I have always been passionate about languages, since I believe that when you learn a language, a huge window towards a new world opens before you, with a whole new culture to discover.
And this is what translation is about: translating cultures, translating worlds.
ABOUT ME
I am Catalina Estrada, an Argentinean who has lived in Brazil since 2011. I have been working in the areas of language since 2008, but my relationship with languages began long before.
I started studying English from my early education: I attended a bilingual English-Spanish school in Buenos Aires, from age 5 to 18. Then I decided to study Technical, Scientific and Literary English-Spanish Translation at the prestigious Escuela Normal Lenguas Vivas in the same city. I simultaneously took various supplementary courses to improve my English and Spanish language skills.
When life brought me to Brazil, I saw a great opportunity to incorporate Portuguese into my translation world. Since then, my passion and love for the Portuguese language and Brazil have continued to grow. This was a strong stimulus for me to take and complete an English-Portuguese Translation Training Course at Centro de Ensino Brasillis in Rio de Janeiro.
That is how I reached professional expertise in the three languages. I translate various types of materials for companies, the government, and non-profit organizations. I have a remarkable ability to transfer linguistic and cultural traces and characteristics from one language to another, resulting in a fluent and clear text.
Revista Periferias, a magazine that publishes works by authors from periphery communities, as well as on topics related to global peripheries. Learn more
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CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
Catalina has been an important business partner in Arena 4 since 2016. Her rapid response, her understanding of our needs, her strict compliance of deadlines and the quality of her work give us the trust and confidence needed to guarantee the standard of excellence of our translation services. We recommend her!
Fernando Guarize
Arena 4 Serviços de Tradução
She has rendered services for more than 6 years for the company where I work. Her work can be described as first-class quality – mainly in Spanish, her native language – effective and efficient. Fluid communication and always on-time delivery (or even before deadline).
Iris Patrícia
Instituto Brasileiro de Análises Sociais e Econômicas (Ibase)
Catalina is great! She meets the deadlines on time, she is assertive in the process of translating and proofreading the texts, besides being a professional that is always open to negotiating rates when we have large volumes of work. #Recommended
Bruno Sena
Acta Paulista de Enfermagem
INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE
"Given the key role of language in shaping cultural and social attitudes, using gender-inclusive language is a powerful way to promote gender equality and eradicate gender bias.".(*)
Among the languages I work with, this topic is more relevant in Spanish and Portuguese, since they are both gendered languages.
Yet English also has gender markers that can be avoided by applying grammar strategies to permit non-sexist use of language. There is no need to always use "she/he" or "his/her" instead of the generic "he," which many people disapprove of and which may become repetitive (e.g. “The visitor is responsible for renting his/her own car” or “If a patient feels sick, he or she should return to the hospital”). In these cases, we can use some resources that English offers in order to eliminate the issue of gender when it is not relevant (e.g. “Visitors are responsible for renting their own cars” or “Patients who feel sick should return to the hospital”). These are just some examples of the many strategies available, which can be found in different manuals and guidelines of use about this topic.
The approach I apply in my work always prioritizes the client's preferences regarding the use of gender-inclusive language. When the situation and context permit, I try to implement these strategies so that the final text has as few unnecessary gender markers as possible, as I believe that small attitudes cause great changes.
(*) Fragment from Gender-inclusive language Guidelines, UNITED NATIONS.
https://www.un.org/es/gender-inclusive-language/index.shtml