The ATA Chronicle - July/August 2024 - 15

every new language or
team of linguists, there's a
stylistic learning curve for
professional translators to
reflect these nuances in their
translations. But encouraging
this in the translated script
also helps guide the targetlanguage
instructor in their
delivery during recording, so
meditators across languages
can sit with a practice that
sounds as close as possible
to the way the instructor
intended.
Lúcia: For the guided
meditations translated into
Portuguese, we added a final
step while working with
the scripts and with Andréa
Perdigão, a mindfulness
instructor based in Brazil
who is the voiceover for
many meditation sessions
for the app.
Every script was translated,
edited, prepared (read aloud
by the reviewer), and then
discussed with Andréa during
a call. Our goal was to ensure
we were benefiting from her
expertise and that the scripts
closely matched Andréa's
personality and style, her
vocabulary, and her voice.
This added layer of revision
made the meditations sound
even more authentic and
effective, welcoming the
app users and helping
them be in tune with the
present moment.
This final review also
helped us find good
and varied solutions for
gender neutrality issues in
Portuguese so the content
wouldn't sound cumbersome.
For example, in the scripts
we try to avoid the default
masculine plural and words
that can create a binarygendered
text. We use pessoas
( " people " for " everyone " ),
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which is neutral, as often as
possible. Another strategy is
to use todos e todas (masculine
and feminine plural for
" everyone " ) a few times in
the beginning of the script
and then use only todos
throughout the text to make
the meditation flow better.
Working with Andréa allowed
us to catch the atmosphere
of the sentences and
arrange them better while
considering this aspect.
Flexible language (e.g.,
avoiding expressions such
as " must/mustn't " and
" should/shouldn't " ) is
another important element
in mindfulness and in
translations dealing with
mindfulness content. Not
all meditators experience
the same sensations
throughout the sessions and
it's important to convey that
difference in language as well.
For example, in Portuguese,
instead of saying " Você vai
sentir, " we say, " Pode ser que
você sinta " or " Você talvez
sinta. " (So, instead of saying
" You will feel, " we say " You
might feel. " ) There is no
" should " or " must. " There
is no right or wrong, just the
meditator's experience in the
session and out in the world.
Working with
Mindfulness
John: I feel that working
with Calm's content,
especially meditation and
mindfulness programs, has
impacted me deeply. My
interest in meditation was
initially sparked by a desire to
improve my public speaking
anxiety, the symptoms of
which I resisted with all my
might. But over time, it has
grown into a life practice of
changing my relationship
with myself and my fear
response to stressors that had
previously gone unchecked.
As a localization manager,
I've enjoyed a front-row
seat to the different concepts
and practices available in
the Calm app. Working to
bring them from English into
other languages has required
a close relationship with
our mindfulness team and
many contextual discussions
with our talented team of
language consultants.
Diving into these themes
has led to a journey, and
certainly helped pave the way
to joining Lúcia on the stage
to deliver our session on the
subject at last year's ATA
Annual Conference.
Lúcia: As the Portugueselanguage
consultant,
I've been learning about
mindfulness from the inside.
In May 2020, Calm began
offering free content on its
blog. It also offered an online
global meditation event with
Andréa Perdigão, " Uma rede
de Calma. " The World Health
Organization had declared
COVID-19 a pandemic two
months before. Preparing
that content during that time
made me even more aware
of the impact words have
on our constant search for
balance and of how delicate
the individual and collective
journeys are. The words we use
must honor that and handle
people's experiences kindly.
Working with John and
with team members who
are also focused on this
type of content has shown
me how much mindfulness
impacts our professional
relationships for the better.
That was the inspiration
behind the session John and I
prepared-mindfully, gently,
and completely enjoying the
process-for ATA's 64th
Annual Conference in Miami
in October 2023.
Interested In Exploring
More Calm?
Visit Calm's blog to access free
Calm content, including Sleep
Stories, meditations, and
other mental health tools.
Click here to see the global
meditation event with Andréa
Perdigão and to access free
Portuguese content and
mental health tools.
Lúcia Leão is a translator, interpreter, and writer
from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She has a master's
degree in Brazilian literature (Universidade do
Estado do Rio de Janeiro) and a master's in print
journalism (University of Miami). She volunteers
as a book reviewer for RHINO Poetry and as a copy editor
for South Florida Poetry Journal. She lives in South Florida and
has been the Portuguese-language consultant for Calm since
2019. lucia.leao@calm.com
John Sokol has worked on localization at Calm
since 2019. From exciting language launches to
everyday project management, he has gained
more than a few insights regarding this space
where language and mindfulness meet. He has
also worked as a project manager on the vendor side and
has an MA in localization management from the Middlebury
Institute of International Studies at Monterey. john@calm.com
American Translators Association 15
https://www.calm.com/blog/essentials https://www.calm.com/blog/respire-fundo http://www.ata-chronicle.online
The ATA Chronicle - July/August 2024

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