Team

‘Issuing a quote is the first point of personal contact with the client. It determines how an assignment progresses. If a client is happy with the end result, I'm happy!’

As a project manager, An van Duivendijk is responsible for processing translation projects and ensuring that they run smoothly from start to finish. Alongside monitoring our overall quality process, An is a skilled sales coordinator within the team of project managers. An was born and raised in the city of Nijmegen. At the age of 18, she began her studies in art history at VU Amsterdam. She specialized in mediaeval visual arts and architecture. Having completed her studies, An moved to the UK where she initially worked in the historic city of Cambridge before moving on to work for a photography agency in London. In 1999, she returned to Amsterdam and spent seven years working for the world’s largest stock photography agency. She left them in 2007 to work as a project and office manager at a web-design company, where she worked until 2010. An moved to Maastricht in December 2009.  

‘What motivates me as a translator is the quest for the right term – finding the right word in the right context. I'm hardwired to think analytically. I think it's important that a translation is correct in terms of terminology, fits the client's style, and is reflective of their sector.’

With a background in both arts and sciences, Anna Carpendale can handle a wide range of subject areas. British Anna was born in Burton-on-Trent (Midlands) and grew up in a village near Ipswich in the East of England. She studied European Studies at the University of Hull, with Dutch as her main foreign language. Anna spent an exchange year in Utrecht as part of her degree programme, where she studied within the Faculty of Geographical Sciences, as it was then known. After graduating back in the UK, aged 22, she made the decision to move to the Netherlands, settling in Maastricht. She started work as a translator/editor at Duo vertaalburo in 2002.

‘Languages are my passion. Add to that my years of work experience in the sector, and I've got an excellent set of tools to make sure your message gets through clearly. I’m what you could call the 'filter’ between the translator, project manager, and client.’

Jurgen Venmans is the unrivalled polyglot of Duo, using his linguistic talents as a final editor for multilingual projects. Jurgen has a great interest in the Romance languages. He studied French and Spanish at the Maastricht School of Translation and Interpreting and graduated in 1993. Having worked as a freelancer for a year, he decided to study Italian in Utrecht. In 2005, he departed for Rio de Janeiro, where he also learned Portuguese. After ten years in Brazil, he decided it was time to return to the Netherlands, and he came back to the place where it all began: Maastricht! He has been working at Duo since November 2015, where alongside his work as a translator and editor he also assists with the financial administration.

‘I use my enthusiasm for words to produce translations that not only read like an original, but also hit the right tone for the target audience. I relish getting to the heart of each text and making sure each word is meticulously chosen.’

With his knowledge of several European languages, Luke Alsop is a highly versatile translator. Luke grew up in Wakefield (West Yorkshire, UK) and developed a love of languages from a very young age. He went on to study French and German at the prestigious Durham University and graduated with a first-class honours degree. During his time as a student, Luke spent part of his year abroad studying German language and culture in Cologne, and part as an assistant project manager at a Parisian translation agency. To broaden his horizons further, Luke decided that the Netherlands was the next country to relocate to. He has been working at Duo since July 2015.

‘When I'm translating, I really focus on exactly what the client wants to say, right down to the smallest details. It is my mission to communicate the original message and purpose of the text perfectly.’

Bilingual Malcolm Healey can translate a wide variety of text types into English. He began life in the UK but moved to the Netherlands at the age of eleven, and after completing secondary school he moved to The Hague to study European Studies. He then went on to study for a Master's in Management, Economics & Consumer Studies in Wageningen, specializing in Consumer Studies. Malcolm was already doing translation work during his time at university, and it became a passion. When the vacancy at Duo came up, he didn’t hesitate for a second. Malcolm has been working at Duo as an English translator on a permanent basis since 2018, focusing on marketing and academic texts.

‘As a project manager at Duo, I am the first link in the process towards the perfect translation. ’

Maud Hanssen was born and raised in Landgraaf. In 2018, she moved to Maastricht to study at the Academy for Translation and Interpreting, with Spanish and English as her main languages and interpreting as her specialization. In 2021, she left for idyllic Cádiz in southern Spain to do an internship as an English teacher. In 2022, she returned to Maastricht to do an internship at Duo vertaalburo and complete her study programme. During her internship, Maud turned out to be a born project manager. After graduating, she stayed on here where she continues to make use of her qualities!

‘‘What I love about translation is that you never stop learning. Every assignment is a new challenge, aiming to produce the very best translation. That's what makes it a fascinating profession for me.’ ’

Mel was born and bred in Maastricht. In 2009, after graduating from the Maastricht School of Translation and Interpreting in German and English, she felt it was time to broaden her horizons. She started working as a translator in Cambridge where she had done her work placement during her studies, and translated and revised a variety of texts from manuals and software descriptions to mobile phone games and websites. After seven years there, Mel moved to Berlin, where she worked for a large translation agency and gained experience with technical translation. Ultimately, she came to the conclusion that Maastricht would always be her home, and moved back. She is right at home at Duo as a Dutch translator and editor.

‘It is nice to see that we can contribute to the growth of a company by providing translations for their website, newsletters, or product texts.’

Robin Cörvers-van Elderen is originally from Klaaswaal, a small village near Rotterdam. She always dreamed of living abroad, so for her HBO (Higher Professional Education) degree in European Studies, she first lived in Avignon, France, for six months. She then did an internship with a drinks distributor on the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten for six months. In 2018, she moved to the South of the country — known for its reputation for enjoying the good things in life — to pursue a master's degree in Art, Culture, and Heritage at Maastricht University. After her studies, she moved to Landgraaf for love, where she now lives with her husband and son. In September 2021, Robin started working at Duo Vertaalburo as a project manager.

‘My work as a translator means I help shape the most magnificent of lexical creations. It's fantastic to be part of this magical process.’

Sandrine Renard's years of experience mean that she can handle a wide range of subject areas. She has been with Duo almost since the beginning and is well-versed in the specific wishes of each client. Sandrine was born in Liège and grew up in Esneux in the east of Belgium. A native speaker of French, she studied Dutch and English at the Maastricht School of Translation and Interpreting and then spent one year working as a translator at Binsberg Vertaalbureau Eatt. She came to Duo vertaalburo in 1998 and now coordinates the French translation work.

‘As a project manager, I am the point of contact for our customers and represent the link between the customer and the rest of our team. It gives me a sense of accomplishment to bring every project to a successful conclusion and to develop a relationship with our clients and translators. ’

Simone was born in South Limburg and after some travels through Europe, she ended up back in beautiful Maastricht. Simone joined Duo as a project manager in 2022. Simone feels completely at home at Duo thanks to her background in management, marketing, and customer contact as well as her great love of language and culture.