TED Translators in São Paulo for TEDxCampinas and more

On March 17, TEDxCampinas went down near the city of São Paulo, Brazil, at the Municipal Theater José Castro Mendes. The sold-out event was organized by veteran TED Translator and TED2017 Translator delegate Mario Gioto, and had as its theme O Presente do Amanhã (The Gift of Tomorrow). Over 700 attendees (including a number of TED Translators) converged on the theater to hear talks by a dozen speakers from all over the country. One of these speakers, Daniel Dias, a Brazilian world-record-holding paralympian, moved the audience to a standing ovation with his talk. Jenny Zurawell and Helene Batt, TED Translators’ director and deputy director, respectively, also took to the stage to represent the TED Translators program and highlight some of its recent achievements. TED Translators received a hearty round of applause when Jenny and Helene announced that Brazilian TED Translators have collectively translated over 6,000 talks to date.

The day after TEDxCampinas, 25 TED Translators gathered for a workshop at the iconic KAÁ Restaurant in central São Paulo. The participants, who ranged from new to veteran translators to Language Coordinators, broke into small groups to discuss a range of issues related to TED, TED Translators and ideas worth spreading throughout Brazil. A few of the key topics: various ways to motivate fellow volunteers; how to encourage more review-task completions; and how to elevate translation quality overall. Following the workshop the translators headed to Ibirapuera Park, where some continued their discussions and others relaxed or played games. The day came to a close as the sun set over São Paulo and a palpable energy filled the air—an energy which made clear that the weekend’s events were just the start of bigger future developments in the Brazilian Portuguese translation community.