Making the translation: 'We always learn more'

An expert in dairy science, Georgina M. Bushnell prefers the piquance of European cheese, though it’s a word that doesn’t easily translate into Spanish, another of her areas of expertise.

“Some idioms and sayings in English just don’t translate very well,” said Bushnell, a UC San Diego Extension instructor for nearly 13 years. “Cultural differences play such an important part in language.”

georgine-bushnell.jpgInstructor Profile: Georgina Bushnell, English to Spanish I

Originally from Mexico City, Bushnell earned an undergraduate degree in food engineering at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM). Fittingly, her subject-matter thesis was titled “The Effect of Water Activity Depression on Meat Shelf-Life."

She then completed a postgraduate dairy science course in Sweden, “my first encounter with a different culture,” though hardly her last.

Bushnell spent the next few years studying dairy science at colleges and institutes throughout Europe, including Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany.

“I describe dairy science as the step-by-step process that starts with raw materials – such as dairy cattle and their raw milk – to the finished products like different types of milk, yogurt, ice cream, and cheese,” she said.

After moving to San Diego in the late 1990s, she earned her UC San Diego Extension Professional Certificate in Translation & Interpretation.

With nearly 20 years of experience in scientific, medical and technical translation and interpretation, Bushnell still finds she’s fascinated by the process of teaching. Her next 10-session course will be “English to Spanish Translation I,” Oct. 2-Dec. 11.

“Every class is different, with people who have different personalities and different backgrounds who share different life experiences,” she said. “Together, we always learn more than we thought we would.”

Posted: 7/30/2014 12:00:00 AM with 0 comments


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