Who are you?
Hi, I’m Sarah Bowtell, founder of Zanjabeel Travel Words.
I’ve been passionate about languages and travel for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest memories is my feeling of elation when I successfully ordered steak haché et frites for myself in a restaurant in France at age four.
My love affair with languages led me to spending several years working in the sectors of travel and higher education, meeting many wonderful people and visiting diverse and marvellous places.
However I knew that it was time to return to spending my days doing what I love: translation & writing.
I started Zanjabeel Translations Ltd. in 2021 and quickly discovered a love for creating SEO content particularly for travel brands. As I settled into my freelance career I found my workload was increasingly split between translation, content writing and copywriting. So in 2024 I decided to rebrand to better reflect the work I love doing and Zanjabeel Travel Words was born.
To me, there is a unique thrill in solving a translation puzzle or producing copy that really reflects a client’s brand and personality.
I can’t wait to work with you on your next project and bring my enthusiasm for language and travel to your texts, whether through French or Arabic to English translation or unique and original content or copywriting.
Why Zanjabeel?
Why indeed. It’s certainly not the easiest word for an anglophone tongue.
As a university student, I acquired the nickname ‘ginge’ owing to the auburn hue of my hair. When I moved to Amman for my year abroad, my classmates wasted no time in looking up ‘ginger’ in the dictionary to discover the Arabic version of my nickname.
It didn’t take long for our teacher to correct them that ‘zanjabeel’ relates to the aromatic spice, known for its healing properties rather than the hair colour.
Nonetheless the nickname stuck and to me it’s always a reminder of my first experience living abroad as well as the importance of careful translation!
Do you have qualifications and accreditation?
So you’re thinking, it sounds like she knows what she’s doing but does she have anything to back it up? Thankfully, the answer is yes.
I have a BA (Hons) Arabic and French with First Class Honours from the University of Exeter as well as an MA Translation Studies with distinction from the University of Birmingham.
I am also an associate member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) and I’ve done almost every SEO, content writing, copywriting and marketing course I could get my hands on. I continue to undertake regular CPD to keep my skills up-to-date, check out my CPD badges below!
You can also find my professional profiles on ProZ.com and LinkedIn.
I’m sold. How do I get in touch?
Chatting travel always makes me happy, so pop me a message here and let’s create some sparkle in your travel marketing.