I grew up in Lübeck, Germany, and then emigrated to the Bay Area of California. After receiving my master's degree in German literature from UC Berkeley, I taught German for twenty years. Since 1997 I have been a translator.

In 2006 one of my clients asked if I could read old German handwriting. She had some correspondence from the nineteenth century, from her husband's immigrant ancestors, that she wanted transcribed and translated as a Christmas present for him.

Intrigued, I plunged in, and before me unfolded a vivid description of immigrant life in Brooklyn and Chicago, as well as the daily life of relatives back home in Germany. Like oral history, these personal letters opened up a rich view of the human side of the past, making them fascinating reading. I found this project so rewarding that I began to specialize in translation of old German script.

Here I am at work in my home office (with my cat Katja).