James Benn / Translator in English
Comic books:
- The Adventures of Jak and Bil in Kazakhstan: The Treasure of Genghis Khan
- The Adventures of Jak and Bil in Gabon: The Ivory Secret
- The Adventures of Jak and Bil in Scotland: The Loch Ness Mystery
- The Adventures of Jak and Bil in Oman: The H2O-tomobile Enigma
- The Adventures of Jak and Bil in the Netherlands: The Intrigue of De Nachtegaal Windmill
“I am an Englishman, born in London but a long-time resident of Brussels. I have been retired for some years now, but in my professional career I first of all practised for some years as a lawyer in London and after that became an EU official, working as a translator/legal reviser in the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg and subsequently in the European Parliament in Brussels. I am passionately interested in languages and even now, in retirement, I continue to do a considerable amount of work as a freelance translator. Most of the texts which I have hitherto been called upon, in my professional capacity as a linguist, to translate and/or revise, have been – unlike the adventures of Jak & Bil!! – rather dry and unexciting. So I was delighted and intrigued when Jacques Ortet asked me to assist with the revision and fine-tuning of the English-language versions of the Jak & Bill books, on all of which I have had great fun collaborating. This has at times presented certain challenges, especially when it comes to rendering Bil’s jokes and wordplay in vernacular English! But it’s a tremendously satisfying task, and very interesting… I’m not really into social media, so you won’t find me on Facebook, Instagram, etc., but I do have an e-mail address, and can be contacted at: jameshamiltonbenn@gmail.com. Oh, and I am on YouTube! I play bass guitar here in Brussels in a band with a great bunch of guys from the Congo – Here is one of our songs. Enjoy! (49) Isabelle Jeanjou Kawende – YouTube. »