About
About Yuna
I’m a French linguist who has made a life — and a craft — out of moving between languages and cultures.
I translate because I love getting meaning right: not only what a text says, but what it is trying to do, and for whom. After nearly twenty years in the profession, that still feels like the most interesting puzzle there is.
In short
The short version:
- French linguist and certified Turkish translator.
- Working in languages since 2012; lived in France, Germany and now Türkiye.
- Precise, careful, and genuinely interested in the people behind the words.
A little of my story
I grew up in Brittany, in a Breton and Welsh family, with more than one language around the kitchen table. Breton, French and English came first; German and Spanish followed at school. Languages were never a subject to me — they were simply how my family talked to each other.
I trained as a linguist at the Université Marc Bloch in Strasbourg and have run my own translation practice since 2012. Life has taken me from France to Germany and, now, to Türkiye, where I’m a certified sworn translator for Turkish. Each move has added a language, a culture, and a little more perspective.
Today I divide my time between client work and the Open Language Initiative, a non-profit where I lead Programme Operations, helping make knowledge accessible across languages.
How I work
I’m precise by nature — “meticulous without being pedantic,” as a colleague once put it. I care about the meaning behind the words, and I’m at home moving between cultures, not only between languages.
I’m especially drawn to work that helps people who are too often unheard, which is why a good part of my time goes to humanitarian and human-rights translation.
Selected work & affiliations
Published: French translation of Choosing Earth by Duane Elgin
Volunteer translator — Translators Without Borders
Member — Mediterranean Editors & Translators (MET)
Volunteer translator — Translators Without Borders
Programme Operations — Open Language Initiative
In their words
“Yuna has translated a number of texts into French for our pro bono programme and is one of our star volunteers. She’s a professional: conscientious, responsive, efficient and a pleasure to deal with. Quality work. Would definitely recommend her services.”