Eileen Stevens, Keyboard Translations

Literary translations that let the music in your texts be heard

Growing up in New Jersey, I visited many inspiring cultural events in near-by New York City. In 1990, I moved to Amsterdam where I worked as a violinist in a Dutch orchestra. Playing the violin professionally for more than 25 years gave me the chance to visit museums, opera, and many wonderful concerts. Along the way, I fell in love with Dutch literature, and started translating texts into English to share with my friends and family back home. My translation business gradually took shape, and in 2013 I earned my MA in translation at the University of Amsterdam. Since then, I have worked full-time as a Dutch to English translator. In 2021 I was added to the Dutch Foundation for Literature's list of approved literary translators in the fiction category.

The Netherlands offers outstanding support to literary translators, and I have been fortunate enough to attend numerous workshops led by some of the most respected Dutch to English translators in the business. In the fall of 2020 I was invited to attend the ELV masterclass in literary non-fiction translation. In the spring of 2022, I was a guest speaker on a panel about literary translation and Dutch literature at the London Book Fair.

My goal is to tune in to the needs of authors, publishers and other clients, whether I’m translating a work of literature, a non-fiction history book or a concert program. Book translations to date have included Anna Enquist's The Homecoming, Connie Palmen's Your Story, My Story (longlisted for the 2022 Dublin Literary Award and co-translated with Anna Asbury), a how-to guide to singing, the memoirs of a member of the Belgian Resistance, and a history of fashion.

Growing up in New Jersey, I visited many inspiring cultural events in near-by New York City. In 1990, I moved to Amsterdam where I worked as a violinist in a Dutch orchestra. Playing the violin professionally for more than 25 years gave me the chance to visit museums, opera, and many wonderful concerts. Along the way, I fell in love with Dutch literature, and started translating texts into English to share with my friends and family back home. My translation business gradually took shape, and in 2013 I earned my MA in translation at the University of Amsterdam. Since then, I have worked full-time as a Dutch to English translator. In 2021 I was added to the Dutch Foundation for Literature's list of approved literary translators in the fiction category.

The Netherlands offers outstanding support to literary translators, and I have been fortunate enough to attend numerous workshops led by some of the most respected Dutch to English translators in the business. In the fall of 2020 I was invited to attend the ELV masterclass in literary non-fiction translation. In the spring of 2022, I was a guest speaker on a panel about literary translation and Dutch literature at the London Book Fair.

My goal is to tune in to the needs of authors, publishers and other clients, whether I’m translating a work of literature, a non-fiction history book or a concert program. Book translations to date have included Anna Enquist's The Homecoming, Connie Palmen's Your Story, My Story (longlisted for the 2022 Dublin Literary Award and co-translated with Anna Asbury), a how-to guide to singing, the memoirs of a member of the Belgian Resistance, and a history of fashion.