Hello! I’m Andrew Bartels, a dual citizen of the United States and Hungary who lives in Barcelona. English is my native language and, because of jobs and study, I have become proficient in Spanish, Catalan and Hungarian. 

Why those languages? Well, one set of my grandparents was Hungarian and so I’ve always been interested in the language. I started studying it formally in graduate school. Since then I have taken every opportunity to use Hungarian to make personal and professional connections. As for Spanish, I studied it in school and, especially after getting to use it with Central American coworkers as a teenager, knew that I wanted to incorporate that language into my professional life. Catalan grew out of my research interests (did you know that both Catalan and Hungarian underwent major revitalizations in the 19th century?) and I’m also happy to live in a city where I can use it every day.

I have a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish (with honors Phi Beta Kappa ΦΒΚ and magna cum laude) from the University of Arkansas and a Master of Arts in Hispanic Literatures from Indiana University. During my undergraduate work, I spent a year studying abroad in Málaga, Spain at the University of Málaga. While at Indiana University, I continued my Spanish and Catalan studies, as well as starting in Hungarian. In addition to academic year coursework, I studied Hungarian at the IU Summer Language Workshop in 2018 and, in summer 2019, I studied at the Debrecen and Budapest campuses of Debreceni Nyári Egyetem. 

I work with a variety of clients. I’ve been hired by law firms and companies of various sizes. Additionally, many of my clients are individuals who need translations of job or housing documents when they seek opportunities abroad. So, whether you’re an established company that is looking for language service providers as you expand into a new market, or it’s your first time hiring a translator, I’d be happy to hear from you.

What sets me apart?

When you work with me, you will work with a professional who will adapt to the particular needs of your project. I will do research, ask questions, and do anything else required to understand what you’re building and how to share it with English speakers.

I have an eclectic background and I routinely work in multilingual teams. I have been part of initiatives in business, legal cases, linguistics, medieval studies and more. In all of these projects, I mastered new content and found the best way to share that message with the target audience. I bring the same approach — quickly acquiring new information and finding the best way to communicate it — to my translation and editing work. I look forward to learning about your project!