As a French-Brazilian who speaks five languages, people often think communication comes easily. The truth is juggling languages and expressing ideas can be harder than imagined.
To all the bilinguals and polyglots out there — I’m sure you’ve experienced this before: you have a word at the tip of your tongue in one language, but you need to say it in the other and just can’t. This phenomenon is well known among those who bear the knowledge of speaking multiple languages. Regardless, we usually carry on with these languages daily with little trouble.
But what happens when you take it a step further? When do you share your gift of speaking languages with the rest of the world?
That step happened to me last year when I decided to translate a novel written in Portuguese to both French and English. I was honoured to help translate a book written by Gláucia Regina F. Da Silva, a psychologist who has long advocated for mental health awareness and led a non-governmental organization in São Paulo, Brazil, for over 10 years.
The challenges of translations
This novel — titled Uma Jornada de Amor e Aprendizagem in Portuguese or Un Voyage d’Amour et Apprentissage in French— narrates the everyday life of a Black family, exploring themes of interrelationships, well-being, and positive parenting. Through this work of translation, I’ve seen translation not just as a linguistic task but as an act of cultural preservation — one that ensures narratives remain authentic while becoming accessible to a wider audience.
In an interview with The Varsity, Da Silva explains her book and its main objectives in French, stating that, “Mon objectif était d’aider les parents à mieux comprendre les besoins émotionnels de leurs enfants et à cultiver des relations plus harmonieuses et intentionnelles” (My goal was to help parents better understand their children’s emotional needs and foster more harmonious and intentional relationships).
The translation process for the novel involved more than just converting words from one language to another. It required a degree of cultural understanding to ensure that the message retained its original meaning and emotional impact. Some phrases — particularly those related to conscious parenting — had no direct equivalent in some target languages. In these cases, the translation had to be adapted rather than translated literally to preserve the essence of the text’s original meaning.
Additionally, certain cultural perspectives on discipline and parental authority must be carefully balanced to remain faithful to the original intent while making sense to a different audience. Beyond the important devotion to linguistic accuracy, the translation process also required translators to convey the emotions, values, and deeper messages of the novel.
Da Silva went on to say that, “Par exemple, certaines expressions autour de l’éducation bienveillante n’ont pas d’équivalent exact dans toutes les langues. Il a fallu reformuler certaines phrases pour qu’elles gardent leur essence sans perdre leur signification pour les lecteurs d’une autre culture” (For example, some expressions related to gentle parenting do not have an exact equivalent in all languages. It was necessary to rephrase certain sentences so that they retained their essence without losing their meaning for readers from another culture).
Translating any text — whether an article or a novel — requires cultural sensitivity and careful navigation of nuanced concepts. In this way, the process for Da Silva’s book ensured an accurate rendering of ideas like conscious parenting and discipline, making the book accessible to a wider audience. Beyond broadening its reach, the translation also fosters meaningful discussions about conscious parenting within Black communities, amplifying their experiences within the global conversation.
Translation and representation
As translators, it is important to stay updated with any terms added in the languages we work in. This way we can guide readers into an up-to-date translation while maintaining the original meaning of the message being delivered.
A prime example of this is Úrsula, a novel written by Maria Firmina dos Reis, who broke new ground in Brazil’s literary scene and revolutionized history — particularly within the Afro-Brazilian diaspora. Set in the nineteenth century, the novel explores themes of slavery, oppression, and resilience through the story of its titular character, Úrsula, and the enslaved people around her.
Translation, in this sense, is an act of cultural preservation and empowerment.
Úrsula gave a new voice to the Afro-Brazilian experience, critiquing the brutal realities of slavery to not only mark a milestone in Brazilian literature, but also become a powerful testament to the strength and agency of the Afro-Brazilian diaspora.
In Úrsula, the resistance portrayed is not just against the institution of slavery, but against the systems that sought to strip people of their humanity. The novel gives voice to characters of African descent who resist the dehumanizing forces of slavery in various ways. From subtle acts of defiance to outright rebellion, these characters fight to maintain their dignity and assert their right to freedom. Their resistance bore a testament to the strength of those who lived under oppression but never accepted it, and the novel played a crucial role in shaping nineteenth century abolitionist discourse.
Racial identity in Úrsula links itself to this resistance. The novel highlights the complexity of Afro-Brazilian identity, showing that even within the brutal confines of slavery, characters strived to preserve their sense of self and their cultural heritage. Through their experiences, the novel critiques the rigid racial hierarchies of nineteenth-century Brazil, challenging the dehumanizing stereotypes of Afro-descendants. The novel makes it clear that slavery not only oppressed bodies but also sought to erase cultural identities.
Yet, through acts of resistance and self-preservation, Úrsula ultimately affirms the humanity, worth, and identity of Afro-Brazilian people — pushing for a broader understanding of racial equality. It also gave a stepping-stool for the native speakers to reclaim their history in their own linguistic and cultural framework, strengthening the African diaspora. From Úrsula’s lessons, the work of translation exemplifies how a simple text can not only inform, but also empower marginalized communities by reinforcing their cultural and linguistic heritage.
Just as actress Lupita Nyong’o speaks of the power of seeing someone who looks like you achieve the impossible, I’ve come to understand the profound impact translation can have in making stories from underrepresented communities more visible and accessible. In translating Uma Jornada de Amor e Aprendizagem, I realized that the work went beyond converting words between languages — it meant breaking down barriers and fostering understanding.
As I carefully navigated the nuances of language, I felt myself helping to preserve and amplify the voices of Black families whose stories deserve to be heard on a global scale.
Translation, in this sense, is an act of cultural preservation and empowerment, allowing important narratives from Black history and culture to reach broader audiences and inspire change. Let it remind us that when we share these stories, we do not just translate words — we make history more inclusive and shape a more informed future.
