Hi, I’m Meg. Sæl verið.

I’m your friendly, neighbourhood t-extraordinaire. I earned my MFA from Columbia University (Poetry and Literary Translation), and I make my living helping companies tell their stories in thoughtful and creative ways, while supporting audiences through curated, educational resources. And I build the brand books and big-picture strategies to back them up.

But that doesn’t stop me from translating and advocating for the (Icelandic, Danish, German) books I love…

My job is in service to words—whether literature, learning services, or marketing—and not for fame and glory. Although sometimes I get to brag a little… Like this:

Oprah Daily named my 2021 translation of Magma by Thora Hjorleifsdottir one of the Best Translated Books of 2021. And in 2023, I realised my dream of appearing the New York Times not once — but twice.

I’ve worked as a narrative fixer-upper in the fast-paced financial sector, as a fair pay subject matter expert, and as a tech storyteller for Silicon Valley’s finest. I’ve covered, edited, or translated the gamut of topics from opera to Oracle.

I also build brands from the ground up, based on interviews and deep research – and write the brand books, editorial guides, operational strategies, and communications resources to support them. 

The kitty on my arm (pictured), Ragnar Loðbrók, is my #1 teammate and sneaky cat-scot.

My first book, Cold Moons (2017 Phoneme Media/Deep Vellum) by Magnús Sigurðsson, is taught in universities throughout North America and Europe. Composer David R. Scott translated the work into a choral symphony.

Between lit and marketing leadership, I’m drawing a journey with two maps, and I love every minute of using my gifts to help others grow.

Among other projects, I’ve translated a collection of one of Iceland’s first modernist short story writers, Ásta Sigurðardóttir under the title Nothing to be Rescued. I once translated a book of essays dedicated to the world’s first democratically elected female president, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir (2019).

Most recently, I received a National Endowment for the Arts Literary Translation Fellowship to translate award-winning Greenlandic author Niviaq Korneliussen’s The Valley of Flowers.

 “Meglenska,” the name of my one-lady consultancy, is an homage to the strange journey of coming to know myself through and alongside and in Icelandic. It’s a portmanteau: Meg + íslenska (Icelandic) + enska (English) = Meglenska.

I’m one of few immigrant members of the Icelandic Writers’ Union. I’m also also a proud member of the Author’s Guild and the PEN Translation Committee.