ingridmacgillis.com

The thrill of deciphering a newly-discovered document that perhaps has not been translated
since its author wrote it centuries ago is immeasurable. Once, while deciphering Puccini letters,
I came across revelatory material. I could barely contain myself: for the three days I was
working on his manuscripts, I was the only person in the world who knew their content.

Handwriting has changed through the ages, as has the use of language itself. But even a letter
written by one person in 1736 or 1849 or 1902 looks vastly different from one written by
someone else in the same year. These idiosyncrasies make handwriting indecipherable to the
untrained eye.

I decipher, transcribe, and translate letters and documents written in German, French, and
Italian. My transcriptions are verbatim and reflect old spellings and antiquated language usage.
Likewise, my translations strive to capture the tone of the original.

Art Research Services

For a number of years, I have been researching images for The Landmark Ancient Histories
book series on ancient Greece and Rome, including obtaining permissions from museums and
archives worldwide. The ability to communicate with rights holders in their native languages
speeds the process and helps assure the correct images will be sent. Inquiries regarding your
project are welcome.

For more information or a quote, please contact

ingrid.macgillis@gmail.com or phone 413-447-7220.