My name is Anna Szudek, but call me Ania.
I am an experienced translator, writer, and interpreter from Poland with a background in linguistics - now based in Berlin.
I translate specialized and creative language from English and German into Polish. I provide interpreting services remotely and in Berlin as well. You can read my full bio below.
ABOUT ME
Photo by Tina-Jane Krohn
I have been interested in language and communication for as long as I can remember.
Since all of my father’s family lives in New York City, I started speaking English early on in my life and have near-native knowledge of the language. In secondary school - inspired by the band Einstürzende Neubauten - I decided to put more effort into learning German and to pursue translation as a field of study after graduating. Applied linguistics with a major in specialized translation and interpreting seemed like a perfect choice.
I started my bachelor's program at the University of Warsaw in 2012 and graduated with a degree in 2015, which is when I was offered to join a Warsaw-based agency as a translator. I worked there as I was pursuing my MA degree, i.e., until 2017, when I graduated for the second time.
Besides studying full-time and taking up translation jobs, I freelanced as a music journalist. From 2015 until 2021, I was an editor of "Noise Magazine," Poland’s most renowned publication devoted to alternative and avant-garde music. Once on the job, I started writing essays, doing interviews, and translating them from English or German into Polish, which provided me with a different (more creative) perspective on translation.
As of 2023, I am back in the translation and content creation industry after a break.
If you want to find out more about me with respect to my translation, interpreting, or journalistic work, please click on a corresponding link in the menu above.
MY STRENGTHS
Expertise in US English
I started learning English very young and submerged myself in it as much as I could. In secondary school, I was a finalist in a national English language competition in Poland. I followed this achievement up with an internship at the United States Embassy in Warsaw in 2011.
I have traveled to the East Coast of the USA, including New York City, Washington, D.C., and New Orleans, which gave me insight into the reality of American English as opposed to its textbook version.
As a university student, I chose to study the phonetics of US English to hone my existing skills.
C2 German
In 2021, I moved to Germany. It cannot be overstated how much of an impact this decision has had on my command of German - to which my C2 certificate from Goethe-Institut can attest. I am now submerged in the language on a day-to-day basis and in a natural context, which is why I understand cultural nuances embedded in the way native speakers express themselves and I know how to translate them into my native language accordingly.
Journalistic Know-How
Years spent working for a music magazine have provided me with a toolkit of skills critical to one’s success in journalism.
As an interviewer, I have learned how to arrange an in-person conversation through managers, agents, and publicists; how to do research in preparation for an interview; and finally, how to follow my interviewee’s words to make room for real dialogue and spontaneity instead of relying solely on a plan that I had prepared in advance.
(Creative) Writing
Writing essays has taught me about storytelling. On top of this, I have developed the skill of translating music to the reader in a language that they understand - but I am capable of this with respect to any subject matter. I know how to express the familiar in a way that feels refreshing as well as insightful, and how to capture the unknown to give the reader an aha moment - in which they might even think that they knew what they have just found out about all along.
This has always been my goal.