Ewandro Magalhaes has worked in major international summits on four continents and was for seven years the chief interpreter of a United Nations agency in Geneva.
Ewandro Magalhães was once the voice of the Dalai Lama and of world leaders such as Obama, George W. Bush, Fernando Henrique, Lula, Dilma and dozens of other heads of state. He interpreted in major international summits on four continents and was for seven years the chief interpreter of a United Nations agency in Geneva. He is the author of "The Language Game: Inspiration & Insight for Interpreters" and “Sua Majestade, o Intérprete”, a bibliographic work of reference on the craft of interpreting in the Portuguese-speaking world. Since leaving Brazil in 2007, he has lived in California, Washington, D.C., and Geneva, before settling in New York. He is the author of two viral animated TED videos and has two TEDx talks under his belt. In January 2017, he joined another two visionaries and founded KUDO, a revolutionary startup that enables remote simultaneous interpretation. He speaks Portuguese, English, French, and Spanish fluently, and has professional working proficiency of German and Italian. He and Wilmenia, his wife of 30 years, have three children, Raiana, Beatrice, and Daniel and a six-year-old grandson, Lou. Here’s my exclusive interview with Ewandro Magalhaes:
Ewandro, your universe revolves around languages. Is it interest, career or passion?
All the above, really. The interest arose early on, influenced by my father, who in his effort to learn English showed me that it was possible to learn it too. The passion gradually grew in me until it became an obsession. And the career came consequently.
Translating was, most likely, one of the first occupations of our ancestors. The act of translating, either formally or informally, must be as old as the emergence of languages. But it seems that simultaneous translation as we understand it today only came into existence after the Second World War. What are the reasons for this?
Translation is probably the second oldest profession in the world (laughs). But for the longest time, it was a low-tech occupation done face-to-face, within the limits of earshot. In most cases, it was done consecutively, with speakers and interpreters taking turns. Very time-consuming.
At the end of the Second World War, the Allies brought to justice high-ranking Nazi officers accused of genocide and crimes against humanity. It was important that the trial proceed as quickly as possible. Because no legal provisions existed anywhere to address such heinous crimes. There was the risk that the Nazis, being masters of propaganda, could turn the tide in their favor, and picture themselves as the victims of a victor’s charade.
A more agile system was needed and for the first time in history we had the technology to allow it. And so, at the Nuremberg trials, a system was devised that allowed translation to be delivered simultaneously.
After all, is it translation or interpretation?
Technically, it's interpretation. But this is a minor issue. In fact, translation (written) and interpretation (oral or signed) are actions that intersect one another. One cannot exist without the other. In Portuguese and other languages originating form Latin, there are distinct terms to describe this subtle difference, but in several languages, such as Russian, for example, there is only one term: translation.
You've had the opportunity to interpret celebrities like the Dalai Lama, Obama, George W. Bush and at least five Brazilian presidents. How does interpretation work at this level of high bilateral meetings? Did that give you visibility?
Diplomatic interpreting is a submodality of conference interpreting. It imposes additional demands on the interpreter, beyond mere linguistic accuracy, and exposes us to unforgiving environments that are laden with tension and expectation. The interpretation itself is no different from what is done under normal circumstances, but the emotional charge is heavier. Visibility is automatic, for better or for worse. Unlike interpreting in a booth, where no one sees the interpreter, in bilaterals we stand by the dignitary for whom we interpret. It is no longer just linguistic mediation. You commit everything you are. Misinterpretation can lead to misunderstandings. What is the role of the interpreter in conflict mediation? Is it possible to remain entirely neutral?
Misunderstandings may happen, and they make sensational headlines. But they are a very rare occurrence. Mistakes do occur, occasionally, but when you approach interpreting from the right angle, as an act of communication, there is room for corrections and some backtracking, as in any conversation. Before escalating into conflict, a mistranslation will likely be picked up and corrected by the actors involved in the exchange.
Heads of State usually have their personal interpreters in tow. More than an interpreter, that professional is an advisor who has been briefed on the purpose of each meeting. He or she knows what is being said, but also what was meant. And as each interlocutor brings their own interpreter, these colleagues will monitor one another during the whole exchange. There are few loose ends.
Portuguese is not one of the official languages of the UN. How does a Brazilian interpreter come to lead the interpreting section at a United Nations agency? Talk a little about your professional trajectory. I started in Brazil as a self-taught professional, for want of mentors or teachers to guide me. I learned the hard way. In my day it was still possible to do so. Over time, I made some progress on the technique and worked hard on my stress management skills. After 15 years of that, I decided to stop everything and pursue a degree commensurate with my experience. I moved with my family to California and enrolled in a master's program in conference interpreting, at the renowned Monterey Institute (now Middlebury Institute). The idea was to return to Brazil once done with my studies, but during the final exams, an observer from the US Department of State invited me to sit new tests in Washington. A month or so later, I was already living in D.C. and interpreting at the big international summits. We lived in the area for almost three years.
Working at the UN was a dream, so in 2010 I started applying for staff positions with the organization. I was shortlisted for a few posts and interviewed for an equivalent position at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague but fell short. Soon thereafter, I was confirmed as the chief interpreter of ITU in Geneva, the oldest specialized agency of the UN. They gave me two weeks to move. It was really rushed. And two weeks after that, having barely settled in Geneva, I crossed the ocean again to manage, for three weeks, a team of 75 interpreters I had never met in person.
As for languages, I had English and Spanish, two official languages of the UN, with French being added a few years later. Then again, my role was managerial, and I was not often in the booth.
What is your current occupation? Do you still interpret? From the time I relocated to Geneva I began interpreting less. The last conference I serviced as an interpreter was The World Economic Forum in Davos, in 2015. Two years later, I left the UN and, together with two colleagues, co-founded KUDO (kudoway.com), a company dedicated to remote interpreting. Since then, KUDO has been my single focus of attention. When the pandemic hit, in 2020, we grew exponentially, and attracted great investors. We now have among our clients several international organizations and Forbes 500 companies.
You had the opportunity to do two TEDx talks, one in France and one in England. Isn't it time for a TEDx in Brazil? What topics do you usually address in your lectures?
Oh, it's long overdue (laughs). Since I have been living outside of Brazil for many years, it was only natural that the first opportunities presented themselves out there. The first one I did was in Belfort, France, in 2019. And last year I was in Bath, England, for another presentation, this time in English.
I'm prepared to speak about different subjects, but I always sew into my lectures some content related to language or interpretation. These are topics that spark curiosity as most people know little about them.
What advice would you give someone who wants to become an interpreter? What are the real demands of such a challenging craft? It is important to note, early on, that the main requirement in interpretation is not linguistic, but emotional. Complete mastery of foreign languages will be useless if you draw a blank when the going gets tough. The path today necessarily involves a degree in interpretation, at graduate level. The market no longer accommodates self-taught interpreters like it once did.
Do communication technologies have a place in a profession as old as interpreting? Tell us a little about KUDO and how you see the future of technology in the field.
KUDO grew from the vision that it would be possible for an interpreter to work at a distance, from a booth set in a hub somewhere or, ultimately, from a home office. I had been conducting a few experiments at ITU, and in 2010, at the first meeting held in Guadalajara, I met with Fardad Zabetian, who is now our CEO, and we started discussing ways to make the system more efficient. It was like we were predicting that in just a few years a deadly virus would paralyze the planet, forcing everyone to work from home. The timing was perfect. KUDO allows multilingual meetings to happen with interpreters working from anywhere on the planet. You also act as a mentor and coach for professionals in the field. How do you define success and what does your professional counseling work consist of?
When I was still in Brasília, where I had an interpreting agency for 17 years, I envisioned, together with a colleague from Unicamp, a series of intensive training workshops for interpreters. I conducted these workshops for about a decade and helped usher into the market many of the colleagues who are now active on the international scene. Since moving abroad, I started mentoring interpreters of different skill levels. I learned a lot being on the other side of the counter, and this knowledge allowed me to format new courses to share with interpreters ways to expand their professional performance and markets. With little time left for face-to-face activities, I developed these courses as on-demand experiences. To learn more can check my personal website: https://ewandro.com.
You are the author of three books, one of which has already been translated into Spanish. What motivates you to write? Which of your books would you recommend as a first read? I suggest the one that is available in English, “The Language Game: Inspiration & Insight for Interpreters.” It is a light, fun book, and gives a good overview of the craft, its difficulties and its curiosities. It's available on Amazon. Of all my forms of expression, writing is, in my humble opinion, the one I am most efficient in. It is also the one I find most pleasurable. In addition to books on interpretation, I am the author of a book of short stories entitled O Eu em Cubos – Contos Terapêuticos, released in 2003.
LIFESTYLE, PERSONAL LIFE, DREAMS
What is it like to live in places as different as Brazil, Switzerland, and the United States? Where else have you been? Tell us what you saw of the world and if you ever miss Brazil?
I have traveled to the four corners of the world. I worked a lot in Africa, as an interpreter, on missions with the International Monetary Fund and the ICC. During my time with ITU I traveled through Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. Traveling always enriches us. It is way more than a mere geographical shift. Traveling changes one’s mind. It makes us see the world with new eyes and forces us to let go of preconceptions. It has been a very rich experience, especially for our children, who had a bit of European, American and, naturally, Brazilian culture (not to mention the fluency they acquired in several languages).
Ewandro, what dreams have you not fulfilled yet? I was never one to plan much. Things kind of happened as I opened a few doors. But I've always had passion. I've always looked for those doors. I have had a successful international career so far. And I am not planning to retire. KUDO still has a great runway ahead, and the journey is very exciting. The dream is to one day be able to dedicate more time to the things that really give me pleasure: speaking and writing.
Who are your loved ones? My greatest treasure is my family, obviously. My wife of over three decades, who is always by my side, wherever I go. Together we raised three beautiful, kind and healthy children. They have the cosmopolitan experience of the world, but their feet are firmly planted on the ground. And six years ago, our oldest daughter gave us our first grandson, Lou, who is now everyone’s greatest passion. Oh, and I can't forget Freddie, a friendly little Yorkie, who has been following us around the world for the last 15 years.
Where is the world going and how do you position yourself between the many different extremes we currently see? Is there hope for better days?
The world is going where it always goes: forward! But it goes at fits and starts, moving onwards and then back, in a cyclical process we must understand and learn to accept. It's not always easy, and we sometimes have the impression all we do is backtrack. But the delta is always positive. I think our role is to remain optimistic. Expect the best, always, while also doing our best from where we are.
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