Helene's Word Emporium – Writing, Translation & Editing

Welcome to Word Emporium

Hello, and welcome to my website.

I’m Heléne van der Westhuizen, a South African translator and editor who accidentally ended up in this profession. Originally a farmgirl from the Free State, I have a Sesotho name, Puleng, which means rain. I’m also a reluctant-townie-turned-city-girl-and-international-resident.

Being a lapsed musician with an honours degree in psychology probably made me the least likely candidate to land a job compiling a cookbook, but in 2007, that’s exactly what happened. When the book won a Gourmand World Cookbook Award in 2008, the career change had already taken place; I just had to get on and hold for dear life, or be left behind.

I’ve been translating and editing ever since, because nothing beats the thrill of finding the perfect word.

Services

edting | writing

Translation

Credentials and Associations

I’ve been an Accredited Professional Translator (APTrans) at the South African Translators’ Institute (SATI) since 2012. You can find my profile and accreditation certificate here: https://www.translators.org.za/members-2/helene/.
This accreditation also afforded me the status of Pro Translator on ProZ.com in 2013: https://www.proz.com/profile/1664297.
Based on the books and films I had worked on in Poland, I was accepted as a Full Member of the Irish Writers’ Union in 2016 https://irishwritersunion.org/.
I’ve been a Full Member of the South African Freelancers’ Association (SAFREA) since 2013: https://safrea.co.za/user/helene.van.der.westhuizen. The organisation offers membership across the creative industry, which enables me to work with trusted colleagues from diverse backgrounds or refer clients to the professionals they need.
I’ve been an Associate Member of the Professional Editors’ Guild (PEG) in South Africa since 2013, working on a diverse range of projects, including fiction editing, as well as academic, medical, and technical projects. https://editors.org.za/

Testimonials

Van der Westhuizen demonstrates a deep appreciation of the unease and difficulty experienced by an author when months of blood, sweat and tears are cut out of a storyline completely or changed dramatically. We appreciate the sensitivity with which she approaches such a delicate task.

Marlise Haupt

Editor in Chief - Naledi - South Africa

Professional, reliable and very responsive, flawless quality, always a delight working with you Helene! Thank you.

Adriana Rudinciuc

Qualtransloc - Romania

Mrs van der Westhuizen translated the Afrikaans subtitles of the Polish documentary film Emanuele into English, and worked with the Polish translator to enable us to make a Polish and English version of the film. We were impressed by her keen, thorough and professional approach.

Monika Braid

Producer - Braidmade Films - UK