Barbara v. Bechtolsheim studied Literature, Psychology, Philosophy and Biology in Bonn, Munich and Stanford/ USA. Today she works as an interpreter and teaches literature in Berlin. Since 1988, she translates contemporary fiction by authors such as Mavis Gallant, Toni Morrison and Joyce Carol Oates. What's more, she translates biographies and non-fiction books i.e. The News by Alain de Botton. In fall 2021, her book Beziehungskünstler will be published at Insel Verlag.