Elfriede Du Preez (translator)

(1)

German Translation and Language Services (freelancer)
Cross-cultural aspects interest me.

Born and bred in South Africa, I grew up in a multicultural environment. My mother tongue is German.

After the completion of my primary and high school years at Paarl Girls' High School in Paarl in 1971, I obtained a BA degree in German Literature and Psychology (1974) and a BA Honours degree in German Literature (1975) at Stellenbosch University.

Thereafter, I pursued a career in the South African diplomatic service for almost 25 years. During foreign service postings at embassies in Vienna (1981-1985) and Bonn (1989-1992), I obtained valuable experience regarding written and verbal communication, accurate translation, editing and publishing. Subsequently, until the beginning of 1996, I was Deputy Director in the Multilateral Branch of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Pretoria, with responsibilities concerning South Africa's role and position in international organizations and UN specialized agencies, particularly in the fields of disarmament, non-proliferation, protection of the oceans and marine living resources (notably in terms of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) and the Antarctic Treaty System. Responsibilities included representing South Africa as official delegate to multilateral conferences and meetings. In 1995, I was elected Rapporteur at the Meeting of Government-Designated Experts to Review and Revise a Global Programme of Action to Protect the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities, held under the auspices of the UN Environment Programme in Reykjavik/Iceland.

From 1996 to 1998, I was South African Consul General in Frankfurt a.M., with representative duties in the German federal states of Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Thuringia and Saxony. During this period, I successfully cultivated, expanded and strengthened bilateral relations between South Africa and Germany. These activities encompassed the pivotal advancement of financial, economic, socio-political, socio-economic and cultural relations, as well as the promotion of tourism. With respect to German-South African cooperation and in line with foreign policy objectives, I launched a strategic marketing programme and headed an in-house team to ensure the timely production and dissemination of relevant information and marketing material, which essentially also entailed copywriting, translation and editing processes.   

Working and living in German-speaking countries for ten years enhanced my interest in the German language and culture. Cross-cultural experiences in many foreign countries and worldwide travelling made me acutely aware of the importance of clear communication.           

Since 1999, I have been a freelance translator. My language combinations are German/English/German and Afrikaans/German/Afrikaans. My interests cover a range of subjects: literature (fiction and non-fiction), arts and culture, tourism and eco-tourism, travelling, international affairs, social sciences, international endeavours to combat climate change, environmental protection, protection of the oceans and marine living resources, sustainability, nature conservation and nature in general.

For more than twenty years, I have been a member of the South African Translators’ Institute (SATI: www.translators.org.za).

 

Native language: German
Translates from: English, German, Afrikaans
Translates into: English, German, Afrikaans


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