Home in the World

Last Updated on March 8, 2026 by Home in the World

As I mention in the ‘About’ section of this website, I am actually a translator by profession and have been doing translation as a career since 2006. While I translate in a variety of fields, one of my favourite areas of specialisation is travel and tourism (of course!).

Unfortunately, I don’t get to translate those sorts of texts as often as I would like, but, in 2019, I had the opportunity to work on an amazing coffee-table book called The Great Himalaya Trail by intrepid German trail-runner, Peter Hinze. After various production delays, I finally received my copy and thought I would do a quick post about it for this blog.

I had long been fascinated by the Himalaya region – not only its jaw-dropping scenery, which boasts 10 of the 14 highest peaks on the planet (including the tallest, Mount Everest), but also the different people, cultures and religions it encompasses. Stretching for 2,400 km (1500 miles), the world’s most famous mountain range runs from Afghanistan and Pakistan in the west, along northern India and southern China (Tibet) and the entire length of northern Nepal, and ends in Bhutan in the east.

I am yet to visit this part of the world personally, but it is definitely at the top of my bucket list, as I absolutely adore mountains and am also very interested in Tibetan Buddhism. Incidentally, my mum, who is from India, spent part of her childhood living near the foothills of the Himalayas in India, so being able to work on a travel book like this really was a dream for me!

The author, Peter Hinze, has been visiting the region for years. Given his love of trail-running and Nepal, as well as qualifications in journalism, writing the book was a no-brainer. While it is a travelogue of sorts, documenting his daring (and exhausting) experiences along the formidable Great Himalaya Trail in Nepal, he also provides insightful commentary on the many broader social issues impacting the area, most notably climate change.

This is definitely a warts-and-all account, supplemented with absolutely stunning images. While working on the translation, I never got to see any of the pictures, as I only had the Word document, so finally being able to pore over all of Peter’s incredible pictures (and the book is packed full of them) really brings the text back to life for me.

In my ~17+ years of translating, I can say this travel book was hands-down the most interesting and fun project I have ever worked on. It was an absolute privilege to unlock Peter’s fascinating tale for English-speaking audiences, and has definitely further fuelled my desire to visit the majestic Himalaya region that has captivated me for so long. Who knows, perhaps one of these days I’ll be able to post some Himalaya content of my own on this blog!

To learn more about Peter and his various endeavours and charity projects, visit his website.

If you like travel-related coffee-table books packed full of stunning imagery and interesting facts, you might also be interested in the Accidentally Wes Anderson publication or Emily Nathan’s My Tiny Atlas.

For more of my recommended reads, check out the Books section of this website.