• De Witte Dame - Eindhoven
  • Notting Hill - Londen
  • Kelvingrove Museum & University - Glasgow
  • Sint Servaas Bridge - Maastricht
  • Stanley Park - Vancouver
  • Hotel Del Coronado - San Diego
  • Painted Ladies - San Francisco
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Welcome

VDTS was founded by Tessa van Dooren, a language specialist who has been working in the translation industry since 1998. VDTS combines sound professional knowledge, many years of practical experience and a passion for language to deliver high-quality English to Dutch translations.

Who I am

When I meet people from way back, while catching up and talking about what we do professionally these days, they often tell me: “But of course, you were the girl who was really into languages back then.” That would not be how I describe myself these days, but they are right: from an early age on, language in its widest sense has always fascinated me.

By choosing to attend the Translation Academy in Maastricht after finishing secondary school, I was fortunate enough to turn that fascination into an actual career. Through a work placement period at Glasgow’s Strathclyde University and a graduation project at a medium-sized Dutch translation agency, I got my first tastes of working in the translation industry. It turned out to be exactly what I wanted: by using my linguistic skills, I was able to help people from different parts of the world understand each other and communicate. It felt so rewarding!

After graduating in 1998, I got offered a fulltime job at the agency where I had completed my graduation project. Several years later, my career took me in the direction of a large, international localisation firm, where I started out as a junior localizer and over time became a lead linguist for several key accounts.

In 2006, I decided the time was right to use all the knowledge and hands-on experience I had gained at these fine companies, and start my own freelance company. That was the start of Van Dooren Translation Services.

What I do

Translations English – Dutch

I am a firm believer in the ‘native speaker’ principle: it is impossible to master a second language equally as well as one’s native tongue. Therefore, you can rely on me for all your translations from English into Dutch.

After I graduated specialising in economic and financial texts, my first job mostly involved the translation of technical content and all sorts of business communications. Moving on to my next job, I was introduced into the world of software localisation, thereby learning a lot about the language of IT and related subject matters. Additionally, I completed a course in creative writing, allowing me to work on less technical texts, requiring a more creative approach. As a result of this broad experience, the subject matters of the projects I work on vary greatly. That is one of the things that still fascinate me about my work. From an e-learning course about business ethics to recipes for a food processor; from a website about dog breeding standards to a glossy magazine for a luxury car brand; from call centre software to a sports gear catalogue: these are only but a few of the many different texts that people have entrusted me with over the years.

Despite of this broad experience, there is always a chance that a text falls outside my areas of expertise. Should that be the case, I will always try to refer you to one of my colleagues who is comfortable with your content.

Other services

Last but not least, I also offer my services as a reviewer of existing Dutch texts or translations performed by others.

Additionally, I frequently work as a linguistic tester, ensuring localised versions of new apps and software don’t contain any bugs from a language point of view.

How I do it

Every industry has its own language and terminology, as does every company. Therefore, when I start working on projects for new clients, I ask them if they have any Dutch content that I might use for reference. Reviewing these existing materials gives me an impression of the terms, style, etc. they use.

The result: a translated text that is adequately aligned with the client’s existing documentation and content. For example: newsletters contains the same terminology as the company website, and the style in which readers are addressed, is consistent on every platform.

For every individual client, I document and archive all projects that I have worked on, ensuring long-term consistency. For this process, I use several CAT tools (Computer Assisted Translation), such as:

  • Trados Studio
  • memoQ
  • Passolo
  • SDL World Server
  • Translation Workspace
  • Catalyst
  • XTM
  • Transifex

Mind you, the crucial word here is ‘Assisted’. First and foremost, translation is a human effort, not a trick performed by a computer!

Contact

Would you like to know more about my services or are you interested in receiving a quotation?

Please send an e-mail to tessa [at] vdts.net or call me at +31 (0)6 40447152.

I will be glad to be of service to you!