Letter to Pammachius | Carta a Pamáquio

St. Jerome, lying on the floor, prostrated, with a lion by his side

You probably have heard about a letter written around 396 AD by St. Jerome to Roman senator Pammachius, on the “best method of translation?” It went down in history as the Magna Carta of translators. But there is more to the story than you may know. Here’s a video –in Portuguese with closed captions in […]

How do You Do That?!

Snoopy and Charlie Brown sitting on the floor, contemplating a castle of cards they built.

The conference opens with an address in a foreign language. The speaker launches headlong into a highly complex subject at breakneck speed. The talk is replete with terms whose spelling I can only guess, most of which encoded in the alphabet soup of acronyms. To make matters worse, he insists on cracking jokes as culturally-specific […]

The Accidental Protagonist: Book Review

a book open flat on the table, seen from the bottom, with the pages sticking out in the shape of an arc

Endearing, controversial, genuine or stereotypically mean, a relatable character is key to any book plot. It helps if the protagonist’s life is eventful and glamorous, or if her job is somehow awe-inspiring or tinged with a hint of mystery. Add a drop of mischief and intrigue, some eavesdropping and world-changing encounters, and the magical spell is cast. Perhaps partially for that reason, […]

7 Things a Chief Interpreter Wishes You Knew

A hand-drawn flowchart, with boxes and rectangles connected by arrows and lines.

There are arguably some disadvantages to being a chief interpreter. One doesn’t get to interpret as often. One has a clock to punch, reports to write, long staff meetings to sit through, and scores of managerial chores that are not necessarily fun. And while one free-rides occasionally on collective success, failure is no longer circumscribed to one’s own mistakes. If an interpreter on […]