I grew up in Astoria, Oregon, known to some as land of The Goonies. For college, I escaped to New York and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1996 with a Bachelor’s of Liberal Arts with focuses on cultural anthropology and foreign languages.
- Twenty-five years of full-time professional experience as a certified translator from Italian to English in Florence, Italy.
- Certified since 2001 by the American Translators Association specifically to translate from Italian to English.
- In 2024, I opened Hurley Certified Translation in Florence, Italy, where I work with a team to provide certified, sworn, and regular translations between Italian and English as well as Italian classes and expat services.
- I also speak — but do not translate — Dutch (rusty but once fluentish), French (passable), and Spanish (downright abominable). I organize Speakeasy Multilingual
language exchange events in Florence so I can brag about being multilingual (and work on improving my languages). - Studied in Florence in 1994 at the Sarah Lawrence program and the University of Florence.
- Based in Florence, part of the Oltrarno community, I keep one foot still in the U.S., spending long stretches there, keeping my native tongue fresh.
Specializations
Design and architecture
Italy has been a design and architecture capital since the ’60s and remains an international standard-setter in the field. Firms, designers, and manufacturers all need to communicate effectively in an international world where the common language is English. I have translated for numerous leading design and architecture magazines in Florence, Italy (such as Ottagono, Materia, Area) and design blogs, world-renowned architecture firms, such as Archea Associati, and individual designers and manufacturers — everyone in the industry who needs clean, convincing English for materials, such as:
- Project reports
- Websites
- Books
- Catalogues
- Competition materials
- Customer communications
- Brochures
Specializations
Academic English – Social Sciences
English being the undisputed lingua franca of academia adds an extra hurdle for non-native English scholars. Writing in natural, concise English can be crucial to being published, winning scholarships, or getting admitted.
I’m here to help.
I have worked side-by-side with scholars, particularly in social sciences, including anthropology, sociology, and history, to help them correct and polish their English, or translate from Italian to English.
The usual style of Italian academic writing is dramatically different than what is admired academic writing in English. See some of these major differences here.
And here’s a great guide for writing scientific articles in English.
- Proposals
- Academic books
- Articles
- Applications
- Dissertations
Specializations
Certificates, transcripts, and other official documents
I am one of few translators certified by the American Translators Association in Italian to English in Florence, Italy. Many universities and governmental agencies require an ATA-translator certified in the requested language pair.
Examples of official documents requiring certified translation:
- Academic transcripts
- Degrees and diplomas
- Report cards
- Birth, death, and marriage certificates
- Driver’s licenses
Select Published Translation
Email, message, or call
For a quote or more info
Hurley Certified Translation
via dell’Orto, 23/R, 50124, Florence, Italy
Office landline: +39 055 199 82604