In this issue, an environmental consultant continues interviewing Monica Machado with some questions on research methods and resources used for the translation of environmental matters.

Enviro Consultant – What environmental texts are you usually contracted to translate?

MM – In general, I specialise in environmental reports. These could be environmental and/or social impact assessments, water quality reports, environmental management plans, marine studies, baseline studies, social characterisations and so on.

Enviro Consultant – That means that each report is always associated with another specific area?

MM – Usually, yes. Those reports are used to assess the impact of future activities in a specific area. A mining company, for instance, will have to assess whether its new project in a specific site will have any negative or positive social and environmental impacts. Environmental studies are however not only used for new projects since any changes or modifications to any existing facilities or plants will have to be assessed and subject to an environmental impact assessment (EIA). This means that apart from knowing about environmental terminology, I also need to know about the other specific area of the operations. If an Environmental Impact Assessment is carried out to assess the impact of mining operations, I need to know about mining. However, mining can be very diverse. Therefore, I specialise in mineral mining and have extensive experience in other areas, such as diamond, coal and graphite mining.

Enviro Consultant – Very interesting. So, you specialise in environment and mining?

MM – Correct. When I translate environmental reports, these could be for mining projects; so I have to know how mining works. I also need to know about geology. It is not possible to translate an environmental report for mining operations if you have no knowledge on geology. Therefore, most of my areas of work are inter-related.

Enviro Consultant – Ok. Apart from gathering information and knowledge from your own work, do you often use other resources?

MM – All the time. All documents are different and it is impossible to know everything. My experience is like the background, but all jobs require specific research.

Picture:  A  palanca-negra-gigante (giant sable antelope) in Angola

This interview was first published in Monica Machado Translation Services Quarterly Newsletter. This and other interviews with Mónica can be read here.

Mónica Machado offers English to Portuguese Translation Services, for Portuguese-speaking African countries such as Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Portugal and Sao Tome and Principe in the areas of Oil and Gas, Agriculture and Farming, Environment, Shipping, Mining, Hydro Power, HSE and Social Sciences and International Humanitarian Aid. Fully certified translation services based in the UK. We can also translate and certify translations of educational qualifications, passports, company certificates of incorporation, birth and marriage certificates and similar documents.