Mike Aronson Translations: Contact and Credentials for Russian & Hebrew to English

Updated

Mike Aronson (Dr. I. Michael Aronson) is a freelance translator based in Raanana, Israel, working from Russian and Hebrew into English, and also offering English-language editing. You can reach him by email at mike [at] aronson.co.il. He is a useful fit if you need a native English speaker with a history and humanities background for Russian- or Hebrew-language source texts; the site does not list rates, turnaround times, or a phone number, so those terms would have to be discussed directly.

Services offered

  • Translation from Russian into English
  • Translation from Hebrew into English
  • Editing of texts written in English

He describes the translation work as freelance. The site does not state which subject areas he accepts or declines, so if your material falls outside history, the humanities, social sciences, or traditional Jewish sources, it is worth asking before sending files.

Credentials

Credential Detail
Native language American-born native English speaker
In-house experience Over 20 years (until 1 January 2003) as an English-language editor and translator from Russian and Hebrew in a government office
Professional membership Israel Translators Association (ITA)
Academic background Ph.D. from Northwestern University in Russian history, with minors in European and American history
Other background History, humanities, social sciences, and traditional Jewish sources
References Available on request

His own published writing includes Troubled Waters, The Origins of the 1881 Anti-Jewish Pogroms in Russia (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1990) and articles in professional history journals.

Published translations

The site lists these among his published work:

  • Several chapters in In the Land of the Golden Fleece – The Jews of Georgia, History and Culture, Diaspora Museum, Tel Aviv, 1992 (from Russian)
  • A History of the Ararat Publishing Society by Avraham Greenbaum, Rubin Mass, Jerusalem, 1998 (from Hebrew)
  • Numerous articles in the CIS Environment and Disarmament Yearbook 2001, 2002, and 2003, Hebrew University Mayrock Center, edited by Prof. Zeev Wolfson (from Russian)
  • Many dozens of articles for the YIVO Encyclopedia of Eastern European Jewry, edited by Gershon D. Hundert and Jeffrey P. Edelstein (listed as forthcoming; translated 2004–2005 from Russian and Hebrew)

These samples are the main way to judge whether his style and subject range match your project, since the site does not publish rates or a portfolio beyond this list.

How to make contact

  1. Email mike [at] aronson.co.il, replacing the bracketed text with the standard @ symbol.
  2. State the source language (Russian or Hebrew), the target (English), the approximate length, the subject matter, and your deadline.
  3. Ask about availability, pricing, and whether references can be provided for a project like yours.

The site gives no online form, booking system, or payment details, so email is the only contact route shown. Because pricing is not published, treat cost and scheduling as open questions rather than assuming any particular arrangement.

What to verify before hiring

  • Confirm the deadline and rate in writing, since neither appears on the site.
  • Ask for references if your project is sensitive or specialized; he states they are available on request.
  • Check that your text type matches his documented experience — the published list leans toward Jewish history, Russian and Hebrew scholarly material, and encyclopedia articles.
  • If you need editing only, clarify whether that means English-language editing of a text you have already written or editing of a translation.