Featured Interpreter

Anna

“I can’t describe it; I just love it!”

Working languages
Portuguese, English, French

Subject matter expertise
Financial Services
Banking and the economy
Government and diplomacy

Location
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Summary

Anna Vianna is a conference interpreter with over 25 years of experience living and working in Rio De Janeiro. Anna discusses how she became an interpreter, her most surprising experience on the job thus far, and how she found KUDO.

How did you become an interpreter?

I was disappointed with my career as a researcher in molecular biology, so I was looking for a change. My fluency in English and French naturally led me towards jobs where language was essential (e.g. hotels, travel agencies). In 1992, The Earth Summit was held here in Rio which employed many interpreters, among them my sister, who was starting in the career. She suggested I also study to become an interpreter and I did.

What do you love about what you do?

I can’t describe it; I just love it!

Proud of the understanding she brings to her KUDO members

KUDO Certified

KUDO Certified interpreters are conference interpreters who have completed KUDO’s online tutorial and attended a practice webinar on the platform. They meet KUDO’s minimum hardware and connectivity requirements and can interpret on KUDO with limited supervision. Experience and compliance are self-declared and not vetted by KUDO.

KUDO Pro

KUDO Pro interpreters are professional conference interpreters with proven experience in remote simultaneous interpreting in general and KUDO in particular. They have mastered the skills needed to interpret independently and on short notice at a KUDO meeting. Earners meet or exceed KUDO’s connectivity and technical requirements. KUDO Pro interpreters are vetted for quality and experience. Their compliance with KUDO’s standards is verified regularly.

Please recount your most surprising experience in this business.

I can recall many moving, funny, crazy moments. We work with people and matters from all walks of life, so you are bound to meet interesting people and work with incredible topics.

One of the craziest things I can remember was being air-lifted by a Senegalese army plane when I was working for the International Monetary Fund in Guinea-Bissau, a tiny, Portuguese-speaking country in Africa. I was there with a Fund mission when the head of the armed forces was killed and, as an act of revenge, his soldiers killed the president (they were rivals). It was a crazy night of uncertainties and gunshots in the city of Bissau, but the IMF was able to secure a place for all mission members on an army plane from the neighboring country of Senegal. Boarding the plane on a deserted tarmac, with machine guns on either side of the runway, was a scene straight from any notable action movie. We were all safe and I went back to Bissau a couple of times after that. It is a struggling democracy, but it’s improving. I still have a dear friend there with whom I keep in touch regularly.

How did you become acquainted with KUDO?

I became acquainted through Ewandro Magalhães, a fellow Brazilian interpreter and KUDO’s Chief Language Officer. We worked for the International Monetary Fund many years ago and I have followed his career closely.

What’s are your predictions on how KUDO will change the industry?

KUDO was in the right place at the right time. The KUDO team was already working with remote simultaneous interpretation (RSI) when the pandemic hit the market and the globe. They were able to reach more clients and keep us freelance interpreters working. It was a blessing!

I believe RSI is here to stay, be it for 100% online events or hybrid conferences. RSI has broadened the “clientele” so to speak. Many companies which before would have never thought of hiring interpreters for their international meetings, now have greater access to the service.

KUDO Marketplace is yet another important step in that direction. Having an online, straightforward way of hiring and being hired, 24/7, is groundbreaking!