Sarah Gurcel is a translator from English into French. She translates plays under her acting name, Sarah Vermande.
She occasionally translates from French into English, in collaboration with British playwright Matthew Hurt.
She is a member of the French Association of Literary Translator and a former member of the editing team of its review TransLittérature.
She is also a member of the Maison Antoine Vitez, international centre for drama translation.
TRAINING
2005 : MA in Literary Translation, Paris VII University
1997-2000 : BA Acting at the Drama Centre London (University of Central Lancashire)
1996-1997 : MA in Legal Sociology, Paris II University
1992-1996 : Double degree in English and French Law, Paris I University – King’s College London
- Maîtrise en droit privé (Mention Assez Bien)
- LLB in English and French Law (Upper Second Class degree)
1990-1992 : Hypokhâgne and khâgne (specializing in English) at the Lycée du Parc, Lyon
1990 : Baccalauréat B (Mention Très Bien)
FICTION
- Medusa of the Roses, by Navid Sinaki (Grove Press, 2024), translated as Les larmes rouges sur la façade (Le bruit du monde, 2024).
- The Sentence, by Louise Erdrich (Harper, 2022), translated as La sentence (Albin Michel, 2023).
- The High House, by Jessie Greengrass (Swift, 2021), translated as La maison haute (Gallimard, 2023).
- Pussypedia: A Comprehensive Guide, by Zoe Mendelson and Maria Conejo (2021), translated as Pussypedia, le guide la chatte (Dalva, 2023).
- The Night Watchman, by Louise Erdrich (Harper Collins, 2021), translated as Celui qui veille (Albin Michel, 2022).
- Greenwood, by Michael Christie (Hogarth, 2019), translated as Lorsque le dernier arbre (Albin Michel, 2021).
- Vesper Flights, by Helen Macdonald (Jonathan Cape, 2020), translated as Vols au crépuscule (Gallimard, 2021).
- A Month in Siena, by Hisham Matar (Viking, 2019), translated as Un mois à Sienne (Gallimard, 2021).
- The Patriots, by Sana Krasikov (Spiegel & Grau, 2017), translated as Les patriotes (Albin Michel, 2019).
- The City Always Wins, by Omar Robert Hamilton (Faber, 2017), translated as La ville gagne toujours (Gallimard, 2018).
- Gold Fame Citrus, by Claire Vaye Watkins (Riverhead Books, 2015), translated as Les sables de l’Amargosa (Albin Michel, 2017).
- Coyote, by Colin Winnette (Les Figues Press, 2013), translated as Coyote (Denoël, 2017).
- Haints Stay, by Colin Winnette (Two Dollar Radio, 2015), translated as Là où naissent les ombres (Denoël, 2016).
- The Age, by Nancy Lee (McClelland and Stewart, 2014), translated as The Age (Buchet Chastel, 2016).
- The Son, by Philipp Meyer (Ecco, 2014), translated as Le fils (Albin Michel, 2014).
- What They Do In The Dark, by Amanda Coe (Virago, 2011), translated as Qui a peur du noir (Denoël, 2013).
- Anatomy of a Disappearance, by Hisham Matar (Viking, 2011), translated as Une disparition (Denoël, 2012).
- Mr Chartwell, by Rebecca Hunt (Viking, 2011), translated as Une humeur de chien (Denoël, 2011).
- American Rust, by Philipp Meyer (Simon&Schuster, 2009), translated as Un arrière-goût de rouille (Denoël, 2010).
- Bearing the body, by Ehud Havazelet (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2007) translated as De chair et de cendre (Denoël, 2009).
NON-FICTION
- The Science of Sherlock Holmes, by E. J. Warner (John Wiley & Sons, 2007), translated as La science de Sherlock Holmes (Le Pommier, 2011).
- The Philosophical Baby, by Alison Gopnik (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009), translated as Le bébé philosophe (Le Pommier, 2010).
- Primates and Philosophers. How Morality Evolved, by Frans de Waal (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006), translated as Primates et philosophes (Le Pommier, 2008).
- The Scientist in the crib, what early learning tells us about the mind, by Alison Gopnik, Andrew Meltzoff et Patricia Kuhl (William Morris and Company, 1999), translated as Comment pensent les bébés ? (Le Pommier, 2005).
DRAMA
*FROM ENGLISH INTO FRENCH
- Kindness by Matthew Whittet (play translated with the support of Creative Australia and the Maison Antoine Vitez)
- The Human Ear by Alexandra Wood (co-translated with Dominique Hollier)
- Never Vera Blue by Alexandra Wood
- The Man Jesus by Matthew Hurt
- Elephant’s Graveyard by George Brant (play co-translated with Dominique Hollier, with the support of the Maison Antoine Vitez)
- Revolt. She said. Revolt again. by Alice Birch
- Sex&God by Linda McLean (play co-translated with Blandine Pélissier)
- Every Five Minutes by Linda McLean (play co-translated with Blandine Pélissier)
- born bad by debbbie tucker green (play co-translated with Gisèle Joly and Sophie Magnaud, with the support of the Maison Antoine Vitez)
- What Love Is by Linda McLean (play co-translated with Blandine Pélissier)
- strangers, babies by Linda McLean (play co-translated with Blandine Pélissier, with the support of the Maison Antoine Vitez, awarded a production grant by the French ministry of culture))
- The Eleventh Capital by Alexandra Wood (play translated with the support of the Maison Antoine Vitez, awarded a production grant by the French ministry of culture)
- Night of the soul by David Farr (play translated with the support of the Maison Antoine Vitez and of the Paris British Council)
- Dinner by Moira Buffini (play co-translated with Isabelle Kérisit)
- Handbag by Mark Ravenhill
- Believe by Matthew Hurt
- Singing! Dancing! Acting! by Matthew Hurt
- Mammals by Amelia Bullmore (play co-translated with Dominique Hollier)
- A Raisin in the sun by Lorraine Hansberry (play co-translated with Samuel Legitimus), published by L’Arche, 2022.
- The Fools’ opera, book and lyrics by Mike Dineen, music by Robin Bullock
- After Liverpool by James Saunders (play co-translated with Valérie Da Mota)
*FROM FRENCH INTO ENGLISH (in collaboration with Matthew Hurt)
- Le mardi à Monoprix by Emmanuel Darley (performed by Simon Callow at the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, winner of a Fringe First and a Herald Angel award )
- Par la nuit by Jean-Luc Raharimanana (surtitles for Laterit Productions / Rotterdam Film Festival)
- Seuls by Wajdi Mouawad (surtitles for the Avignon Festival)
- Les cauchemars du gecko by Jean-Luc Raharimanana (surtitles for the Avignon Festival)
- Les inepties volantes by Dieudonné Niangouna (surtitles for the Avignon Festival)
- Chroniques des jours entiers des nuits entières by Xavier Durringer (for the International Institute of Performing Arts)
- Le pain de ménage et Le plaisir de rompre by Jules Renard (for Concentric Circles)
- Vie et mort d’une parole ordinaire by Laure Salama (for the International Workshop
Festival)