Hi, I’m Dianne.
For over 20 years, I’ve worked with development organizations, NGOs, researchers and practitioners to support their internal and external communications.
My interest in communication and development grew from my experience as an educator. I taught elementary and middle school in the United States, Spain and Bolivia, always focusing especially on developing my students’ understanding of the local and global contexts that shaped their lives and their capacity to communicate: to think, read, write and speak clearly, deeply and elegantly. My work at Núr University in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, greatly deepened my understanding of education and its role in community development. The university set out to create a program to train rural teachers in teaching strategies that would help their students develop their thinking and communication skills and gain a deeper, more integrated understanding of the subjects they studied. At the same time, the program aimed to develop the teachers’ capacities as leaders for community development. Together with a small team, I developed the pedagogical modules and, once the program was launched, taught the courses. It was an unforgettable experience – learning alongside dedicated rural schoolteachers and seeing the impact of the program on their lives and on mine, and in their communities.
After some years, funding for the program ran out, and an opportunity arose to translate and interpret for a regional NGO with offices in Bolivia. That was where the puzzle pieces from the previous 20-plus years fell into place. Here was the space where I could apply my varied cultural experience, my language skills and my educational background (education being an integral aspect of development) and continue to contribute to development processes. And this is what I’ve had the good fortune of doing ever since.
What I bring to the table
Commitment: Because I care about development, your aims matter to me. I am committed to providing you with the best possible translation, interpretation or edit for your particular audience and goals. Getting it right may take some questions, clarifications and revisions along the way, and I put in the extra time and work needed to get there.
Expertise: After over twenty years of editing, interpreting and translating for the development sector, mostly in the areas of food systems and rural development, I am very familiar with the topics, audiences, and formats involved in this field. From editing community-radio manuals for rural communities and reports on algal toxins for food‑safety experts to translating policy guidance on climate vulnerability and interpreting for focus groups with women farmers, I bring a considerable breadth of knowledge to the work.
Attention to detail and nuance: Whether editing, interpreting or translating, I ensure that the output clearly and faithfully conveys not only the concepts but also the tone and sentiment of the author or speaker. This entails carefully reading the documents I translate or edit to grasp their full meaning and studying all background material in preparation for each interpreting assignment. It often involves some research to gather additional information or terminology and, depending on the audience, to identify local terms, units of measurement or aspects of the local context that should be considered. Of course, in editing and translating, I adhere strictly to your preferred style guide.
Reliability: I meet agreed deadlines, follow through on commitments, and communicate proactively to deal with questions or issues as they arise. If anything threatens a timeline, I let you know promptly so that any necessary action can be taken.
A collaborative approach: I am responsive, flexible and proactive. I welcome questions, feedback and discussion as we work toward the best outcome. If I can help with something that is not strictly within the scope of my assignment, I am happy to do so.
“Dear Dianne, I think this phase has been successfully completed, and I thank you for the constructive back and forth. The document is improved.”
Client at FAO
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