Olivia Sears, PhD
Board President and Founder
Center for the Art of Translation
...Marina demonstrated obvious organizational prowess and an acute intelligence, but her demeanor was unfailingly approachable, inclusive, and generous... When I worked with her as a translator and editor, I welcomed her deep-seated analytical skills and sensitivity to tone and nuance. Marina’s broad knowledge and experience, her professionalism, her outstanding work ethic, and her warm personality make her an ideal collaborator, whether on creative cultural projects, educational enterprises, or corporate activities.
Delia Casadei, PhD
Assistant Professor of Music
University of California, Berkeley
...Marina has helped me research and edit my first monograph over the course of nearly two years. She offered invaluable help with both the broad structure of the project–the sequence of chapters and topics and the ways they would link together–and then rehearsed with me every chapter’s argument, worked with me on the flow of the prose, sentence construction, as well as references and footnotes. She is organized, insightful, inquisitive and brings to the job an eye for detail that comes from her years of experience as part of an editorial team. She motivated me, asked all the right questions, and had excellent boundaries around my particular choices for the text. She bore in mind my timelines as they inevitably shifted over time, and consistently helped me to meet deadlines with a blend of warmth and professionalism.
I cannot recommend her highly enough.
Brenda Webster, PhD
President Emerita, PEN West
...Marina collaborated with me as cultural and linguistic consultant for several projects, the most recent being my translation into English of the novel I Moncalvo (2017 [1908]). She provided in-depth research and advice on historical, topographical, and linguistic aspects, paying attention to the richness of cultural nuances and making sure that my translation and interpretation of the text would be accurate and elegant. She revised the manuscript prior to publication and collaborated closely with my co-translator, going above and beyond. Her passion, attentiveness, and dedication to her work are unparalleled.
I am both a native speaker and a scholar of Italian language and culture.
I have trained and presented my original academic research
at the most distinguished universities and institutions in the world.
I offer teaching, writing, editing, translation, and consulting services
across a variety of media. I specialize in fields including film, Italian opera, poetry,
literature, history, sociology of culture, critical thinking,
and cross-cultural communication.
Fore more information about my areas of expertise
or for collaborations, contact me:
My background is multidisciplinary: I hold a PhD in Italian Studies with a Designated Emphasis in Film Studies from UC Berkeley, and, as a singer, I've performed Western classical music and Afro-Caribbean music across Europe and the US. I presented my original research at international conferences in Europe and in the US (Yale, NYU, University of Southern California, King’s College London, UCLA, among others). I was the recipient of fellowships and scholarships from the Townsend Center for the Humanities, the UC Berkeley Arts Research Center, the Berkeley Language Center. Since 2016, I've held the position of Resident Scholar and Expert for the UN Women’s Global Voices Film Festival.
You can find my full resume here.
As an educator, I'm particularly passionate about teaching and developing unique language and culture lessons and curricula tailored to the needs and goals of each client.
As a writer, translator, developmental editor, and copy-editor, I've worked with the following individuals and institutions:
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San Francisco Opera
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Teatro Regio di Parma
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Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archive
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UN Women Global Voices Film Festival
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California Italian Studies (peer-reviewed academic journal)
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Film Quarterly (peer-reviewed academic journal)
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San Francisco Italian Cultural Institute
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Researchers and professors from Harvard, Penn, Brown, King’s College London, UC Berkeley, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Cambridge University (UK), Oxford University (UK), among many others
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Olivia Sears, Board President and Founder, Center for the Art of Translation and Co-Founder of Two Lines Journal
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Brenda Webster, author and President Emerita of PEN West
In all aspects of my work, I keep a special focus on intersectionality, anti-racism, multi-disciplinarity, and community-building.
Olivia Sears, PhD
Board President and Founder
Center for the Art of Translation
Every time I’ve encountered Marina Romani, I’ve discovered a new area of expertise and passion that she possesses. When I first met her, she was a UC Berkeley educator organizing a conference to benefit students in the Humanities. Marina demonstrated obvious organizational prowess and an acute intelligence, but her demeanor was unfailingly approachable, inclusive, and generous. When I worked with her as a translator and editor, I welcomed her deep-seated analytical skills and sensitivity to tone and nuance. When I learned of her work in Afro-Caribbean music, I assumed her expertise was focused solely on this genre; then I stumbled across the numerous reviews of Western opera she’d published for the San Francisco Opera. (And it turns out her original specialization was film, little did I know). Marina’s broad knowledge and experience, her professionalism, her outstanding work ethic, and her warm personality make her an ideal collaborator, whether on creative cultural projects, educational enterprises, or corporate activities. I would trust her to organize a complex multi-disciplinary conference or to tease out the intricacies of poetic language. And, in fact, I have. Marina is a true treasure.
Delia Casadei
Assistant Professor of Music
University of California, Berkeley
I have had the pleasure of working with Marina in many settings: as a musician, as a music critic, as a university teacher. For starters, she has a keen musical mind, and a gift for sharing her knowledge with different audiences. But beyond that she is also truly erudite about film, literature, poetry and opera. She is detail-oriented without losing sight of the big picture. She is generous and direct with feedback, and one of the most intellectually lively people I know. Lastly, she is consistent and professional, works hard, and is a warm and communicative person, someone you look forward to meeting every time. She could consult on any cultural and creative project and make it immeasurably better. Most recently, Marina has helped me research and edit my first monograph over the course of nearly two years. She offered invaluable help with both the broad structure of the project–the sequence of chapters and topics and the ways they would link together–and then rehearsed with me every chapter’s argument, worked with me on the flow of the prose, sentence construction, as well as references and footnotes. She is organized, insightful, inquisitive and brings to the job an eye for detail that comes from her years of experience as part of an editorial team. She motivated me, asked all the right questions, and had excellent boundaries around my particular choices for the text. She bore in mind my timelines as they inevitably shifted over time, and consistently helped me to meet deadlines with a blend of warmth and professionalism. I cannot recommend her highly enough.
Rossella Barry, PhD
Staff Localization Program Manager, LinkedIn
I have had the pleasure of working alongside Marina for several years on a number of different projects: from teaching undergraduate courses to collaborating on a vast number of research, editorial, and translation projects for the academic and tech sectors. Marina is one of those rare individuals who combines a rigorous work ethic and detail-oriented approach with brilliant creative insights. She pours all her energy into the projects she manages, drawing from her unique experience and multiple talents to create fascinating courses for her students and elegant, rich, thoughtful content for her translation and editorial clients. Throughout our years working together, Marina has always been adaptable, precise, intuitive, and fast in delivering impeccable results. She has been an asset to every team she worked with, and I look forward to seeing where her career takes her next.
Brenda Webster, PhD
President Emerita, PEN West
I have rarely encountered a professional in the field so intellectually curious and approachable as Marina. She collaborated with me as cultural and linguistic consultant for several projects, the most recent being my translation into English of the novel I Moncalvo (2017 [1908]). Marina provided in-depth research and advice on historical, topographical, and linguistic aspects, paying attention to the richness of cultural nuances and making sure that my translation and interpretation of the text would be accurate and elegant. She revised the manuscript prior to publication and collaborated closely with my co-translator, going above and beyond. Her passion, attentiveness, and dedication to her work are unparalleled.
Valentina Lungu
Inside Sales Account Manager, Dell Technologies
Marina is a very competent teacher, she motivated me a lot. She has an excellent method: patient, organized, passionate, and very professional. Thanks to Marina, I filled in the gaps in my linguistic knowledge and improved my business English. Perfect!
Wendy Savin
Senior Localization Producer, LinkedIn
I had the pleasure of working with Marina on Apple Music and iTunes localization projects. An outgoing, smart and enthusiastic contributor, she shows great diligence and genuine interest in her work. Collaborative, friendly and hard-working, she would be an incredible asset to any team.