Heather McCrae

HJM Technical Translations

My Services

Do you need to ensure that your cogs, cams and controllers work smoothly when operated by English-speakers? And that your specialist German terminology, whether it refers to black oxidation, measurement sensors or BFS, is correctly translated into clear and concise English? This is where I come in:

29 years of experience as a freelance German to English technical translator means that I will translate your operating instructions, marketing texts and in-house documentation correctly, leaving no screws loose or, even worse, missing. The best way to ensure that the texts for your products, machines or systems are easy to understand for the end user is to have them translated by a greatly experienced, qualified technical translator. Don’t leave your translations until the last minute! They are just as important as any other step in the design process and indeed are often part of that process right from the initial idea. In fact, your texts represent you and are an important factor for your success.

I know the importance of translating texts accurately so that the end user can read them AND understand them. You, as my direct client, can rest assured that those texts will reflect the quality of your products and services. Your end customers will benefit from clear information and instructions, your sales people will achieve better sales with attractive marketing texts and your in-house engineers will be able to benefit from research literature that has been carefully translated.

I will work with you to ensure we achieve the best possible results, producing texts that meet your needs and your target public. I can also proofread your texts to guarantee absolute accuracy.

Experience

  • 1994 – present

    Freelance Technical Translator

    HJM Technical Translations

Education

  • 1994

    MA in Translation (Distinction)

    University of Surrey, UK

  • 1993

    BSc in Chemistry and German 2.1

    University of Kingston, London

  • 1989

    BTEC in Mechanical Manufacturing

    Telford technical college

CPD 2014 - 2020

Seminars/Conferences:

  • BP20 Workshops, online (2020)
  • BP20 Translation Day, online (2020)
  • Translate Better 2020, Laufen (2020)
  • BP20, Business and Practice Conference, online (2020)
  • BP19, Business and Practice Conference, Bologna (2019)
  • Plain English (2019)
  • Plain English (2018)
  • Translate Better 2018, Berlin (2018)
  • Gefahrstoffrecht in Hamburg (2017)
  • 2-day Workshop: Forschungszentrum Jülich „Übersetzen im wissenschaftlichen Bereich“ (2015)

Webinars:

  • Translating for the agricultural industry
  • Textiltechnik (textile technology)
  • Calling Dr. Studio – Houston, I’ve got a PDF
  • The art of translation: Advanced translation techniques
  • Renewable Energies: Solar Power – a presentation by an expert for translators
  • Renewable Energies: Wind Power – a presentation by an expert for translators
  • 3D Printing: Technology & Applications
  • Successful Copywriting
  • The battle between Safety and Productivity – a discourse for translators
  • Revision and Editing for Translators
  • Improving Quality and Productivity for Technical Translators
  • Translating for the Water and Wind Power Industries
  • The Manufacturing Industry in the 21st Century – from boardroom to shop floor
  • Understanding Drives and Controls: for technical translators
  • Understanding Hydraulics and Pneumatics: for technical translators
  • Translating for the pharmaceutical, chemical and cosmetics industries
  • Across Translator Edition as Full-Fledged CAT Tool Package with Sales Potential
  • SDL – Top 5 time-saving apps from the SDL OpenExchange App Store
  • Lilt – machine assistance, not machine translation, to optimize your productivity
  • Quality Assurance in the Across Translator Edition
  • SDL – Top time-saving apps for SDL Trados Studio 2017 from SDL AppStore
  • Regex – Mit regulären Ausdrücken schneller zum Erfolg
  • Automatische Termextraktion im Webshop
  • Webinar-Reihe zu MultiTerm (4 Webinare)
  • Writing English
  • Translating Pharmaceutical Documents (German –> English)
  • The difference between proofreading and editing
  • Culture-specific elements in scientific, professional and official translation: tips & tricks
  • T11-Terminology for Medicine&Healthcare-Level
  • T17-Chasing Terms Online
  • Pharmaceutical Document Translation in Practice: Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) (German to English)
  • Technical writing and translation in STE (Simplified Technical English)
  • Improve your written English: 50 of our favourite mother-tongue mistakes
  • Effective Technical Writing for Translators
  • Marketing for translators: what works and what doesn’t
  • How to Become an Efficient Proofreader
  • Effective Technical Writing for Translators
  • Translating for food industry: General overview.
  • Translating for Food Industry. Part Two: Terminology
  • Translating for the EU Industry: Working with Safety Data Sheets (SDSs)
  • Copywriting for translators
  • Introduction to transcreation – basic approach, tools and requirements
  • Drives and Controls
  • Pneumatics and Hydraulics
  • Problems, solutions and precipitates: translating for the pharmaceutical, chemical and cosmetics industries

Contact

Hamburg - Germany

+49 (0)40 1804 6949 | +49 (0)172 416 3100