ANTHROPOLOGY AND

TRANSLATION
By Chiara Grassilli
In Interviews
Jun 3rd, 2013
2 Comments
2738 Views

INTERVIEW WITH LINEIMAR MARTINS

(FRENCH)
by Chiara Grassilli
Whats Anthropology? Its the science of humanity. This science examines
cultures in depth, and tries to explain a culture to another culture. It aims to make
cultures understandable to each other.
How is translation connected with anthropology?
When you translate a text, you want to make a concept clear to another language,
and thus to another culture. You dont only want to translate a text, but you want to
make a culture understandable to another culture. This is the invaluable help
anthropology provides. Because cultural and linguistic differences are not a barrier
when you know how to deal with them.

IT IS NOT OUR DIFFERENCES THAT DIVIDE US. IT IS OUR

INABILITY TO RECOGNIZE, ACCEPT, AND CELEBRATE THOSE
DIFFERENCES.
AUDRE LORDE
Lineimar Martins is an anthropologist and a translator.
Exactly like me, she comes from an anthropological background and she has
moved to translation. In this interview (in French, but the English translation is
below in this copy) she explains how her anthropological background makes her a

better translator today, because she can handle each translation with deeper
cultural awareness.
You can find more information about her on her blog http://lineimar.eklablog.com or
on herLinkedin profile

ENGLISH
Chiara: Hi everyone, Im Chiara and you are on Translator Thoughts. Today Im
speaking French because Im with a French guest. Shes calling me from France
and her name is Lineimar Martins. Welcome Lineimar.
Lineimar: Thanks.
Chiara: Thank you very much for being with me today, its a pleasure. As I always
do I would like to start with a little introduction, and I will ask you to tell us a little bit
about what you are doing now, what are the projects youre working on and whats
your job.
Lineimar: Im a Doctor in Anthropology. I introduce myself this way because this
has a very close connection with what Im doing now, because I translate scientific
texts. I specialized in human science and social science translation.
Its a way for me to work on everything Im passionate about, namely social
science, languages (I was born in Brazil and Ive lived in France for twenty years
now) so this gathers everything I love in life: civilizations, cultures, big theories of
social and human sciences. This is why I introduce myself as Doctor in
Anthropology first and only secondly as a translator.
Currently I translate books at home. I organize my time according to the extension
of time given by the printing house.
Its not a long time since I started this new activity, its one year only, but Ive
already translated two books, so Im very happy because in one year Ive already
completed two good projects.

For the near future Id like to continue doing this and to translate even more books.
Chiara: Whats the relation between anthropology and translation in your opinion?
Do you find elements in common with translation?
Lineimar: Yes, absolutely. To resume, I like to say that anthropology is the
translation of a culture towards another culture.
Because finally this is what we do when we study another culture or a social group,
we take words that are understandable to another group or another society if were
studying another culture.
I think that (when we translate) we do more or less the same thing. For the subject
of my translations itself, I think that if I didnt know all the concepts, all the authors,
all the theories that Im translating I could do my job it but it would take much more
time and there would be the risk of misunderstanding the terms.
For example I just translated a text about feminism by Lvi Strauss talking about a
group that he studied in Brazil. If I didnt know that Lvi Strauss used the theories
of a linguist, I would have translated some terms in a completely different way.
This is to say how important it is to know the subject were translating in order to
make a good translation with a good theoretical background knowledge.
Chiara: Yes, this is really important also because you translate anthropological
texts, but I think there is another important aspect, namely the ability to understand
that translation doesnt mean only linguistic translation but cultural translation as
well.
And I think your studies in anthropology helped you a lot. I studied anthropology as
well and Ive seen how much that helped me.
Lineimar: Yes, that is really important. I think that anthropology is more than a
simple job, its a specific kind of world view that we adopt.

Once we study anthropology we cannot think the way we used to think before, our
mental scheme is broken, if we really understand what anthropology is. This is to
say that anthropology is more a choice of life than a profession.
Chiara: Do you think its correct to say that anthropology is the ability to put
yourself in someone elses shoes? And this is in fact what one needs to do in order
to translate correctly?
Lineimar: Yes, putting yourself in the others place is important but you dont have
to do it completely. Its important to look from a distance as Lvi Strauss said.
Its fine to put yourself in someone elses shoes but you must not put yourself
completely in his place. You need an analytical distance; otherwise we simply
transfer our feelings and the feelings of our society into the other society.
If you put yourself completely in somebody elses shoes you will not have the
necessary distance to produce a critical analysis. This is my personal opinion at
least.
Chiara: During your career you did several jobs. You did academic research, you
worked within anthropology, in teaching and now in translation. Which activity did
you enjoy most?
Lineimar: I loved teaching, but what I really liked about teaching was to be in
contact with students.
Im still in touch with some students I taught fifteen years ago. I still speak with
some of them. This means I left a sign in their lives and Im flattered. This was my
goal.
On the other hand Ive been disappointed by teaching because I had many
colleagues who were more interested in their books and their researches than their
students. But the main role of a teacher has to be teaching.
This is the aspect of teaching that disappointed me, while what I really miss is the
contact with students, youth, learning.

However, from the point of view of personal and intellectual fulfilment, in translation
I feel completely fulfilled. I loved teaching, but translation is a more solitary task,
and Im a very solitary person.
In the house where I live now from my window I see a chain of mountains called
Les Vosges. So Im there and when Im translating Im happily lost in my
translations.
I think that translation fits more my personality and the life I choose to have now. I
managed to balance of all my social roles. I think that I feel at home in translation.
Chiara: OK. Currently youre translating from French into what language?
Lineimar: into Brazilian Portuguese, because I was born in Brazil so its my mother
tongue. I couldnt translate into Portuguese of Portugal, for obvious linguistic
reasons.
Chiara: So you can speak both French and Portuguese to mother tongue level. Is
there a language that you speak more instinctively than the other?
Lineimar: Yes, the Portuguese. Those who are French speaking will hear my
accent
Chiara: OK, brilliant, thank you very much, it was a pleasure to talk with you, thank
you so much for spending some time with me and until the next time!
Lineimar: Bye, thank you very much for your interest, Im flattered that you got
interested in my professional story and see you soon.