Reed James
Spanish-English Freelance Translator in Santiago, Chile
As a direct descendent of founding father Benjamin Franklin—a language man in his own right, Reed James, a freelance language facilitator, has helped his clients apply the law, win more business and consequently, do justice through proper communication. His secret to success is his reliability, dependability and legal savvy. Comfortable with both common law and Roman law, he stacks the building blocks for prosperity.
Languages have always been Reed's passion; he loves new ways of expression and through them, has created a new soul for himself. Born and raised in Seattle, USA, a vibrant, multicultural city, where he was exposed to many foreign languages. His first trip south of the border was when he was fifteen, when he ventured to Costa Rica as an exchange student. What he remembers the most is the thick, verdant vegetation and the richness of the local culture and language. Upon his return to the States, he took the National Spanish Exam, earning sixth place in the nation. He also earned the highest score on the Spanish Advanced Placement Test—worth 15 college credits. While furthering his knowledge of Spanish at Seattle University, he fell in love with a Chilean woman. In 1995, this relationship catapulted him into a new life in Santiago, Chile, where he married and fathered two children. For eight years, he taught English to executives. In 2003, with the Internet becoming more popular, Reed decided to trade in his whiteboard for a PC, facilitating communication between Spanish and English.
For the last thirteen years and over half a million translated words each year, some highlights of Reed's career include: interpreting a poet's talk, enabling Central American children to legally reside in the US by translating their immigration documents, helping Mexican children get adopted, reworking Mexican deeds for real estate deals so they read in English according to US law, scouring through translated legal documents with an eagle eye, for revision and publication and most recently, working in tandem with a Spanish author on the translation of a short story: The Long Funeral of Mr. White.
When Reed is not working away, he relishes reading great Latin American fiction and meeting the authors and listening to jazz. Though words will always be words, Reed never tires of mixing, matching and streamlining them until they sing.
Phone: +1-347-709-2920
Email: [email protected]
URL: www.reed-james.com