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INTERVIEW:
M�nica Colangelo's cat
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Q. How did you come to the translation business?
A. One of my favourite English teachers was actually a Sworn Translator. She used
to tell us how exciting it was to translate, trying to find the right words all
the time, learning new things every day. So when I finished High School I
decided to study translation. Soon I came to loathe legal translation ... it was
so stiff, it didn't allow for creation. I needed to use my literary wings to
create and recreate. My Legal Translation Professor predicted I would have a
bright career in legal translation as she congratulated me on my last exam. She
wouldn't believe me when I told her I'd never�ever translate a legal piece
again. And, as a matter of fact, 26 years after graduating I haven't joined the
local Association of Sworn Translators. But (necessity is the mother of
invention) I did do some legal translations... And my first paid literary job
came to me only three months ago.
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Q. What was the most critical or challenging situation as a translator and how did you manage it?
A. I had never experienced an extremely critical situation until recently, actually
only last week when I was asked for�the Spanish>English translation of a
database for an insurance company. The lack of context, abbreviations and the
different usage of terms (the document is from Spain and I am Argentine) made it
very difficult. On top of it all, there was a page and a half in Catalan!!! The
invaluable help of colleagues allowed me to complete the job satisfactorily.
Q. What was the funniest event in your career as a translator?
A. Well, this is not actually the funniest, but the one event that changed my whole
life. I've practised several sports all my life but I started playing bocce at
15. I gradually began devoting more and more time
to it. I not only played but also became an umpire of the Argentine Bocce
Federation and wrote reports for local newspapers. On one occasion the President
of a club asked me for help: the Chinese National Bocce team was visiting them
the following weekend for some warm-up matches prior to the World Bocce Cup and
he needed an interpreter, as the guests spoke English. On that very day I
received an invitation to play an important tournament (of course scheduled for
the very same weekend). Guess what I chose? The tournament. The outcome? Three
daughters. Yes! I traded work for marriage. |
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