It’s great to see you here!
I’m Ivar. I work with words, ideas, stories, and experiences; I translate books and games, develop and teach courses, and take part in projects where language, creativity, and culture come together.
This website offers a quick look at what I do, what I’ve translated, and the ideas behind my projects.
Come on in, take a look around, and make yourself at home.
Let’s start with a few numbers:
years working in literary and technical translation, as well as on localization projects.
fiction and nonfiction books translated into Portuguese for major publishers.
localization projects, including video games, board games, websites, and apps.
talks and workshops presented at conferences and universities, as well as for online audiences.
students and mentees in courses for translators and mentoring programs.
I’ve gained all this experience through a wide range of literary translation and localization projects, courses for translators, professional events, and collaborative initiatives. And it will keep growing with every new book, course, talk, and project.
Hi! I’m Ivar.
I’m an English ↔ Brazilian Portuguese translator. My career started in 2008, when I was offered a chance to work on technical translations in the healthcare field. Soon afterward, I moved to literary translation, which has since become one of the cornerstones of my professional experience. My interest in games and storytelling led me to localization as well, with projects ranging from board games and mobile apps to websites.
Over the years, I’ve worked with companies in Brazil and abroad as a translator, editor, publishing reader, and linguistic and cultural adaptation specialist. I always strive to meet deadlines and make sure the content feels natural and appropriate for its intended audience.
I also help train fellow translators by developing and teaching courses, speaking at conferences, and taking part in professional events. From 2024 to 2026, I served on the board of Abrates, the Brazilian Association of Translators and Interpreters.
Now, let’s move beyond the numbers:
My work with Abrates
I served on the board of Abrates and currently volunteer as a mentor in its Mentoring Program and as a member of the association’s communications team.
Education and experience
I hold a degree in Advertising and Marketing, have a background in graphic design, and a graduate certificate in Translation Project Management.
Events and initiatives
I’ve helped organize professional events and initiatives such as Barcamp 016, BRCamp, conferences, and other projects for translators and interpreters.
What I do:
Literary translation
Fiction, nonfiction, comics, and other publishing projects, with careful attention to voice, tone, natural language, and the reader’s experience.
Localization
Adapting apps, websites, and digital content for their target audiences, considering language, culture, context, and the user’s experience.
Game localization
Translating and adapting video games, board games, card games, and interactive projects, with careful attention to rules, narrative, terminology, and gameplay.
Editing, MTPE, LQA
Linguistic and grammatical editing, machine translation post-editing, consistency checks, linguistic quality assurance, and refinement of translated content.
Technical and academic translation
Technical, academic, and scientific translation, particularly in healthcare, business, communications, and corporate content..
Language and cultural consulting
Text analysis, professional assessments, cultural adaptation, terminology guidance, and editorial support for projects that require careful language decisions.
Translation project management
Support with the organization, monitoring, and coordination of translation projects, with a focus on deadlines, communication, workflows, and consistency.
Courses, talks, and workshops
Courses, workshops, mentoring, and talks for translators, institutions and teams interested in translation, localization, technology, and the language industry.
Need translation, localization, editing, or training?
Want to take a look at my portfolio?
Translated books, localized games and apps, courses, talks, and collaborative projects… quite a lot has crossed my desk over the years.
Here you’ll find a preview of that work. The buttons below will take you to dedicated pages for each area of my portfolio, where you can browse the full listings.
Methodology and tools:
Every project calls for a different approach and its own working strategies. Sometimes the focus is on the “voice” of the text; in other cases, it may be terminology, game rules, handling different file types, or the user experience. The goal is always to create natural language that fits the project and its context.
That’s why my process combines initial analysis, research, linguistic and cultural adaptation, clear communication with clients and team members, careful editing, and quality assurance before delivery.
Translation and localization platforms:
Project management, collaboration, and tracking:
Online classes, mentoring, talks, and events:
I can also work with other tools, platforms, and workflows depending on the needs of each client and project.
Courses, talks, and translator training:
I enjoy talking about translation, localization, the language industry, and career development with newcomers and experienced professionals alike.
I’ve taught courses and workshops and given talks on several areas of the profession, including literary translation, game localization, CAT tools, translation technology, career paths, personal branding, and creativity.
These activities were presented at professional events such as Abrates conferences and PROFT, as well as at gatherings hosted by Brazilian universities, including USP, Unesp, Unicamp, and FMU. They have also been offered through online learning platforms for translators and interpreters like Translators101 and the Quijote translator-training courses, among others.
Gatherings like these are great opportunities to share real-world professional experiences with colleagues and discuss ways to turn knowledge into practical tools.
Artigos, crônicas e outros textos
Algumas ideias precisam de mais espaço e um ambiente mais flexível do que um website de serviços profissionais ou uma rede social conseguem oferecer.
Quer acompanhar um pouco mais dessas ideias? Então venha dar uma olhada no meu blog. Eu publico textos sobre tradução, carreira, livros, jogos, criatividade, bastidores de projetos, design, música e outros assuntos, incluindo algumas reflexões fora da caixa e uns pensamentos crônicos que vão surgindo pelo caminho.
What people are saying:
Clients and partners:
Here at the companies, publishers, institutions, platforms, and initiatives I’ve worked with on translation, localization, professional training, events, communications and other projects.
Clients:
Partners:
Let’s talk!
Not every conversation needs to start with a fully developed brief.
Sometimes, all it takes is an idea, a potential partnership, or a project that’s just beginning to take shape—or even a “Hey, I’m not sure if this is the kind of thing you do, but…”
Use the form to tell me what you have in mind and how we might work together. You can also reach me at or through my LinkedIn profile.