I work on Academic and Literary texts, potentially with a strong network of trusted colleagues. We can do the translation for you or help you find the right person for the job!

Academic and Adjacent Texts

I tailor the expression of ideas from Arabic to English. I have an academic background (PhD Arabic Studies, University of Texas at Austin, 2013), publishing original research and teaching Arabic to English speakers since 2006, and translating by request since 2009. I am an actively publishing writer, scholar, and literary translator. These activities maintain a high level of quality in my translation and critical thinking skills. I can help you develop an effective voice that will reach your target audiences. Combined with translation, I also offer Multilingual Services: research, cultural analysis, communications problem-solving, and subject matter expertise in materials pertaining to the following specializations.

Specializations

Academic, education, literature, culture, society, arts, media, development, gender, including Classical Arabic and Islamic Studies. I can also provide creative transcreation, transcription, transliteration, and subtitles. Contact me for details.

Literary Texts

I excel in Arabic-to-English literary translation of short stories, poetry,  novels, and historical or folk genres. My latest publication is my translated abdridgement of the Arabic epic Sirat al-Amira Dhat al-Himma, about a warrior woman and her adventures. I am always scouting out manuscripts for translation: fictional works that tell human stories, especially with themes pertaining to women and history. May include elements of wonder, magic, and the supernatural. Genre fiction is welcome. I prefer plot-driven narratives with well-developed characters, especially female characters. Examples: Faten / The Servant by Fatima Sharafeddine, Granada by Radwa Ashour, Jarat Abi Musa / The Women Neighbors of Abi Mousa by Ahmed Toufiq, and Al-Bab al-maftuh / The Open Door by Latifa Zayyat. Pre-modern texts welcome as well. I also have an ongoing project translating Moroccan malhun poetry.

Testimonials


“It’s a pleasure working with you and I hope we will work on more projects together”

Dr. Eman Younis

Head of the Department, Arabic Language & Literature, Beit Berl Collage

Marhaba Language Expertise
5
2024-06-28T12:17:58-05:00

Dr. Eman Younis

Head of the Department, Arabic Language & Literature, Beit Berl Collage

“It’s a pleasure working with you and I hope we will work on more projects together”

"Melanie's translation services were just what I needed.  She worked with me to confirm what material needed to be translated, delivered the material sooner than expected, and answered my additional questions.  The translation itself was superb.  Not only would I recommend these services to a friend, but I would use them again in the future if I needed to."

Jessica Frazier

Departments of History and Gender & Women's Studies | The University of Rhode Island

Marhaba Language Expertise
5
2021-04-05T13:39:07-05:00

Jessica Frazier

Departments of History and Gender & Women's Studies | The University of Rhode Island

"Melanie's translation services were just what I needed.  She worked with me to confirm what material needed to be translated, delivered the material sooner than expected, and answered my additional questions.  The translation itself was superb.  Not only would I recommend these services to a friend, but I would use them again in the future if I needed to."

"Melanie was so helpful! She was able to clean up the transliteration on my whole book manuscript in a week's time, and did a great job! She asked clarifying questions to make sure that she was doing what was required, and raised a few issues (like transliteration in the references section) that I hadn't considered. Would 100% use her services again!"

Tessa Farmer

Department of Middle Eastern & South Asian Languages & Cultures | UVA

Marhaba Language Expertise
5
2022-02-10T12:01:50-05:00

Tessa Farmer

Department of Middle Eastern & South Asian Languages & Cultures | UVA

"Melanie was so helpful! She was able to clean up the transliteration on my whole book manuscript in a week's time, and did a great job! She asked clarifying questions to make sure that she was doing what was required, and raised a few issues (like transliteration in the references section) that I hadn't considered. Would 100% use her services again!"

"Marhaba is the best place to get your Arabic text professionally translated. Many thanks"

Sabah Hamamou

Journalist | Egypt & UK

Marhaba Language Expertise
5
2020-06-21T17:33:33-05:00

Sabah Hamamou

Journalist | Egypt & UK

"Marhaba is the best place to get your Arabic text professionally translated. Many thanks"

"I had an excellent experience working with Melanie, who oversaw a large scale translation project for me and located the best translator for the job. Melanie is prompt, responsive, and professional. I would gladly work with her again."

Lital Levy

Associate Professor of Comparative Literature | Princeton University

Marhaba Language Expertise
5
2020-06-21T17:31:07-05:00

Lital Levy

Associate Professor of Comparative Literature | Princeton University

"I had an excellent experience working with Melanie, who oversaw a large scale translation project for me and located the best translator for the job. Melanie is prompt, responsive, and professional. I would gladly work with her again."

"Very professional, knowledgeable, and reliable service with prompt communication. Highly recommended!"

Ainsley Ryan

Graduate Assistant | The University of Rhode Island

Marhaba Language Expertise
5
2020-06-21T17:27:43-05:00

Ainsley Ryan

Graduate Assistant | The University of Rhode Island

"Very professional, knowledgeable, and reliable service with prompt communication. Highly recommended!"

“Thank you for the good job!!“

Nativespeaker_B

Berlin, Germany

Marhaba Language Expertise
2019-07-15T14:53:37-05:00

Nativespeaker_B

Berlin, Germany

“Thank you for the good job!!“

“Melanie was very helpful and provided an excellent service. She was responsive (despite the time zone difference!), kind, and nothing was too much trouble. The assignment we allocated to her was very challenging, but she did a great job and was very keen to get it right. We totally recommend her and treasure the chance to work with her in the near future. Thank you very much, Melanie! You are an excellent professional.”

Lara Carrión

RWS Group | UK

Marhaba Language Expertise
2019-07-15T14:42:00-05:00

Lara Carrión

RWS Group | UK

“Melanie was very helpful and provided an excellent service. She was responsive (despite the time zone difference!), kind, and nothing was too much trouble. The assignment we allocated to her was very challenging, but she did a great job and was very keen to get it right. We totally recommend her and treasure the chance to work with her in the near future. Thank you very much, Melanie! You are an excellent professional.”

“Melanie was very helpful with providing the Arabic text to some songs for Mama Lisa’s World.“

Lisa Yannucci

Mama Lisa’s World

Marhaba Language Expertise
2019-07-15T14:54:05-05:00

Lisa Yannucci

Mama Lisa’s World

“Melanie was very helpful with providing the Arabic text to some songs for Mama Lisa’s World.“
5
6
Marhaba Language Expertise

Samples

The Tale of Princess Fatima
Arabic Original
Cover of English Translation (of selected episodes) and the 7-volume Arabic original text
Praise for The Tale of Princess Fatima on LinkedIn
Literature: Novels, Short Stories, Poems, Epics…

Praise for Mortal Designs

Praise for Mortal Designs

Do you write in Arabic and want to share your writing in English? Whether you are an academic or a literary author, we can help you transform your writing into clear and concise English. Contact me. Or to learn more, see the blog.

هل تكتبون بالعربية وتريدون أن تشاركوا كتاباتكم بالانجليزية؟ سواء كنتم أكدميون أو كنتم أدباء نستطيع أن نساعدكم بتحويل كتاباتكم إلى الإنجليزية بالوضوح والإيجاز. اتصلوا بنا أو لمعرفة المزيد راجعوا مدونتنا

Do you publish Arabic-related books? I provide translation, copyediting, and related consulting for Academic and Literary publications. Contact me. Or to learn more, see the blog and/or newsletter.

هل أنتم تنشرون في مجال مرتبط باللغة العربية وثقافاتها؟ نوفّر الترجمة (من العربية إلى الإنجليزية) والتعديل اللغوي (بالانجليزية) واستشارات ذات صلة للمنشورات الاكديمية والأدبية. اتصلوا بنا أو لمعرفة المزيد راجعوا مدونتنا و/أو النشرة الإخبارية

For those interested in commissioning translation

Non-linguists may find it frustrating to shop for a translator. I recommend this free introductory guide, Translation, Getting it Right. This brochure is also available in other languages here, along with Interpreting: Getting it Right (if you need spoken services). For a more detailed approach, see Translation: Buying a Non-Commodity. All of these guides are provided by the American Translators Association (ATA).

Why Arabic to English, not vice versa ?

In the field of translation, the highest quality work is produced by native speakers of the target language. I can assist with translation into Arabic, but professionally I translate only Arabic to English because I am a native speaker of English. I can refer you to colleagues if you need English to Arabic translation.

Academic Articles in the Social Sciences & Humanities

Selected Past Projects

  • AR>EN Academic Articles (History, Political Science)
  • AR>EN Literature: Short Story, Novel, Poetry, Epic
  • AR>EN Journalism (Newspaper Articles, Cultural Topics, Publishing)
  • AR>EN Non-Fiction Book (Biography, History, Medieval Poetry)
  • AR>EN Power Point slides on a topic of national and international security
  • AR>EN Legal Documents (Contracts, Letters, MOUs)
  • Clients include: Academics at Princeton University, University of Maryland, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, and Zayed University (UAE); Publishers in Cairo and New York; NGOs; Writers; Individuals and other Language Service Providers.

Advice from Global Content Consultant Dave Ruane to expanding businesses (from Verbaccino Ep. 103)

  • Get it right the first time
  • Don’t be afraid of investing in localization
  • Focus on quality

Translator profiles