Watts Screenwriting-Translation

Allow me to introduce myself…

I’m Sarah Watts, a qualified translator based in the UK who also enjoys writing screenplays.

Having made several short stop-motion films at a young age, my writing journey truly began in late 2019 when I challenged myself to write a feature film in French during my year abroad. It wouldn’t be until July 2020 that I embarked upon my next project, Pirates of the Caribbean: Beyond The Horizon, for which I taught myself the art of writing for the screen with each redraft. Ever since, I have become increasingly confident as a screenwriter, trying out different genres and formats, evolving character complexity, and am now ready to share my screenplays. Being neurodivergent lets me demonstrate my unique creativity within my work, and gives it a strong sense of identity.

My adventure in translation has been more academic, having studied French and Spanish to degree level and gained a Masters in Translation in 2022. To accompany this, I undertook my own translation challenges on the side. Most notably, I used interlingual translation for The Plan, including a backtranslation into English. This, alongside my ability to learn languages from any language family, means I am able to reach those languages I am less fluent in. For example, my dissertation explored fictional screen languages in comparison with natural languages, joining both screenwriting and screen translation together neatly.

Thanks to the wonderful support I have received on Strawberry Field’s Steps To Work programme, I have now found employment at Hill Dickinson and am one step closer to realising my ambitions in screenwriting and translation.

In my spare time, I like: listening to, composing and transcribing orchestral film music, ballet and tap dancing, playing the flute, stargazing, learning new languages and watching science fiction and action-adventure films.