About Taste Translation

Hello! My name is Arline Lyons, and I’m a translator and interpreter fascinated by Japanese language and culture for over 25 years. I worked in project offices and as a project manager with international translation companies before setting up my own business in order to focus on using my language skills and developing my specialist areas.

Taste Translation offers specialised Japanese to English translation for fine food and drink, in particular for Japanese sake and wine.

Specialised translation requires not just the ability to communicate in both languages, but also a thorough understanding of the subject. I started studying with the Wine and Spirits Educational Trust (WSET) Level 3 Award in Sake in March 2017, passing with distinction, followed by the Sake Service Institute International (SSI) Kikisake-shi certification in September 2018 and Certified Sake Professional with John Gauntner’s Sake Education Council (SEC) in January 2019. I then took the Japan Sommelier Association (JSA) Sake Diploma exam (October 2019), the SEC Advanced Sake Professional course (February 2020), Sake Scholar course (April 2022), and Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association (JSS) Academy 2023 (Feb/Mar 2023). I also became a member of the Brewing Society of Japan (BSJ) in June 2022.

I have studied chocolate through the level 1 and level 2 courses offered by the International Institute of Chocolate and Cacao Tasting (IICCT) (2017), coffee with an SCAE Introduction to Coffee course held at Union Coffee in London (2017) and the London School of Coffee Cupping and Sensory course (2017), tea through the UK Tea Academy Tea Champion course (2017), and cheese with the Academy of Cheese Level 1 Associate qualification (2021).

My BSc in biology allows me to understand brewing processes right down to the microbiological, molecular and genetic levels. I also translate a wide range of texts relevant to food and drink production, quality and safety, such as material safety data sheets, manufacturing audits and food safety inspections, as well as sake production, handling, packaging, quality, analysis and shipping.

I’m based in Zürich, Switzerland, where I hold regular introductory sake workshops and tastings, and can frequently be found at sake events in London, Dublin, Paris and other European cities (pandemics permitting). I normally spend one month a year in Japan, visiting clients and breweries, learning more about sake and keeping my language skills strong.