Let me start by stating that I nurture great respect, admiration, and a feeling of friendship towards sisters and their lifestyle. They are strong women. They are also very kind.

Here’s an overview of my experience in translating for Catholic religious organizations from English into Brazilian Portuguese:

• Since 2010, my career as a Portuguese (BR) <> English simultaneous translator has included consistent service to congregations of Catholic religious women, starting in 2012.
• My experiences include collaborating with the Sisters of the Good Shepherd RGS Sisters of the Good Shepherd RGS on behalf of a dear friend and fellow interpreter who continues to work with them, as well as ongoing engagements with Our Lady of Sion NDS (since 2016) and the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor SFP (since 2018).
• Alongside English <> Portuguese, my linguistic capabilities extend to interpreting from French and Spanish > Portuguese.
• Acquainted well with the structure of constitutions, assemblies, General Chapters, and leadership meetings, I deeply value the unique, heartwarming charisms, missions, and ministries of my clients.
• Familiarity with topics and concerns central to congregation realities today—such as vocations, environmental stewardship, service to the poor and needy, and adherence to church mandates—is a cornerstone of my professional expertise.
• It feels like a privilege to use my professional gifts for a greater cause, impacting both divine and human realms.

Please take a look at this CV I have created specifically for Congregations.

Would you like to learn more? Click here and get in touch!

O post Professional interpreting for congregations apareceu primeiro em Helena Wergles.

Why defining interpretation can be a challenge even for interpreters?

Qualified trainers train many great interpreters using a rather practical , with little explicit theoretical background involved. I was one of those interpreters. I have decided not to remain one, though. My encounters with academia had been nothing but scarce, scattered reading. Well, no more. Over time, I have come to procure some academic books, and I’m going to use them!

Last week or so, I posted in Portuguese a blog post with a picture of Me and Franz Pöchhacker‘s “Introducing Interpreting Studies.” My post was more or less on how difficult studying interpreting seems to be. You see, interpreting is a “live” thing. It happens right then and there.

Studying interpreting is somewhat like studying butterflies: you have to kill it using precise, well-designed methods to be able to pin it to a board and then study its physical features, trying to recompose all of them into that frantic, almost ceaseless flying. So, it requires a lot of imagination and a great deal of abstraction. But, apparently… it works!

How to define interpreting, then?

As mentioned above, it is difficult to pinpoint definitions for a live activity, So, I’ll agree with Prof. Pöchhacker’s approach on how to define interpreting: among the many definitions existing out there, I like how he picked Otto Kade’s (1968) one.

Otto Kade defined interpreting as a form of Translation in which
– the source-language text is presented only once and thus cannot be reviewed or replayed, and
– the target-language text is produced under time pressure, with little chance for correction or revision.
(Pöchhacker, 2004, p.10)

Even if we are talking about consecutive interpreting, this definition works. Try it yourself in your mother tongue: have a friend speak for about 2 minutes and, taking notes or not, try not to leave anything out. Therefore, it is nothing but a game, but do you feel that slight pressure about not forgetting details and how time also play a big role?

To conclude, it is all about the here and the now. And, even if recorded, it’s G-O-N-E. You can’t go back and re-record it because you missed a word or stuttered, self-corrected, etc. Once it’s out there, it is out there.

Why is that worth highlighting? If you are an interpreter, buckle up and find a way to trust yourself (I could write about that. I’d like to).

If you hire interpreters, find professionals you trust and stick with them. They will rise in a learning curve that naturally takes place if you give them time and support.

As I keep on reading, I’ll share more insights based on my many “wow” moments while reading such brilliant authors.

Ps. English is not my mother tongue. I do my best, but I also count on you being kindly lenient in case anything may sound artificial.
 Tip: Keep the bright side in your heart and mind. 

O post What is interpreting? apareceu primeiro em Helena Wergles.

Then some really stormy online weather shattered my online-presence sailing

In 2018 I lost access to my own website. The original webdesigner became a (wonderful!) tattoo artist as she simply got fed up with coding and such. I’m always supportive of career changes. It takes a lot of gut, right? Kudos to her.

In 2019, I desperately wanted to go back to blogging, but I had no access to my own server info. I was completely lost, and very few web designers seemed professional enough and willing to help me get out of this large black patch of missing info on servers and hosting and what have you. My beautiful, beloved website had sunk.

Right when all hope was lost, my dear original webdesigner referred me to Ednilson Maia, a designer/coder/etc who saved me not only from online oblivion, but also from poor hosting, outdated WP template, spamming beyond control, and even russian hackers!

It took us a few months, but, alas, the great day has come! The new website and blog are finally out. I feel like I have so much to share!

There is a learning curve, though. New editor within WP, new WordPress layout and all (by the way, my heart goes out to all of you bloggers out there who make a living out of it. It is no simple challenge, trust me). Therefore, bear with me. Posts will come. More often in Portuguese than in English, but they shall come.

Sharing on conference interpreting

It’s now 2021, and 2020 was a major turning point in every simultaneous translator’s life. Believe me when I say it!

Therefore, I’ll soon be writing more about remote interpreting, conference interpreting via Zoom, studies on conference interpreting, working from a translation studio, SEO translation, marketing translations and even some adventuring into the universe of copywriting/UX writing.

Ok, ok, I know I am way more excited about this than you are. But there have been russian hackers posting x-rated stuff and preventing me from posting, so I am kind of entitled to being WOO-HOOO, right?

Let’s get blogging!

*English is not my native language. It is my “B” or acquired language, so I’m always happy to receive feedback on how to write better in my second language.

** This post has no SEO focus or targets or anything. I’m just celebrating, really. It has been a rough path until I reach this block on WP where I’m writing these words. Major “yay” moment = no demands!

O post I’m back! Simultaneous translation, here I come apareceu primeiro em Helena Wergles.