About Me
I'm Michelle Kiefer, a communications strategist and French-to-English translator who helps organizations communicate clearly and thoughtfully.
My fifteen-year-plus career has spanned the nonprofit, education, arts, and startup industries: from leading communications for a New York City school to building national visibility for a sustainable seafood startup and shaping marketing strategy for a French cultural institution. Along the way, I've steered website redesigns and rebrands, created content across digital and print, and provided messaging guidance for organizations in times of transformation.
Several years ago, I began volunteering as a translator, which inspired me to pursue professional training in the field. Since then, my work has included translating exhibition materials for a museum in Paris, subtitles for a trilingual documentary film, and legal and academic documents for a refugee organization. My literary translations have appeared or are forthcoming in Asymptote, The Los Angeles Review, and the Journal of Japonisme. I am currently completing my master's degree in Professional French Translation.
True story: my search for a cookie in Marseille once led to a serendipitous encounter that shaped my outlook on the world. To me, the orange blossom-scented, boat-shaped navette is a reminder of how stepping outside your usual path can open new perspectives.
Navette also means "shuttle" in French, which is what I aim to do in my work: I help ideas and messages travel smoothly from one place to another, so they reach the right people.