James Thomas M.Phil in French and Occitan Studies, Bristol, MA in Translation, Exeter
Translator from French, Occitan, Spanish and Catalan into English
Mezura Translations is the online home of James Thomas, principal translator and editor of the PEN award-winning title Grains of Gold (2015), a prize-winning 770-page anthology of Occitan literature published by Francis Boutle Publishers. Mezura is a courtly troubadour concept, an Occitan word encompassing the values of “balance”, “discretion” and “measure”. These ingredients produce a philosophy of translation based on accuracy and fidelity to the source text and fluency and pleasure for the target readership.
Mezura offers expert literary translations from French, Occitan, Spanish and Catalan and well-researched, affordable translations from these languages on a variety of other cultural and commercial topics including aviation history, biographies, costume and fashion, gastronomy, human geography, jazz, literary theory, museum catalogues, oenology and viticulture. With an advanced WSET certificate in wine and spirits, I am particularly keen to hear from clients in the wine industry. I also welcome commissions for magazine and journal articles and am keen to hear from publishers to discuss potential future projects.