe de Nachtwaker' ready. We were proud of the end result and soon decided to publish the little book in different languages. We started looking for someone who has experience translating children's books, preferably in all three of the languages we needed: English, German and French. Anne Marie's response to our LinkedIn postimmediately appealed to me: she described exactly what we were looking for. She was able to start quickly and delivered her translations in quick succession. It was very pleasant to experience her professionalism and the proactive way she contributed ideas. We had to come up with different names in each language for the main charactes in the little book and that was not easy. Eventually Anne Marie came up with different proposals (in consultation with 'her' native speakers), from which we finally made a choice. The little Dutch book and the three translations have now been printed and are already being used. All in all, I would absolutely recommend Anne Marie, because she does everything just right: her way of communicating, keeping to agreements, her translation work, its verification by native speakers and the financial outcome. I therefore think that we will certainly work together more often on future projects. Anne Marie, I wish you lots of enjoyment and every success with your company!Danny Reiffers, product specialist LivAssured BV

In March 2021 Itranslated 'Kleine Huis & Het Grote Hart' a children's book with a mission, by author Nadine Witteman, into French after having previously translated it into English.

In this French edition, Anne Marie has managed to create the ultimate translation by capturing the essence of the story, but also being mindful of the visual language. I'm therefore very satisfied with the result, thanks to her professionalism, aligning of ideas and creative imagination! Nadine Witteman, author, illustrator, trainer and holistic coach

I translated author Joseph Oubelkas' debut '400 letters from my mother' into English. This is the true story of Oubelkas, who at the age of 24 went on a business trip to Morocco and, without there being any evidence or investigation, was sentenced to ten years in prison for something he hadn't done. '400 letters from my mother' was published in June 2016.

Just try to find a translator who is able to write exactly according to your wishes. There are not so many of them! Joseph Oubelkas, public speaker and author

Following on from that, I proofread the sequal to his best-seller '400 letters from my mother, 'Gezondheid, Liefde, Vrijheid' ('Health, Love, Freedom'), which was published in May 2014. This proofreading implied accurately reading the book while checking grammar and spelling, punctuation, logical connections, style, overall structure of the story, perspective and readability. For more information about the books, please visit oubelkas.nl.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Heisterkamp Transport I translated their jubilee book from Dutch into English. In addition, I proofread the original book in Dutch, that was written by Geen Blad voor de Mond. A fascinating book about a family business, looking back on one hundred years 'on the road' in 2019.

It's a pleasure to work with Anne Marie. She is flexible, switches quickly when necessary and honours her commitments. On our behalf, she provided the English translation of the jubilee book for the 100th anniversary of Heisterkamp Transport. She completed this to the full satisfaction of both us and our customer. We also regularly use her services for other translation jobs. Richard Kers, commercial director of Geen Blad voor de Mond 

Forpublisher Leonon Kinderboeken I was happy to edit and translate their e-book 'Ga weg, Covid-19!' into English and French' free of charge.This colourfully illustrated book for preschoolers and primary school pupils was in published March 2020. It explains what Covid-19 is in an accessible way. It's aim is to provide age appropriate information and to start a conversation. The book also explains that children can do a lot to keep themselves and others safe, such as keeping their distance and washing their hands well. Download the FREE e-book fromthe website of Leonon Kinderboeken!

Anne Marie not only translates our books, she also makes them better! What characterizes Anne Marie is her German pünktlichkeit, she is very precise, actually, she's our anchor when it comes to persistency and getting things done. I look forward to continue working with Anne Marie in the future!  Lenard Wolters, publisher Leonon Media

For Leonon Kinderboeken I have translated several other books for children, including the book 'Karl Marx For Young Readers' by Han Yuhai, which I've translated into Dutch. 'Karl Marx Voor Tieners' tells the story of how a young man from Trier, in what is now Germany, became the father of communism, an economic system that changed the world. 'Kal Marx Voor Tieners' is for first and second grade high school students and was published in October 2015. It is available at the major internet resellers, includingbol.com, where more information of the book can be found.

Han Yuhai, a lifetime professor of literature at Peking University, has written several bestsellers. His previous work 'Een overzicht van de Werken van Marx' ('A review of Marx' works') was awarded the 2014 Chinese Book of the Year by the China Book Review Society.

I translated 'Let's Read about Mao Zedong', the second book in this historical series of books for young readers into Dutch. In 'Laten we over Mao Zedong lezen', Han portrays Mao's life. The book was published in April 2017 and is available at the major internet resellers, includingbol.com, where more information about the book can be found.. 

For Leonon Kinderboeken I have also translated 'How to Deal with an Eagle' and 'Saving the Fisherman', two exciting stories about 'WaWa de Wondervogel' (WaWa the wonder bird') by author Cao Wenxuan, also winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award 2016. 'Hoe pak je een adelaar aan' and'Red de visser' from the book series for children aged 8 to 11 are availableat the website of Leonon Kinderboeken and bol.com.

A nice series of books for children aged 4 to 8 I have translated for publisher Leonon Kinderboeken are the Dutch translations of the French childlren's books 'À la recherche de la Carotte Bleue' and 'À la recherche de la Carotte Bleue - les métiers', by the French author Sebastien Telleschi. Op zoek naar de Blauwe Wortelwas published March 2018 andOp zoek naar de Blauwe Wortel - de beroepen September 2018. Both books are available at the website of Leonon Kinderboeken and bol.com. Please watch the French teaser video from ' À la recherche de la Carotte Bleue'.

Another great book for children by publisher Leonon Kinderboeken that I have translated into Dutch is 'Le nouveau nid des Petits Marsus' ('the new little Marsus' nest'), by the French author Benjamin Chaud. Het nieuwe nest van de Kleine Marsus was published September 2018. Available at the website of Leonon Kinderboeken and bol.com.

Further works I have translated for Publisher Leonon Kinderboeken are'Nian and the boy - a long time ago', a story about friendship and about sharing, and'Wonder Boy', an exciting Science Fiction story and book for children aged 12, respectively published in April and May 2019.

For former short track speed skater and authorMargariet de Schutter I was the final editor of the new, taboo-breaking edition of her book 'Stoppen & Doorgaan ('Stop & Continue), about life after top-level sport, in which she interviews 15 of the greates top athletes. In addition to my work as an final editor, I was responsible for the overall coordination for the design and final printing of the book. For more information about the book please visit thewebsite of extopsporter.nl. 'Stoppen & Doorgaan' is now available in a third edition.

Anne Marie, thank you for your enormous flexibility, your professional and structured way of working, thinking along, your advice, all the editing work and preparing this book for the press, we managed to get a lot done in a short time!Margriet de Schutter, former short track skater, public speaker and author

For author and 'no-excuses lady'Esther Jacobs, I have provided the Dutch translation of the book 'how to write a book in a week', a 7-step guide for entrepreneurs and non-writers to write and self-publish a book, which she co-edited with the German writer Marie Stern even wrote in one day! 'Schijf je boek in één week' was published in November 2016 as an e-book and is available atthe website of Esther Jacobs. An update of both the English e-book 'how to write a book in a week' and the Dutch e-book 'schrijf je boek in één week' which I have carried out on behalf of authhor Esther Jacobs, were published early 2019.

"A great pleasure to translate and create my book 'how to write a book in a week' together with Anne Marie. She got it done in exactly one week!"  Esther Jacobs, the 'no excuses lady'

 

For author Wilfried Hess I have revised and proofread his book 'Water bij de Wijn', about the history of a family with predominantly German roots, which Hess has written for current and future generations and was published March 2016. I have provided advice about consistency in the story line. Furthermore, I have accurately read the book on grammar & spelling, punctuation, logical connections, style and readability. Additionally, I was the publisher's field contact.

With a lot of patience, commitment and great interest, Anne Marie has analized every word, created on an optimal layout and supervised the production process. Her professional view has made the book complete. I know I have made a right choice to consult her. Thank you, Anne Marie, you have made things happen in time!Wilfried Hess, author

For Wilfried Hess' second book 'Cijfers... wat een feest!' (How fun to work with numbers!') I was also the revisier and proofreader. 'Cijfers... wat een feest!' is a practice book par excellence, a different perspective on numbers that roughly covers 20 topics that are indispensable for the start-up entrepreneur, small and medium-sized companies, the self-employed professional, board members of associations and foundations and members of works councils. Wilfried Hess provides refreshingly simple answers to the questionshow , whereandwhen. For this book too, I have provided advice about the consistency in the story line and I was the publisher's field contact. More information about the book can be found atbol.com.

Working together was also fun!Wilfried Hess, author

For author Nadine Witteman I have translated her children's book with a mission 'Kleine Muis & Het Grote Hart' into English. This story about courage, perseverance and being true to yourself is for both little kids and grown ups. Part of the proceeds from the book, which was published in 2016, will be donated toShreevatsa Children's Home in Pune, India. More information about Little Mouse can be found at https://www.facebook.com/littlemousebigheart.https://www.facebook.com/littlemousebigheart. In addition to this English translation, I have provided the French translation of this beautiful children's book in 2021.

Thanks to Anne Marie, my book 'Kleine Muis & Het Grote Hart' is beautifully translated into English. Not only does she have a good sense of language, her empathy is certainly decisive in arriving at an organic translation. It's very nice to work with her because she's a professionalist, friendly and has attention to detail!Nadine Witteman, author, illustrator, trainer and holistic coach

I translated Charles D.A. Ruffolo's bestseller 'Network Your Way To Success'. I am also the editor of Ruffolo's English book 'Your Wake-Up Call' which was published in February 2014. As an editor, was responsible for the book content. I particularly focused on readability, logic and clarity, where I rewrote parts of its content. Subsequently, June 2014, I translated 'Your Wake-Up Call' into to Dutch. All three books are available atbol.com.

 

"Anne Marie always goes the extra mile." Charles Ruffolo, author

As an English, French and German Translator, I have been admitted to and am a member of the professional association NGTV - the Netherlands Association of Interpreters and Translators, which is also affiliated with the Fédération Internationale des traducteurs.