Damian Emba
Damian Emba
Occupation: Translator for Bi Foundation
Location: Los Angeles, California, United States
The Sex in My Business: As an English-to-Spanish translator for the Bi Foundation, I write about sexual orientation and the normalization of bisexuality daily. Much of the content I translate focuses on sex through the lenses of sexuality and identity, as this is a significant part of what it means to be bi.
A Typical Day: It all depends on how many words the article I am working on has, but I spend about one or two hours per piece on average. I typically read an entire paragraph before starting to translate it, in order to determine the sort of wording I will use. There are times when I have to research cultural nuances in the English language that don’t fully translate into Spanish, such as idioms and other phrases. There isn’t always a way to fully communicate what a writer means, which can be challenging, though it is helpful if I have previously translated pieces by the writer, as it gives me a better idea of the kind of writer they are and the way they tend to communicate.
Photography by Hannah Whitaker. / From New York Times Article: The Scientific Quest to Prove Bisexuality Exists.
The Best Part: My job keeps me learning! I am constantly engaging with other writers’ work, which often deal with topics I would not have been interested in writing myself. Translating their words expands my knowledge about the bi community and exposes me to other bi people’s experiences.
The Worst Part: Translating can be hard when I am not interested in the topic or can’t relate to the material. When I translate something, I have to somehow be able to put myself in the shoes of the author and find a way to communicate their message in Spanish using their voice.
How I Got Here: I was 18 when I went to my first bi event, where I met the person who is now my boss. I was about to graduate high school and needed to complete a senior project that consisted of spending around 25 hours working on a project that would help my community in some way. I asked my boss (only a friend at the time) if I could translate some pages of the site, under his supervision of course. He agreed and, when I graduated a few months later, I was offered the job of Spanish translator for the website.
What Society Thinks: Initially, my work created distance between my family and me due to their religious beliefs. But over time, their attitudes changed for the better. This experience has challenged me to find ways to reach people who are opposed to bisexuality, which has been a good thing. With everyone else I’ve met, I have never had any issues with it.
When I’m Not At Work: I have many hobbies. I enjoy flow arts and fire performance, and I train with poi and staff. I enjoy drawing and illustration, and I practice yoga and meditation. Video games also take a chunk of my time.
Published in Issue VIII: Art