Hello!
As many of you know, Brazil is currently uprising to the
turmoil it has been engrossed in for decades. With the raise of bus prices in Sao
Paulo, cities across Brazil revolted. The issue is not about the bus prices per
say, it is the fact that prices are raising ABOVE standard inflation, and thus
will cause a change in salary rates. In addition, as a response to the protests
on corruption in this country, police brutality is rampant. I believe this
factor was the last straw that broke the camel’s back, and encouraged all
citizens, young and old, to “go to the streets”. (unfortunately, many of them are breaking out into violent and dangerous protests)
My coworkers and I converse a lot about what is happening in
Brazil- both in present and past terms. Perhaps in my next blog post, I will go
more into detail about our conversations. They relate to the economy (mostly
trading and inflation), government, and traditional customs. All of the
conversations I have with my coworkers are stimulating and even
enlightening. In the office of CIFAL
where I am interning at, there are only three people that make up the team!
One is Rafael, who coordinates technical projects and travels
with FIEP a lot. He is well informed and practiced about architecture and
history. The other is Vinicyus, who creates and gives a lot of CIFAL’s
presentations. He is a graduate of international relations and I believe, one
of the youngest managers on the team in FIEP. Then there is Patrizia, who is
similar to a topic/events manager; she condones a large portion of the research
and is well versed in French and interested in a variety of cultures across the
globe. I love that each one of my coworkers bring something different, yet
important to the table. Their characteristics and interests vary, yet when
brought together they truly make an
extraordinary team.
Currently, we are still working on the main project of “Anticorruption
in Latin America”. The program brochure and structure of events are still being
revised. For this event, over 800 people will attend and Singapore officials
will be the main panelists (as I mentioned in my last blog, Singapore is the
epitome of a non-corrupt society). Our main objective with this anticorruption
project is to promote good business ethics and to demonstrate ways in which
combatting corruption results in success.
As we work on minor projects around the major project, I have
been assigned the task of translation and cleaning up both websites (Portuguese
and English), as many things on the sites were outdated and or incorrect. Most
of the translation I do is from Portuguese to English, and requires detailed
attention to what the main message of the text is. Essentially, I write
articles, programs, and summaries in English. I also revise/edit work that my
coworkers write in English.
I am happy to report that my coworkers have adamantly
expressed their excitement about the work that I do, and go on to say that they
enjoy my writing style in English (as well as the on point translation- the
only mistakes made are business terms I am not familiar with. As you can
imagine, translating terms you are unfamiliar with or phrases that are common
in a particular culture is tricky!). I am very grateful that they are open and
honest about the work that I accomplish, and hope to do as much as I possibly
can while I am still here- who knows, maybe even after I leave!
This is a very good post that gives me a good overview of how you're being received in the organization, what you're doing and what you value about the position. I, too, find your writing style very easy to read -- clear and to the point -- and I'm sure they are very grateful to have someone who can translate accurately. As you progress, you'll learn those business terms, and you'll be an even bigger asset to the company. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I heard from Greg that you were robbed. I hope you've recovered from that trauma! I was so sorry to hear that.