Translation, editing, European research funding, editorial design and digital development often come together within the same project.
This selection of work shows how a collaboration can evolve over time, combine several areas of expertise and adapt to the specific needs of each researcher, institution or project.
From ERC projects to heritage, from scientific translation to the development of complex websites, these projects illustrate the diversity of Expressum’s collaborations.
Locus Ludi is an ERC Advanced Grant project devoted to the role of play and games in Greek and Roman societies. Expressum’s collaboration with the project began several months before the proposal was submitted and continued throughout its development.
Before submission, Expressum supported the preparation of the proposal through working meetings, brainstorming sessions and regular discussions on how best to structure and present the project. The work also involved successive rounds of rewriting and the translation of sections initially drafted in French.
After the project was funded, the collaboration continued with numerous scientific translations and in-depth English editing.
Expressum subsequently designed, developed and maintained the project’s extensive website, organising publications, documentary resources, news and scientific content for different audiences.
A substantial part of this content was later transferred to Hypothèses (OpenEdition Center, a French public research infrastructure, CNRS) in order to give it a more durable presence within a long-term academic environment.
Navigation, resources, publications and the overall architecture of the website developed for the project throughout the duration of the project.
Advice · Brainstorming · Rewriting · Translation
Scientific translation · In-depth editing
Design · Development · Maintenance · Long-term preservation
The collaboration with AGRELITA began several months before the ERC Advanced Grant proposal was submitted. It continued after the project received funding through regular scientific translation work supporting its publications and research activities.
Before submission, Expressum supported the preparation of the proposal through working meetings, brainstorming sessions and regular discussions on its structure and presentation. The work also involved successive rounds of rewriting and the translation of sections initially drafted in French.
After the project was funded, the collaboration continued with numerous scientific translations into English, supporting the project’s publications and wider research activities.
Advice · Brainstorming · Rewriting · Translation
Scientific translation · Long-term collaboration
Expressum has supported the House of European History through in-depth English editing of exhibition catalogues, museum content and interpretive texts intended for an international audience.
The work goes beyond correcting the language. It involves ensuring the clarity, fluency and consistency of texts intended to be read by audiences with very different backgrounds.
The editing must also comply with highly detailed editorial and terminology guidelines, sometimes running to around forty pages. This is particularly important when exhibitions address sensitive, complex or historically challenging subjects, where terminology, contextualisation and consistency of presentation must be handled with particular precision.
The work has therefore included exhibition catalogues, interpretive material and other institutional texts, with particular attention to terminology, tone, readability in English and strict adherence to the editorial framework established by the institution.
In-depth editing · Clarity · Terminology · Consistency · Editorial guidelines
Expressum has translated and edited several works relating to the Royal Fortresses of Carcassonne, including a major 366-page international scholarly volume and documents associated with the property’s nomination for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
366 pages · Translation · Editing · Terminological consistency
UNESCO documents · Historical precision · Institutional consistency
Translating a collective volume of this scale requires constant attention to terminological consistency, the harmonisation of individual contributions and continuity in the scholarly discourse from one chapter to the next.
The work concerned a 366-page international volume devoted to fortified architecture and territorial control from the twelfth to the fourteenth centuries. Translation and editing had to preserve the historical and archaeological precision of the texts while producing fluent and consistent English for an international readership.
Expressum also worked on documents relating to the nomination of the Royal Fortresses of Carcassonne for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Such texts require particularly precise wording, consistent terminology and close attention to the relationship between scholarly argument, heritage description and institutional presentation.
Expressum translated into English Vinciane Pirenne-Delforge’s inaugural lecture at the Collège de France, devoted to Greek polytheism and the ways in which it can be approached as a historical subject.
Inaugural lecture · Greek polytheism · Collège de France
Scientific translation · Terminology · Fluency · Collaborative work
The translation had to convey a complex reflection on Greek polytheism with precision while preserving the clarity, rhythm and voice of the author.
The work focused as much on terminological accuracy as on fluency in English, enabling the text to address an international academic readership without losing the subtlety of the original argument.
The translation developed through close exchanges with Vinciane Pirenne-Delforge, with successive adjustments designed to achieve an English version that was at once faithful, natural and appropriate to its publication context.
Expressum supports Henri Strinati in developing a bilingual digital presence aimed at two complementary audiences: French-speaking readers of his historical novels and English-speaking publishing professionals. The project combines editorial design, web development, translation and the presentation of extensive historical research.
The website was designed to do more than present the books. Expressum created an architecture capable of organising the historical world of the novels, their characters and itineraries, as well as archives, the author’s research and his news and events.
The project therefore combines editorial design and WordPress development, with particular attention to navigation, information hierarchy and the reader’s experience across desktop, tablet and mobile devices.
The French version is aimed primarily at readers and provides a broader exploration of the world of the novels. The English version also has a professional role, presenting the author and his work to agents, publishers and other contacts in the English-speaking publishing world. Expressum therefore also handles the translation and adaptation of content so that each version responds to its own audience rather than functioning as a simple linguistic copy of the other.
An interactive map allows readers to explore the places and routes of the story and access complementary historical material.
The characters are organised visually so that their relationships, affiliations and place within the fictional world can be understood at a glance.
Book fairs, meetings, signings and other events are integrated into an editorial section that allows the website to evolve alongside the author’s activities.
Novels · Characters · Routes · Archives · News
French · English · Translation · Editorial adaptation
WordPress · Interactivity · Responsive design · Maintenance
Over the years, Expressum has worked with numerous researchers, museums and institutions in fields ranging from classical archaeology and Byzantine studies to art history, heritage and the history of science. Here are a few examples.
Translation of a highly specialised volume on the excavations of Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus.
Translation and English editing of the manuscript of Aphrodisias IV.
Partial translation and English editing of Limos kai Loimos, a study of the Galenic plague.
Translation of several articles and conference papers on tapestry and artistic patronage.
Translation of a study on Parian and Naxian potters in southern Italy.
Translation of a study on Byzantine geographical, technical and scientific manuscripts.
Translation of a study on Belgian claims relating to the treasure of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Translation of an article on Vasari, Guicciardini and Flemish and Dutch artists.
English editing of a study on Byzantine Christianity and tactile piety.
Translation, editing and oral preparation of a conference paper on Hercules and Charles Alexander of Lorraine.
Scientific translation, in-depth English editing, a European research project or a digital presence: every collaboration begins with a conversation about your needs, your schedule and the specific requirements of your project.
