In Praise of Brick and Mortar

Hello there! This post is about how special brick-and-mortar spaces can be.

I worked with a colleague on several recent translations that are now enjoying life in a brick-and-mortar location. To begin, I translated the panel texts and artwork labels for several current Museum of New Mexico Foundation exhibitions. One of them,“Lucy Lippard: Notes from the Radical Whirlwind,” showcases Lippard’s private art collection that she donated to the museum. Lippard is a well-known art writer and curator, and she was a mover-and-shaker in the feminist art scene of 60s and 70s New York City. That show is at Vladem Contemporary in Santa Fe’s Railyard District.

Another museum translation project was for “Rooted Strong: Visions of America from New Mexico” at the New Mexico Museum of Art, located steps away from Santa Fe’s historic downtown plaza. “Rooted Strong” is a collection of work centered around the theme of what we often call querencia: a love of place.

The entrance to the New Mexico Museum of Art

My other brick-and-mortar news is for all you California Bay Area folks! The Center for the Art of Translation (CAT) just announced their soon-to-be-unveiled, renovated building in downtown San Francisco. The projected opening date is in 2027. This “literary community hub” will host an event space, a bookstore focused on literature in translation, educational offerings, and a resource center. It’s an exciting new chapter for anyone interested in literature and languages and will be an opportunity for in-person connections.

Navigating AI…Together

How do we all navigate the world of AI…together?



When it comes to AI and translation, there’s often pressure for speed and low cost. At the same time, many companies are willing to pay for peace of mind—for a real translator who can ensure quality and cultural sensitivity.

I was reminded of this while working on a recent project for one of my regular clients. The organization has a beautiful new website with extensive content. They used a plugin to generate Spanish translation and then asked an important question: Could they hire me to review the site and give some feedback (horrible AI translation, acceptable, really great, etc.)?

I conducted a review and delivered a write-up with clear strengths and weaknesses, ultimately rating the AI-generated translation a B+. From there, the decision was theirs: Was that “good enough,” or did they want me to step in and refine it further?

The central question every organization needs to ask is: What’s the goal?

Do you want full inclusivity that drives community participation and financial support? General comprehension? Content that simply sparks interest? Or do you have legal language access requirements you must adhere to?

This project is a good example of how translators and clients can collaborate as we navigate the evolving role of AI. Could using a website plugin help with general approachability, especially if there isn’t a budget for translating an entire website or if the stakes are lower? Sure, depending on the goal. Should a grant application or the end-of-year financial reports be translated by a real person? Absolutely yes!

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.