Hello, I’m Jai van Essen. I grew up fully bilingual and have been working as a Dutch–English translator for over ten years now. A love of language and culture has been a constant throughout my life. After finishing secondary school, I went on to study English Language and Literature at the University of Amsterdam. During that time, I also reviewed novels for the university magazine Folia. Language is fundamental to who we are, and I’ve always been fascinated by the many different ways writers express their ideas. This sensitivity to style and nuance also underpins my work as a translator.
In 2015, I completed the training programme for sworn translators in criminal law with the SIGV (the Dutch Institute for Legal Interpreters and Translators), after which I was entered into the official Dutch Register of Sworn Interpreters and Translators (registration number 10087). I’ve since continued to hone my expertise through ongoing training and extensive hands‑on experience. In August 2025, the Legal Aid Board renewed my Rbtv-registration until 2030.
I translate a wide variety of texts, from official documents and deeds to promotional texts for the culture sector and works of fiction (both from Dutch into English and vice versa). In 2022, my English translation of De crèche by Elle van Rijn (The Orphans of Amsterdam) was published, followed in early 2025 by my translation of Saskia Noort’s Bonuskind (The Grown‑up). Since 2019, I have worked as regular a translator for the Holland Festival, the international performing arts festival held annually in Amsterdam.