Name: Yedda Araújo

Where you live Queens, NY

Email: yedda@sugarloaftranslations.com

What you’re doing these days: (translator/interpreter/teacher/professor)

I am a translator working primarily on legal and marketing projects and an interpreter. I work as a per-diem court interpreter for New York State and other clients.

Something you’re proud of:

Not giving up. In general, in life. Onward I go.

A bit of your background:

I was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro and started learning French very young before taking English classes. My family is all over Brazil, from Pará to Rio Grande do Sul, and in Portugal and even Texas. I earned a Marketing and Advertising degree from Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF) and moved to New York soon after.

How long have you been with the ATA? And PLD member?

I joined the ATA in 2011 while studying translation at NYU, which was the first time I attended the conference. I think I’ve been a PLD member since 2011, too.

What did the ATA membership and/or the PLD bring to you?

A sense of belonging. Translating is so isolating. It feels good to have peers to exchange ideas with, to ask questions, and to make friends with. Furthermore, both have contributed to my continuing education with webinars, the annual conference, and new contacts.

Current project (or last interesting project/job):

A few years ago, I worked on a project that aired on PBS about the education system in several parts of the world. The children were followed from kindergarten to high school, and the South American child was a Brazilian boy from Rio de Janeiro. I worked with the filmmakers in the editing part, and it was a unique experience to see that child from a favela – growing up among such adversity in my hometown – attending school regardless of what was going on around him. It was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.

A major challenge(s) in your career:

Balancing the feast or famine of our profession.

Do you have a hobby?

Swimming! And reading and going to rock concerts. I’m a ‘little’ bit of a Bruce Springsteen and Aerosmith fan(atic), but generally, I won’t say no to a good show. It recharges me in a way like nothing else. Music is the language of the soul.

What is your favorite book in Portuguese Language literature?

Instead of mentioning classics, I’d like to pay homage to the books that made reading fun and interesting to me because without them, I’d have never had the curiosity to keep reading.

Those are: A Bolsa Amarela, A Casa da Madrinha (Lygia Bojunga); Quem Manda na Minha Boca Sou Eu, Raul da Ferrugem Azul (Ana Maria Machado); Marcelo, Marmelo, Martelo (Ruth Rocha); and O Escaravelho do Diabo (Lúcia Machado de Almeida).

Currently on your reading list:

The Untethered Soul, Michael A. Singer; L’anomalie, Hervé Le Tellier; All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days, Rebecca Donner

Thank you, Yedda. We really appreciate the opportunity to learn a little more about you.

Thank you for this opportunity!