HEIDI TERESE VANGEN

Let me introduce myself!

Hi, I am Heidi Terese Vangen, a native Norwegian translator and writer working within the English to Norwegian language pair.


Learn more about my background and translation experience below.

About me


I live in a rural borough in the outskirts of Bergen, Norway. Here I am surrounded by books and a garden I can never quite keep up with, although I do try.


I had worked as a freelance translator alongside my day job as a digital archivist for several years until I decided to set up Uff da! Language Services and make a living out of it in 2024. I guess you could call it my midlife crisis, as I turned 40 years old right about the same time. 


As a translator I specialize in faith and spirituality, wellness, and food, though not necessarily in conjunction with each other. My experience also covers various topics, including hospitality, homeware, beauty, and more.


I love that I get to immerse myself in a world of words every day and help people and their businesses in the process.

MY STORY

Born this way


Being autistic, one could say I was born to be a translator. Before I could even articulate it, I knew I was different and I felt the painful consequences of not fully understanding the people around me. Later on as I learned to read and write, I experienced how easily misunderstandings occur. I saw how we as human beings are similar yet so very different in how we express ourselves.

Even a shared language can be used in a myriad of ways, as a single word can communicate different things to different people.  Basically, communication is tricky even without a neurodivergent brain.


Due to these circumstances, I pushed myself to use my intellect to decipher all the layers of communication that I didn't inherently grasp. I analyzed my way to other people's point of view, actively examining their message. I had to work to achieve what most people take for granted, and because of this, I became an excellent translator. 


Translation is about more than just replacing one word for another in a different language; it's about conveying the meaning behind the words and everything unspoken between themWhile I've been professionally translating for several years, my true experience spans a lifetime.

SNIPPETS FROM HEIDI'S CV

Employment History

EN-NO Translator                                                                       

Various clients | Since 2020


Translation, localization, editing and quality assurance for clients including Multilingual, Simple App, Gengo and Ultimate Languages. Within topics such as health and fitness, ecommerce, cooking, hospitality and faith.

AI Trainer                                                                                        

Outlier | Since 2024


Writing AI prompts, editing responses and localization.

Digital Archivist                                                                         

The University of Bergen | Since 2017


Daily archival duties, user support and managing the archive's routine manual, including developing new routines, editing, proofreading and publishing in GitLab.

Columnist                                                                                      

Vårt Land | 2018 - 2020


Writing a monthly column on subjects regarding faith and religion for the Norwegian daily newspaper Vårt Land.

Education

“Become a Freelance Translator”                                              

The Translator Academy | 2024

Bachelor’s Degree in Comparative Religion                    

The Translator Academy | 2011

One-Year Programme in Political Science                      

Molde University College | 2007

Languages

  • Norwegian Bokmål (Native)
  • English (Advanced)
  • Dutch (Beginner)
  • Danish (Reading comprehension)
  • Swedish (Reading comprehension)

Skills

  • Translation and localization
  • Editing
  • Quality assurance
  • Project management
  • Creative writing
  • CAT tools 

Want to learn more?

Oh, and if you read Norwegian and want greater exposure to my everyday quirks, feel free to connect with me on Instagram. And of course LinkedIn, where I mostly write in English.