Translation as Belonging: Finding Voice Between Languages

What if the feeling of not fully belonging—to one language, one culture, or one place—wasn’t a limitation but the very source of creative power?

That’s the question at the heart of a recent podcast episode from “The Well Woman Podcast” hosted by Giovanna Rossi. Her conversation with Amanda Pascali—a singer-songwriter, translator, and Fulbright Fellow—discusses how Amanda melds her Italian heritage, language abilities, and musical talent.

As a Harrington Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, Amanda researches Italian studies and ethnomusicology while translating and breathing new life into traditional Sicilian folk songs. She sings in both Italian and English, and translating some of the lyrics into English can be seen as an act of preservation while speaking to modern audiences at the same time. Watch her sing “Uccellino (Little Bird)” here – what a great song.

Amanda is currently translating and reinterpreting of the songs of Rosa Balistreri, one of Italy’s first women to publicly denounce social inequality through music. Translating Balistreri’s work requires more than linguistic accuracy—it demands cultural sensitivity and awareness of what feminism meant then and what it means now. Amanda’s latest album, Roses and Basil, brings a modern feel to ancient lullabies and protest songs, transforming them into something timeless.

What makes Amanda’s perspective especially resonant for me as a translator is her refusal to flatten difference. She knows that meaning often lives in what cannot be neatly resolved, but that there is still a way to reach her audience. Translating poetry, song lyrics, and proverbs takes skill and nuance, and her work affirms that translation can make the old new again.

International Translation Day 2025

Linguists around the world celebrated International Translation Day last week on September 30th. It’s wonderful to celebrate all the talented people, both front and center and behind the scenes, who help the world to communicate.

My very respected colleague (who now resides in Paris—jealous!) wrote a timely article about human translation in the age of AI. Entitled “The Value of Human Translation,” Michael Schubert’s article points out when AI can be a useful tool and when we absolutely need human translators and interpreters. In addition to pointing out the fact that machine translation often spits out incorrect content and fills in ambiguous phrases with random words or “best guesses,” Michael provides the golden reason why human translation is so important:

“We translators rarely receive perfect texts to translate. A good translator will always correct errors, check facts, test and localize hyperlinks, fix formatting errors, and work with the client to clarify ambiguities. We glean the essence of the source text and deliver the message clearly and idiomatically in the target language. This is strictly gray-matter added value that goes well beyond the capabilities and mandate of AI solutions.”

You can read the full article here on Translorial, the online journal of the Northern California Translators Association.

Want to celebrate International Translation Day 2025? You can:

  • Congratulate a local business or organization that provides translation and/or interpretation to their community (signage at your local hospital, interpreters at a school meeting, brochures at a museum, etc.)
  • Purchase a book in translation! I love Transit Books and Two Lines Press.
  • Check out this plethora of resources from my colleague Helen Eby. She has compiled information about how to use translation and interpretation services, access plans for people with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), and more. I will note that many of these resources, as of today’s date, were removed from the U.S. Federal Government’s websites, so it’s great that Helen thought ahead to save these. Thank you, Helen!

Of Reading Lists and The Hunger Games

Are you finishing a summer (or winter, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere) reading list right now? If you’re anything like me, you still have a stack of books—or a list in Audible or your local library app—yet to read! I’ve had time to enjoy several titles, though, and I’m deep into the novel Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez.

In other literary adventures, I recently came across an informative article about Pilar Ramírez Tello, who translated “The Hunger Games” trilogy from English into Spanish. The first installment of the saga arrived in Spain in 2009.  

In the early days of the series, Ramírez Tello apparently had time to read through the entire English-language edition of the book before starting in on her Spanish translation. As time went on, deadlines shortened; she had to work quickly and couldn’t read through the whole manuscript beforehand. Nevertheless, her excellent translations reached a worldwide Spanish-speaking audience.

Ramírez Tello also coined Spanish terms unique to the series: “Jabberjay” became “charlajo” and “mockingjay” became “sinsajo.” If you’re a Hunger Games fan, or just curious to learn a little more about the literary translation process, you can read the Spanish-language article about Pilar Ramírez Tello here and some English-language information here.

Despite my stack of books to read, I’m always eager for recommendations. If there’s a great book you’ve enjoyed recently, please share!

Medicinal Plants: Back to the Future

Here where I live, spring has sprung. Flowers are blooming and bees are buzzing. In celebration of springtime, take a look at this beautiful publication in Spanish about medicinal plants, called “Volver al futuro” (“Back to the Future”). It shares long-held wisdom about using plants for our health.

Visit: “Volver al futuro”

The author, Jesús del Valle Contreras, is an agricultural engineer. She visits rural communities, including indigenous communities, in different parts of Argentina and in different and diverse ecosystems. She has participated in national and international projects to restore these ecosystems, and she provides workshops about the importance of knowing and protecting plants for personal health and wellness.

I recognized several plants in this book, and many of them have really cool names in Spanish. For example:

“Nasturtium” is “Taco de reina.” (Queen’s Heel)

“Dandelion” is “Diente de león.” (Lion’s Tooth)

The Spanish word for “Passionflower” and “passionfruit” has always been one of my favorites: “Maracuyá.”

Other Spanish common names are the same as the English, such as “Cola de caballo” (“Horsetail”) and “Caléndula” (“Calendula”). It makes you realize how many words cultures borrow from each other or change only in small ways.

Have a look through this beautiful publication, and share it with folks who are interested in the medicinal properties of plants.

The State of Language Access in the U.S.

Happy April to everyone near and far! 🌸

As many folks in the U.S. are aware, last month our president filed “Executive Order 14224” declaring English to be the official language of this country. This revoked “Executive Order 13166” (called “Improving Access to Services for Persons With Limited English Proficiency”), which was issued by former President Bill Clinton. Many people are asking me what this means for organizations that need to communicate in a variety of languages: What are we required to offer? Will we still receive federal funding for language access? Will people like hospital interpreters lose their jobs?

While it will take a while to find out if this EO really changes anything tangible, a guide and fact sheet published last month by the Asian Law Caucus offers answers and guidance. The guide is very clear and spells out why, “in most cases, everyone still has a legal right to obtain language assistance from programs and services that receive federal funding.” You can read it here:

https://www.asianlawcaucus.org/news-resources/guides-reports/know-your-rights-executive-order-14224

It’s important to note that 30 U.S. states already declare English to be their official language: California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and many more. Nonetheless, most of these states have robust language access programs at several levels of government and within private institutions. As noted in the guide from the Asian Law Caucus: “(T)here are many statutes and regulations that continue to mandate language access, including written translation, oral and sign language interpretation, and notices advising community members on how to access language support. Executive orders cannot properly cancel or change existing laws.”

I also have two recent blog posts about language access that you can read: “Effective Communication During Emergencies” and “Translation and Interpretation in Education: How to Improve Outcomes for All.” Both posts highlight why language access helps to create a society where people can properly navigate systems and contribute in a meaningful way.

English/Spanish Land Conservation Terms

About two years ago, I shared a list of important Spanish and English words related to wildfire safety. After working on several projects about wildfire prevention and forest health, I developed several go-to vocabulary lists for myself. (In fancy translator lingo, we call this “terminology management:” basically, long lists of words we don’t want to forget we’ve used before in order to maintain consistency.)

Here is a short list of 15 common terms I use time and again in projects related to land conservation. These words are used in communications about land trusts, land stewardship, forest management, community green spaces, regional parks…and much more. It was tough to choose only 15 words to share, but I had to give myself a limit! If you work or volunteer for an environmental organization and are curious about a Spanish or English word related to your work, reach out.