This is me, Anju Okhandiar.
I’m a native Hindi speaker based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
I have a robust background in languages, and my compelling love for languages is a huge asset to my current work. Before I became a freelancer, I was an English teacher for 22 years with special interests in Bilingualism and English as an Additional Language (EAL).
I also have a BA in Philology from Humboldt Universität Zu Berlin, and an MA in English and Linguistics from the University of Nottingham.
Writing is my passion and I love working with words. My multifaceted role of a language professional confirms the versatility of my work as an editor and a translator.
My two areas of work are editing and translation.
Editing:
Working as an editor enables me to organise my critical thinking, knowledge and understanding of language, reinforce attention to detail, clarity and consciousness.
Interacting with clients further strengthens my interpersonal skills and supercharges my creativity.
My main editing work is copyediting. However, I also offer developmental editing, proofreading, revision and review of books and texts.
When I first started as a freelance editor, I trained with Publishing Scotland and took the Proofreading course, as well as the two-part Copyediting Suite.
Later when I joined the CIEP in 2021 I took professional courses such as: Core Proofreading Suite (Introduction, Headway, Progress), the two-part Copyediting Suite, Plain English for Editors, Word for Practical Editing, Non-Fiction Developmental Editing, Proofreading Theses and Dissertations, Efficient Editing: Strategies and Tactics.
Furthermore, I took courses with other providers:
Denise Cowle's - How to mark Up PDF Page Proofs and
Cadman Training's Introduction to PerfectIT 4, 5, and PerfectIT cloud.
I’m currently undertaking the Training in Indexing course with the Society of Indexers.
I continue to be actively involved in the activities of the CIEP
and in its local branch, Edinburgh Editors' Network (EEN).
https://edinburgheditorsnetwork.org/directory/
In addition to the CIEP, I’m also a member of the Society of Authors and was an elected committee member of the Translation Association (from November 2021 to November 2024). I have judged the Schlegel -Tieck translation prize for German book translations into English since 2023 for the Society of Authors. https://societyofauthors.org/prizes/translation-prizes/german-schlegel-tieck-prize/
Translation:
I am a published translator. I translate from English into Hindi and vice versa.
I have been offering outstanding translations to the government, education sector and private companies since 1988. I have a disciplined translation technique with a strong eye for detail. With excellent fluency depth in both the source and target language I strive to convey the exact intended meaning of the honed text along with the actual tenor and mode, ensuring that the final translation reads smoothly as if it was written in the original language.
My first professional training in translation and broadcasting was with the BBC World Service.
Since, I have taken many courses to further widen and excel my translation technique.
Later when I joined the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) I took numerous courses, workshops and webinars to further enhance my translation repertoire.
I'm a chartered linguist and a member of the CIOL
https://www.ciol.org.uk/member-check/profile/80075/2307