Language breakout: interactive translation session (PT<>EN)

Fourteen minutes to translate two snippets of text with around 30 words each should’ve been a breeze, right? Well… Four experienced translators might disagree.

The session started with us walking in, all smiles and bravado, thinking we’d nail this. Allison and Ana, our moderators, welcomed us with warm smiles that hid (I’m convinced) a knowing glint – like they knew we were about to get schooled. We were three translators working into English and one into Portuguese, all feeling pretty sharp, ready to show off our linguistic skills. Little did we know we were about to experience the translation equivalent of a workout!

The setup was deceptively simple: three rounds, each with 14 minutes to translate two snippets – one from Portuguese to English and one from English to Portuguese. Just 14 minutes, that’s all we had. Spoiler alert: we needed every second and then some!

Round one kicked off with a snippet about a famous Portuguese tile atelier, dripping with artistic vision and poetic phrasing. Meanwhile, the English text was a cheeky excerpt from George’s Marvellous Medicine featuring a delightfully cranky grandma. Easy enough, we thought – until we realized we needed the perfect words to capture the atelier’s artistic flair and Roald Dahl’s sardonic wit. Cue the head-scratching and lively debates as we went down the rabbit hole of word choices.

By round two, we’d switched gears entirely. We tackled a Portuguese snippet about training future construction managers and an English text explaining the curious eyesight of bats. Did we back down from the challenge? Absolutely not. But balancing accuracy with readability (and those pesky character limitations) was no easy feat.

Round three took us in yet another direction, with a lyrical, heartfelt snippet evoking the beauty and slow pace of the Alentejo Region in Portugal, alongside another on the environmental impact of aviation. Capturing the earthy, nostalgic essence of the Alentejo in a few well-chosen words was no small feat, requiring just the right touch to bring out the region’s charm. Tackling greenhouse gas emissions was a bit easier for these four technically minded translators, but by this point we were racing against the clock.

I’d love to say we nailed every snippet. But we didn’t. Allison and Ana showed us just how much more there was to consider. And we didn’t mind one bit! In fact, we soaked it all in, grateful for the laughs and the reminder of why we love what we do.

So, did we leave feeling like rockstar translators? Maybe not. But we did leave with big grins. And if this session happens again next year, I’ll be the first one through the door, ready for another round of joyful language chaos.

This METM24 session was chronicled by Ana Sofia Correia.

Featured photo courtesy of MET.