About Me

Hi there! I’m Bethan and I’m a translator specialising in the museum, academic and publishing sectors. I live in Sants, Barcelona, with my two cats and I translate from Catalan, Spanish and French into English, my native language.

With the help of professional translation programs, in-depth research and close collaboration with my clients, I provide high-quality translations adapted to their Anglophone audience’s specific needs.

I grew up in Barry, a town on the south coast of Wales. So, the first language I came into contact with apart from English (the language we spoke at home) was Welsh, which I studied in school from an early age. Not long after, when I was still quite small, I remember learning a few words of Spanish on holidays with my family to the Balearic Islands and the south of Spain, where we went in search of the sunshine that was sorely lacking at home.

Years later, I was lucky enough to encounter some really inspiring teachers who encouraged me to cultivate my passion for languages, so I made the most of any and all opportunities that came up to learn new ones: so much so that, on occasion, I had to revise for Welsh, French and Spanish exams all at the same time. Despite the ensuing confusion, I knew I didn’t want this journey with languages to end when I finished school.

That’s why I decided to study French and Spanish at Cardiff University, in which I ended up getting a First. One of the most important parts of it for me was my Erasmus year, spent in Nantes (France) and Valencia (Spain). I was finally able to put everything I’d learnt into practice and gain the confidence I needed to live far away from home.

Having come back with more of an idea of what I wanted to do, work-wise (translation!), I enrolled on the Master’s in Translation Studies at Cardiff University. The topics we debated and the theories we studied as part of the MA confirmed that I wanted to work in this sector, and I completed the course with a Distinction.

Funnily enough, it was in Cardiff that I came into contact with Catalan. I chose a module in Catalan language and culture during my degree out of sheer curiosity, and I ended up becoming a full-blown Catalan nerd (perhaps because of Manel, who are still my favourite group even today). Because of this love for Catalan and the Catalan-speaking territories, I decided to move to Barcelona, where I’ve been living and working as a translator for over eight years now.

And here I am now, with Leo and Lunes next to me as I write this, feeling very fortunate to be doing what I enjoy in a place I love.