The Great Race Around the World
Think Magellan was the first man around the world? Think twice. The identity — and status — of the first man to go full circle may surprise you big time. My TED-Ed Lesson on Magellan’s Circumnavigation of the World is out. In a 4-minute video it tells you everything you need to know about this incredible […]
Henry: The Interpreter Who Beat Magellan
Most people think of Ferdinand Magellan as the Portuguese explorer who first sailed around the planet on a quest to prove that the Earth was round. Now, consider this. While Magellan did sail from Spain on an expedition that eventually went full circle, he never completed the tour. Also, Magellan never set out to sail […]
For UN Interpreters, Less is More
Since the release of my video on the language requirements for interpreters in the UN, I have been contacted by many aspiring interpreters with questions that are, mutatis mutandis, more ore less the same. Basically, they want to know whether their language combination qualifies and they also wonder what else they could/should be doing to merit consideration […]
The Accidental Interpreter
This picture was taken in Brasilia, on Tuesday, March 17, 1992. It shows the exact moment when I became an interpreter. The gentleman in a light suit is congressman Ibsen Pinheiro. Sitting diagonally from him is His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. I am the young guy in the middle. Yup. The one […]