Rachel Ward

@racheltranslates

FITI, Literary & creative translator, German & French to English: children's/YA and crime fiction, history; proofreader, bookworm; food, crafts, history; cats; climbing; cycling; she/her; Twitter: @FwdTranslations Mastodon: @FwdTranslations@zirk.us

1245 Siguiendo1633 Seguidores1056 Publicaciones

Bluesky

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Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· 21h

Book post: it was an honour to work on this selection of Franz Kafka's letters to Milena Jesenská Pollak, his Czech translator and on-off long-distance lover, and the finished books look great 😁 💙📚 #booksky #literarytranslation

Franz Kafka, Letters to Milena. Book cover held up in the sunshine with blue flowers in the background. The cover photo is of Milena Jesenská Pollak as a young woman with dark, curly hair, wearing a white blouse. It also features Kafka's signature.

Back cover text: Franz Kafka and Milena Pollak are among the great literary lovers and were one of the most fascinating couples of their times. Kafka wooed the Czech journalist throughout 1920 over dozens of letters, yet sought to avoid meeting her in person in Vienna. In the end, however, those few days together proved a delight. A second rendezvous, also long procrastinated, marked the beginning of the end of their hap-pines - the passion of ink on paper couldn't stand up to reality. All that is now left of this unusual relationship are Kafka's Letters to Milena, which still have the power to move us, over a century later.

This collection features some of the loveliest and most intimate passages, rounded off with commentary and an afterword by Harald Salfellner to complete the picture.

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· 26d

A nice parcel for a Friday morning 😁 The beautiful cover is as ever by Mark Swan, kid-ethic. My translation of Love, After All by Ewald Arenz, from @orendabooks.bsky.social uk.bookshop.org/a/2161/97819...

Love, After All by Ewald Arenz, Cover by Kid Ethic shows a man's and woman's hands on a white table with a coffee mug. There's a Good Housekeeping good books badge. The book is held up against bright pink flowers. Strap line The Million Copy Bestseller and quote "Delicate, yet compelling, this unusual love story is a little gem' Rachel Hore

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· 26d

My translator copies arrived! 🥰

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Jul 13

Back from holiday. Adored the north coast of Menorca but 20 degrees and cloudy is feeling glorious right now! I should probably get to some work now that the tennis is finished and it's a rest day on the Tour, but I'm too post-holidayish so I'm faffing about instead... #AmNotTranslatingButShouldBe

Blue sea lapping gently against rocks near the shore, with a line of darker rocks silhouetted against the horizon and the other side of the bay, all beneath a blue sky

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Jul 13

Lovely to see the July Good Housekeeping for real in the orthodontist waiting room this morning, feat. my translation of #LoveAfterAll by Ewald Arenz, @orendabooks.bsky.social 💙📚

Cultural menu

4 sun-drenched summer reads

loved by GH readers

Discover which paperbacks have earned a place in our Good Books July Collection, picked by our panel

The air shimmering with heat, the city pavements crowded with tables of people, the heady scent of freshly mown grass. If you're not going away this summer – or not yet, at least – a novel that transports you to warmer climes is the perfect antidote to wanderlust. All four novels chosen this month by the GH VIP reader panel evoke the scents and scenes of summer, from the light on the lakes of northern Italy to the sun-filled streets of Hamburg. Whether you're reading these on the sofa or a sunlounger, we hope they bring sunshine to your life - just add a 99 Flake!

'Is there anything better than a summer love story?'

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JANE BRUTON

WINNER

1. Love, After All by Ewald Arenz, translated by Rachel Ward (Orenda Books)

Our panel fell head-over-heels for this affecting age-gap love story about widow Clara and actor Elias.

'It was a beautiful book to read and held my interest completely. I read it in three days and was sad to finish it,' said one reviewer.

2. Three Summers by Karen Swan (Transworld)

VIPs praised the strong characters that people this sweeping romance set on the sun-drenched coast of 1950s southern Italy

'The characters were very real to me – such descriptive language, you could see them vividly,' said one reader.
'I particularly enjoyed the ending.'

3. What Happened That Night by Nicci French (Simon & Schuster)

A man accused of murdering his university friend one summer's day narrates this gripping thriller. 'I loved how the book blended strong character interplay, psychological realism and that signature tightening of suspense Nicci French books do so well,' said one VIP.

4. Ripeness by Sarah Moss (Macmillan)

Told through alternating timelines, seventysomething Edith remembers the summer she spent in Italy as a teenager, wher…

THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLER
Love, After All
Ewald Arenz
'Warms even the hearts of cynics' Der Spiegel
Good Housekeeping
GOOD BOOKS AWARD

Cover image shows two people's hands and a coffee cup

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Jun 17

Celebratory flowers for GCSEs being finally done! #bloomscrolling #tinyjoys

A purple geranium flower with white veined petals, surrounded by lavender

purple geranium flowers with white veined petals, surrounded by lavender and green leaves

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· May 29

Glorious roses to brighten up your timeline #bloomscrolling

View from beneath of a spray or ridiculously floofy pinky peach roses and bright green leaves against a perfect blue sky. Not pictured: their equally glorious scent

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Apr 17

Really enjoyed the event for Danny Hahn's If This Be Magic at Dragon Hall @writerscentre.bsky.social last night. Lovely to see friends and colleagues @scribedoll.bsky.social @norfolkbookworm.bsky.social & others but a shame I didn't have time to hang around and chat. Looking forward to reading it 💙📚

Cover shows Shakespeare head and shoulders surrounded by speech bubbles with parts of the "to be or not to be" speech in various languages. The gilded lines are shining in the light.

Text: A fresh and vivid way to think about Shakespeare

KATHERINE RUNDELL

If This Be Magic

The Unlikely Art of SHAKESPEARE in TRANSLATION

DANIEL HAHN

A wonderful book, erudite and enjoyable

CATHY RENTZENBRINK

Back cover text surrounded by swirly curlicues:
Daniel Hahn is a remarkable translator, writer and editor, a dedicated supporter of literature and knowledge, and he has written this gem of a book which is clearly the outcome of decades of hard work and dedication, and passion, really, for the art of storytelling

ELIF SHAFAK

'So witty and knowledgeable, so alive to the ways in which language resists reduction. It feels like attending the most fascinating lecture of the term; like learning made swift and sharp and generous'

KATHERINE RUNDELL

A lifetime of love and learning distilled what a joy and a privilege to read

LUCY MANGAN

Why might Hamlet be even longer in Italian?

How does the story of Romeo and Juliet begin in Thai?

How do you build a joke in German, or recreate a rhyme in Japanese?

And why are Lady Macbeth's pronouns such a problem?

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Apr 4

I enjoyed The Husbands by Holly Gramazio but magical realism as rom-com needs the realism right for people to buy the magical bit. A woman with a freaky husband-generator in her attic is less weird than thinking Norwood Junction is a place not a station! I grew up in South Norwood so it stuck out...

"One of the funniest debuts of the year' SUNDAY TIMES

'An utter delight' MARIAN KEYES

"A time-bending gem' GABRIELLE ZEVIN

The HUSBANDS

Holly Gramazio

You wait ages for The One...

Then 203 come along at once

Cover image shows a woman in a white skirt with turquoise top and trainers, sawing through a long ladder with a man's feet and legs at the top like he's coming down from a loft hatch

oroughs. Tell me what you're interested in and I'll, y'know, translate it to Denver.

She had wondered if maybe she wouldn't be struck by him the same way here, that perhaps she had been beguiled by the quiet confidence and the sense of being in the fresh air that he carried with him in London. But even here, surrounded by men like him, he is her favourite.

I'm in Norwood Junction, which is south-east, kind of near Crystal Palace? Bit further out.'

'I love London suburb names. Crystal Palace!' He gestures widely. 'Very Lord of the Rings.'

She grins back. 'I'd love to be more central here, though. Something like, maybe the equivalent of Bermondsey? Not in the centre-centre but with little art galleries and coffee shops and bars and stuff going on. For me that's part of the benefit of leaving London. In a smaller city I can live closer to everything' She's starting to convince herself with this: maybe she could

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Apr 3

Mine isn't great either but easier this way - straight across the whole batch

8 hot cross buns on a cooling rack with wonky crosses

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Mar 12

Heading home after two days of #LBF and the Assembly of Literary Translators... Lots of fun and inspiring people and so good to chat but also now need a day of total introvert resetting! 😊😵‍💫😎

View over the sea of stands at London Book Fair but mostly focused on the gorgeous Victorian curved metal and glass roof of Olympia

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Mar 3

Approved by Tolly

Black and white cat with a distinguished moustache sitting in the box of books

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Mar 3

Gorgeous morning for a bike ride and then home to exciting book post from @orendabooks.bsky.social My translation of #Sharks by @ohneklippo.bsky.social ! 🦈😎💙📚🍻🥂🍾🥳🚲🚴‍♀️ #booksky #ChastityReloaded #QueenOfKrimi

A very Norfolk scene with the old gatehouse to some hall or other, blue sky with white clouds, a barred gate, a finger signpost to Wymondham and a hawthorn hedge coming into blossom

My hand holding a copy of Sharks by Simone Buchholz above the box in which they were delivered. You can see the back covers of two more, one right way up and one upside down.

The cover is dark blue with neon green for the title and a neon sign of a shark jaw in pink and a bunch of green keys above the Hamburg skyline.

Text: For the first time in a long time, I found a book I simply couldn't put down-and I didn't want it to end... A truly fantastic read Leye Adenle

SIMONE BUCHHOLZ
WINNER OF THE CWA CRIME IN TRANSLATION DAGGER

SHARKS
A CHASTITY RILEY INVESTIGATION

"Taut, compulsive and laced with humour as dark as its selling... Chastity Riley is the perfect anti-hero for our times' Rod Reynolds

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Feb 24

So nice to get out on the bike this morning. Sunshine, snowdrops and sky larks, while still dodging puddles and potholes!

A spread of snowdrops on the edge of a belt of still bare trees, silhouetted against a patchy blue sky with white and grey clouds.

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Feb 11

I didn't manage to take any photos at the @societyofauthors.bsky.social #translationprizes last night. Most out of character! Congratulations to all the winners and runners up, it was an honour to be shortlisted in such prestigious company, and lovely to see so many friends and colleagues. 🎉📚🍾🥂

Certificate reading:

THE SOCIETY OF AUTHORS

TRANSLATION PRIZES

SCHLEGEL-TIECK PRIZE

2025 SHORTLIST

RACHEL WARD

One Grand Summer

Ewald Arenz

Orenda Books

'All the books on the shortlist illuminate, in one way or another, something of what it means to be European. These books are therefore timely and important, showing us some of the ways in which we are all connected despite differences in origin or language. These are humane, and human works, whose translators have produced not just readable, but often extremely beautiful, books.'

- Kerri Andrews

Judges

Kerri Andrews

Anju Okhandiar

Shaun Whiteside

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Feb 9

I was intrigued by the wording on this sign... #langsky #linguistics

Pink Background and love hearts on the Sainsbury's Valentine's offer. Sign reads:

Dine in for 2

Further selection is ranged just around the corner

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Feb 2

Fiction and non-fiction. Cursed in the Lost City by @scriblit.bsky.social and The Bright Ages by @profgabriele.com and @lollardfish.bsky.social - both entertaining in very different ways! 😁

Purple book cover with dragons etc in silhouette. Text:

Hilarious, warm and kind! Louie Stowell

A perfect mix of thrilling, sexy and funny Poppy Kuroki

CURSED THE LOST CITY

A CURSED NOVEL

GABBY HUTCHINSON CROUCH

Largely blue book cover with a medieval mosaic pattern in the background. Text:

The BRIGHT AGES

A New History of Medieval Europe

MATTHEW GABRIELE & DAVID M. PERRY

"Incandescent and ultimately intoxicating"

-BOSTON GLOBE

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Jan 13

The first parcel disappeared somewhere amid the Christmas post, but my translator copies of Save Us, the third and final Maxton Hall novel by Mona Kasten have now arrived. They make a very pretty set... Love the cover design by Lila Selle, illustration by Phant

Save Us by Mona Kasten, a Maxton Hall novel

Book leaning against a vase of daffodils on a circular, glossy brown wooden table. The cover text is in bright pink and bronze

The covers of all three Maxton Hall novels, showing that the line drawing of posh school buildings spans from Save Me to Save You and Save Us to create a complete picture

The spines of the Maxton Hall novels and a vase of flowers behind. With a candle and a pile of coasters acting as book ends. On top is the one from the 2024 ITI conference.

THE THIRD AND FINAL BOOK IN THE

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING Maxton Hall SERIES-NOW A PRIME VIDEO STREAMING SERIES-IN ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME

CAN THEY SAVE THEMSELVES?

OR WILL THEY DESTROY EACH OTHER?

Ruby is in shock: Her worst nightmare has come true, and now Oxford and all her dreams that finally seemed within reach are at risk. Worst of all, everything points to James as the one responsible, even after all that they've been through together. Ruby thought that she had met the real James-the one who has his own dreams, the one who makes her laugh and makes her heart beat faster with a single glance.

However, after an explosive fight between the two, they discover a terrible truth. Together, Ruby fights to graduate as James tries to clear her name at school. But that means James must once again challenge his father and his expectations for him. And despite everything, James still threatens to break under the obligations to his family. Ruby and James must ask themselves if the worlds they live in are perhaps too different after all, or if they can finally find a way back to each other.

Translation by Rachel Ward

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Jan 11

Children's Reads at WH Smith at Sandbach services with no Walliams 😃🥳

Children's Reads bookshelf with Bunny and Monkey, Wimpy Kid and Katherine Rundell at the top and football comics below

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Jan 8

Mitzi has now also got the hang of the @craftycow.bsky.social lap mat and is scheming...

Black and white cat sitting on a quilted pad featuring more cats in pink and orange, looking smug or possibly villainous

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Dec 21

The others are a little confused by the new lap pad from @craftycow.bsky.social but Tolly understands, as the kids say, the assignment.

Black-and-white cat on my lap on a comfy cushion featuring more cats in pink and orange. If you look closely, my socks also feature stretching cats.

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Dec 1

So delighted to be shortlisted for the Schlegel-Tieck prize with Ewald Arenz (@orendabooks.bsky.social) again, and in such fine company, including @cctranslates.bsky.social (twice!) #TranslationPrizes

The Society of Authors Translation Prizes, Schlegel-Tieck Prize

Pictured stack of short-listed books, spines reading:
Stefanie vor Schulte, Boy with a Black Rooster
Bernhard Schlink, The Granddaugter
One Grand Summer, Ewald Arenz
The Green Ages, Annette Kehnel
Darkenbloom Eva Menasse
Djinns, Fatma Aydemir

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Nov 26

Hello back

Close up face of black and white cat with pink nose

A different black and white cat with a black nose and moustache markings lounging nonchalantly

Idiot cat hanging upside down out of the top of the cat tree

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Sep 30

This #InternationalTranslationDay, I submitted my translation of Schwedenbitter/Sharks by Simone Buchholz to @orendabooks.bsky.social so decided to celebrate with a cycle and coffee. Added enough miles to earn the most decadent cake on the menu! Found some conkers along the way too.

Chocolate, caramel brownie with whipped cream, and an iced coffee with a stripy straw on a round table in sunshine and shadow

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Sep 9

A glorious morning for a ride, a perfect cake and coffee stop at Old Buckenham Country Park, and home to find that my translator copies of Save You by Mona Kasten have arrived! Aren't they pretty?! 💙📚 #norfolkcycling #cafebythepond #maxtonhall #inmytranslation #literarytranslation #booksky

Iced coffee and carrot cake on a table by a pond. There is a bike sculpture in the pond for some reason, and some swans that posed every time I put the camera away.

A copy of Save You by Mona Kasten held up against the deep blue sky

THE SECOND BOOK IN THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING Marton Hall SERIES
- NOW AN AMAZON PRIME STREAMING SERIES - IN ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME

AFTER ALL THE HURT BETWEEN THEM, WILL THEY BE ABLE TO FIND THEIR WAY BACK TO EACH OTHER?

Ruby Bell thought that she and James Beaufort had something special. She's never had such strong feelings for someone. And after his betrayal, she's also never felt this much hurt. Ruby just wants her old life back, before she knew anyone at Maxton Hall, before she knew James. She used to be able to rely on her studies to keep her focused, but school is no longer a refuge - not when she sees James everywhere. But she has to stay on track, especially with university looming over them both and the uncertainty of what the future holds.

Despite everything, Ruby wants to support James as he struggles with his father's expectations of his taking over the family business. But she makes one thing very clear: She is not willing to forgive him or give him a second chance. As love and hate compete for Ruby's heart, James will try everything he can to win her back.

Translation by Rachel Ward

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Sep 2

Pretty book post today: my translation of Save Me, the first Maxton Hall novel by Mona Kasten. #booksky #literarytranslation 💙📚 #MaxtonHall

A pile of copies of Save Me by Mona Kasten with one at the top, face out, on a round table, beneath a vase of sunflowers. The cover text is glossy and reflective in dark turquoise with a line drawing of a fancy school building. A sticker indicates that the series is also available on Amazon Prime.

THE FIRST BOOK IN THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING Marton Hall SERIES-NOW AN AMAZON PRIME STREAMING SERIES-IN ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME

THEY COME FROM DIFFERENT WORLDS, AND YET THEY ARE MEANT FOR EACH OTHER.

Money, glamour, luxury, power - Ruby Bell couldn't be less interested in these things if she tried. After being awarded a scholarship to one of England's most prestigious and expensive private schools, Maxton Hall, all she wants is to keep her head down, work hard, and get accepted to Oxford. She keeps her distance from everyone, especially the arrogant, rich, and extremely handsome James Beaufort, ringleader of the school's party boys.

When Ruby discovers a scandalous secret about the Beauforts, she is suddenly on James's radar. It only gets worse when James is forced to work with her to plan the school's annual gala. Though the more time they spend together, the more they realize they share much more than they thought.

Falling for James Beaufort was never part of her plan, yet Ruby can't help but let her feelings sweep her away. However, James must make a decision for himself: Will he choose what's expected of him or what he feels for her?

Translation by Rachel Ward

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Aug 11

Been out to blow the cobwebs away at the beach...

Rainbow coloured kite, blue sky, wispy white clouds

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Jul 30

A good ride out this morning with a nice coffee stop in Hingham, then home to book post! 💙📚🚴 @jencalleja.bsky.social @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social

Fair, the Life-Art of Translation by Jen Calleja and The Vanishing Song, Poems by Jay Hulme leaning against a planter of flowers

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Jul 26

I fail to see what the story is here. It seems evident that if you live in London, you might like to visit the countryside, and that if you live in the country, you might like to visit the city. Surely it makes sense to advertise to people at both ends of your train line?!

HATS off to Greater Anglia for its latest adverts. A new campaign via ad agency Atomic called "UNLONDON" shows a stressed office worker throwing off the shackles of dull London desk life to escape to Norfolk's beaches via railway. "It's great out there," runs the tagline.

It was only two months ago, however, that Greater Anglia ran another ad campaign it called "Bringing London Closer". This was about how wonderful it is to be able to get into London from East Anglia and enjoy the bustling city highlights such as Camden Market. Doubles all round for the ad men. Geddit?!

Rachel Ward@racheltranslates· Jul 4

Bees in the hollyhocks #tinyjoys #bloomscrolling