Event report

First of all, many thanks to all who joined us and supported this Zoom event – we were pleased to receive 10 participants from the UK, Portugal, Spain and, of course, Brazil!

Our heartfelt thanks and appreciation also go to Denise for finding the time in her busy schedule to share her interesting background, experiences and insights with us – Denise worked for many years as a journalist, and over the last six years has transitioned to simultaneous interpreting.

She told how she and her partner Natalie Graue went into business together (House of Words), then approached and courted CNN Brazil to take them on as in-house interpreters when the channel went on air in March 2020.

They certainly hit the road running! The Covid-19 pandemic, the new Brazilian president, the US elections, and the war in Ukraine are just a few among the many challenges they have faced.

Denise gave a brief insight into how they work at this busy 24-hour news channel, and spoke of their daily dealings with interpreting key political leaders and other players, sometimes planned, sometimes breaking news – always on the edge.

Relay interpreting (e.g. Ukranian > English > Portuguese) plays a big part in Denise’s work, as does dealing with the many different accents, talking speeds and styles of the speakers.

Working in this constantly ON, high-pressure environment requires self-care to provide a balance, and Denise shared with us about the way she enjoys the natural surroundings at her home to relax.

We finished with Q&A, with some excellent queries posed by all.

In her closing remarks, Denise expressed her satisfaction at having had the near-therapeutic opportunity to talk about her experiences in the last two years with CNN, and all of us attendees were extremely grateful for having had this masterclass in the form of an informal chat.

Denise Bobadilha is an interpreter, translator, and journalist from São Paulo, Brazil. After working as an editor and reporter for more than two decades, she made a career transition and is currently a full-time interpreter. In the last two years, she has worked as an EN > PT interpreter for CNN Brasil, covering breaking news and major global events, such as the US elections and the invasion of Ukraine.

Denise Bobadilha will talk about her work since the channel went on air in March 2020, and the challenges of live TV, followed by a Q&A session. The talk will be in Portuguese.

Key take-aways:

- An insight into live TV work

- Interpreting breaking news on major global events

- Interpreting key players such as POTUS, etc.

- Split-second decisions on term solutions

Please note timings:

4pm-5pm (UK time)

12pm-1pm (Brazil time)

Please note, this event will take place via Zoom