My neighbor, Juan, is a native Alberceñan. He knows everything about this area, almost as well as Julio, but not quite. He has been telling me about several wineries in Murcia, in an area called Jumilla. Spain has a great reputation for wines, especially in Rioja and Ribera del Duero, so I was eager to check it out. We were supposed to go last Friday, but he asked if I could come over to his house to help him with something else first. So of course I was happy to oblige.
It turns out his aunt is a very well-respected art restorer. She is currently working on a Diego Velázquez portrait of King Felipe IV, of Spain, dating from 1623. A museum in Australia is looking to buy it for $1,500,000. She sent a proposal to them for completing the restoration, including an English translation. They sent the proposal back, saying the translation stunk. That's where I came into the picture.
Juan showed me what had been previously sent, and I was shocked. It was awful. Evidently, nobody is available in all of Spain to translate documents.
Juan and I sat at his computer and reworked the entire proposal. I started with Google Translate as an easy way to establish a foundation. Then I refined it, so that it would make sense. The biggest problem was in describing some very technical aspects of art, about which, I know nothing.
For example, the proposal included a description of x-rays and chemical analysis already performed on the painting, as a way of verifying its authenticity. The English translation said the first coat on the canvas was dirt and carbon. Maybe that is true, but I don't think so. We added some real technical sounding words, like organic soil compound.
If the picture ends up selling, I am looking for a 10% cut. We'll see.
I have also edited a friend's webpage. He has a very successful multi-national sign business, but his English version web page stunk. It took me about 20 minutes.
It is amazing to me how prevalent this problem is. I am starting to see opportunity...
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