Everyone is familiar with the nine classical Muses who inspire or embody poetry, literature, history and so on. All well and good. But what about a muse for the technical aspects of creativity...for things like grammar, software, and publishing? And so The Technical Muse was born!
Denna holds a BA in Linguistics and an MAIS (Master's Degree, Interdisciplinary Studies) in the Philosophy of Science from the University of Texas at El Paso. Originally from the US, Denna has lived on Andros Island in the Bahamas, in Norwich (England), and is now a Norwegian citizen, living happily in Kolbu, Norway. She has co-authored several textbooks (mathematics and pedagogy) and has also published articles on Process Education, student learning, and various aspects of pedagogy. As much as she enjoys writing and still has projects in active stages of development, she is more drawn to being The Technical Muse and helping others find or refine their voices.
Denna explains: "Really, everything I do is about helping people be their best, whether they're authors, educators, or simply someone with a message. I can help by editing, proofreading, publishing, designing graphics, or advising or creating online educational content. Each of those actions is 100% about improving and furthering the work of others. Readers stumble over poorly constructed sentences and incorrect grammar and begin to disengage with what they're reading. A good graphic may not be worth a thousand words, but it does keep a reader engaged and can convey a wonderful amount of information. Readers also expect books of any kind to be formatted in a certain way and react poorly when their expectations are not met. And when an educator reaches out, online, the issue of engagement becomes so much more critical...how information is presented and interactivity used...well, these are what make learning happen or not. So the list of what The Technical Muse offers is all connected. It truly is about making the words and ideas of others as effective and engaging as they can be."
About translation... "I did a lot of Latin-to-English translation in college," she says. "It was endlessly fascinating to me how meaning can shift across languages and slip from the author's grasp. And in college, with the exception of some French and modern Hebrew, I did focus on the proverbial dead languages and it was never really possible to recover the author's exact meaning. But now, living in Norway and daily shifting between English of two varieties (American and English) and Norwegian, I have become much more adept at getting to the intended meaning of Norwegian speakers or writers and carrying that meaning across into English phrasing." She adds, "It is so satisfying to know that I've carried someone's voice and meaning forward for them."
The Techncial Muse could not possibly do it all alone. We rely on formal style guides, a shelf of dictionaries and reference materials and sites, and the tireless work of Knut Are Romann-Aas. KA (as he prefers to be known) is a native Norwegian, holds a Master's degree, and is a voracious reader in both English and Norwegian. As such, his feedback on translation is invaluable and serves to ensure our work is of consistently high quality. He's no slouch when it comes to proofreading either and has his own set of technical skills to offer, both as a subcontractor and as the lead of www.romann-aas.no. He designed and built this website.