The Linguist

32 The Linguist Vol/61 No/5 thelinguist.uberflip.com INSTITUTE MATTERS With this strong appreciation of networking, I had the idea of setting up the CIOL Brazil Network, and with the help and patience of some great people at CIOL, we went live on social media in September 2020. The Brazilian languages sector is a rich font of knowledge, talent and experience, full of people willing to share their stories. So I was keen to bring Brazilians, and those with a connection with or interest in the country, together in a CIOL context – disseminating and promoting the great resources and benefits CIOL has to offer, while getting people together. We have members all over the Lusophone world and beyond, with a significant number in the UK – Brazilians and non-Brazilians alike. With the size of Brazil and global spread of members, coupled with the risks of gatherings in a pandemic, it was obvious that our events would need to be virtual. Our first online event took place in early 2021: 'Mythbusting Brazil' gave an insight into some lesser-known facts about the history and culture of the country. Events followed on Brazilian agri-business from a translator's point of view, and the challenges and opportunities of language teaching in Brazil. For our first event of 2022 we welcomed CNN Brasil interpreter Denise Bobadilha, who wowed us with anecdotes from her often live, breaking-news simultaneous interpreting work. In terms of land area, Brazil is about 35 times bigger than the UK, which would fit into the state of São Paulo – only the 12th largest of 27 states. A vast, diverse country indeed. How, then, to network? When I migrated from teaching English to full-time translation and interpreting in 2008, I knew I would need to invest in networking. I live in the southeastern region of Brazil, encompassing the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, which are collectively responsible for a good chunk of the country's GDP, and therefore a hub for the linguistic solutions sector. Pre-pandemic translation and interpreting conferences tended to alternate between Rio and São Paulo – within relatively easy reach for me – while occasional events in more distant states provided the perfect excuse for a bit of leisure travel and networking. For me, these efforts have more than paid off. Through contacts I have made at conferences in Brazil and through online industry platforms, I have had some dream opportunities, such as working at major international sports events. In 2015, I was asked to accompany English-speaking executives and specialists flying in from across the globe to assist in a mining dam disaster, which very sadly killed 19 people, flattened villages, and destroyed fauna and flora habitats, with mining waste carried by 600km of river system to the Atlantic coast. Early in the process I was required to recruit and deploy linguists to do simultaneous, consecutive and liaison interpreting in several locations across Brazil, and during that emergency phase it was all about speed of response, urgency, flexibility, and the need to send the right individual to the right job. Had I not done all the networking in the years prior to that event, I would not have had a clue where to start. As it was, I knew some of the best linguists in Brazil, who in turn knew others, and we managed to cover every demand for our services in every location. A Brazilian community Mark Thompson discusses the importance of networking, and the opportunities CIOL's Brazil Network offers linguists as it enters its third year With a number of wannabe, talented and renowned literary translators among our membership, we invited prominent author Dr Ellen Jones to give a fascinating talk on translating multilingualism in literature. The benefits of networking were reinforced in July, when Ben Kohn delighted us with a presentation on bilingual media fixing (see page 10 for his article on the subject). We also have occasional informal Zoom gatherings to exchange ideas, and many of our members join online CIOL events and those run by the other CIOL networks. While continuing to make use of virtual resources, we will seek to get people together in person as we go forward, through small, local/regional gatherings in all our members' countries. This might include meeting up for a tea/coffee and a chat; side gatherings at conferences in Brazil, the UK and beyond; and maybe our very own local face-to-face events. With the great mix of people we have in our group – young and old, novice and experienced, based in Brazil and elsewhere – I am confident that the Brazilian love of socialising, exchanging ideas and connecting will be a key ingredient to make this happen. The (big, blue, Brazilian) sky's the limit! LITERARY EVENT Some of the participants at Ellen Jones's talk on translating multilingualism in literature

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