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Sample translations submitted: 1
Spanish to English: YouthCan, Tunisian Youth's Turn General field: Art/Literary Detailed field: Government / Politics
Source text - Spanish Los jóvenes de Túnez pelean por dejar a un lado sus diferencias ideológicas y trabajar juntos tal y como hicieron hace tres años, cuando consiguieron derrocar el antiguo régimen de Ben Ali. YouthCan es una nueva organización que trata de unir toda esta fuerza para poner fin al verdadero problema de la Túnez de hoy: la falta de futuro de su juventud
"¿A Cité Ettadhamen?" "No". El taxista se niega a ir hasta esta ciudad situada a las afueras de Túnez, famosa por su pobreza y marginalidad. El pasado enero se produjeron allí fuertes disturbios. Los manifestantes quemaron neumáticos para bloquear el acceso a sus calles y la policía tuvo que recurrir al gas lacrimógeno para dispersarlos.
Mientras un segundo taxi conduce hacia allí, las carreteras se llenan de barro y las carnicerías cuelgan en su entrada la piel y el resto de las partes de los animales que venden. Cientos de personas van de arriba abajo y se sientan en los numerosos Cafés y Salons de Thé. Hafedh Oueled Saad espera en un cruce. Tiene 23 años y está desempleado desde que volvió a Túnez. Consigue café y refrescos para sus invitados, se sienta en una habitación llena de sofás blancos y dorados y comienza a relatar por qué decidió emigrar ilegalmente a Italia en 2011.
"En el café de ahí detrás podrás encontrar 20 o 25 personas que también intentaron irse a Italia", explica Hafedh. Tras desembarcar en Lampedusa, consiguió llegar a Suiza, pero su sueño europeo terminó cuando rechazaron su solicitud de asilo y le deportaron. La esperanza de la Revolución queda ya lejos. Hafedh cuenta: "Yo no significo nada para estos políticos, así que ellos no significan nada para mí. Yo no diría que la situación es mejor". Tiene planeado aprender italiano para trabajar en un 'call center', "pero no creo que esté bien pagado". La primera vez que huyó de Túnez pagó 1.500 dinares (unos 725 euros). "Si tuviera hoy la oportunidad, lo haría de nuevo".
La economía renqueante y la falta de futuro de los jóvenes son las mayores amenazas que tiene por delante la transición del país hacia una plena democracia. Tres años han pasado desde que Ben Ali huyera a Arabia Saudí, y los nuevos políticos no han sido capaces de encontrar una solución. Son demasiado viejos y no conectan con los problemas de la juventud. Al menos esto opinan en YouthCan, una nueva organización no partidista que ha recogido más de 25.000 firmas en poco más de un mes. Su objetivo es claro: apoyar a jóvenes tunecinos, entre 20 y 35 años, para que alcancen puestos de decisión en las instituciones, no importa qué partido o ideología defiendan.
Un futuro oscuro
"No ven futuro alguno. Estudiaré, estudiaré. ¿Y entonces qué? Eso les lleva a los extremos, a alguien que pueda manipular sus mentes. El espíritu de YouthCan es hacerles conscientes de su propio potencial y de que deben hacer algo". Mehdi Guebzili es miembro fundador de la organización. Él y Besma Mhamdi, la presidenta, hablan desde l'Étoile Du Nord, una moderna cafetería-bar-librería situada en el centro de Túnez. Aquí fue donde YouthCan organizó su primera reunión; entonces fueron 70, hoy son más de 4.500 miembros en su grupo cerrado de Facebook, donde también hay gente de Italia, Francia, Alemania y Reino Unido.
"El momento en el que apareció YouthCan -explica Besma- fue perfecto. Lo hizo durante el Dialogo Nacional [el exprimer ministro, Ali Laarayedh, había dimitido y los políticos no se ponían de acuerdo para nombrar un nuevo jefe de gobierno], cuando la gente estaba muy frustrada. Nosotros levantamos esperanza y optimismo en un momento en el que todo estaba fallando por completo".
Los jóvenes tunecinos atraviesan tiempos inciertos. Ellos arrancaron la Primavera Árabe y se mantuvieron en primera línea cuando Ben Ali envió los francotiradores. Según la ONU, los tunecinos menores de 24 años representan el 40% de la población. Sin embargo, hoy afrontan un paro del 30%. Y no importa que tengan formación universitaria. "El 40% de los graduados universitarios está desempleado frente al 24% de no graduados", asegura el World Economic Forum. Además, están completamente excluidos de las instituciones. Como Mehdi sostiene: "Sobre todo para los jóvenes, para nosotros, la Asamblea Nacional Constituyente fue una decepción porque ellos no hablaban sobre nada. No saben qué problemas tenemos".
YouthCan es todavía una organización recién nacida. No tiene oficina y la mayor parte del trabajo se hace online, donde el movimiento nació de forma espontánea. A pesar de las dudas propias de los inicios, la idea está ahora muy clara: formar nuevos políticos y reconciliar a los jóvenes con la política. En diciembre de 2013, dos jóvenes tunecinos (Bassem Bouguerra y Tarek Cheniti) enviaron su Currículum espontáneamente con el objetivo de "servir gratuitamente" al gobierno que el primer ministro, Medhi Jomaa, estaba formando. Durante el proceso, cientos de jóvenes exponen sus motivaciones en la redes sociales para convertirse, en menos de 24 horas, en el principal escaparate para Youthcan. "Bassem Bouguerra compartió su currículum en Facebook ofreciéndose a ayudar al Ministerio de Interior. Lo vi y me puse en contacto con él, igual que hicieron otros", recuerda. "Lo que sabíamos era que no queríamos ser un partido político tradicional", añade Besma. El suyo es un objetivo a largo plazo, pero no hay tiempo que perder. El primer proyecto será para las próximas elecciones, previstas para finales de 2014. 200 candidatos serán entrenados por ellos. "Gente joven potenciada por gente joven sobre cómo hablar en público, cómo presentarse a los demás, cómo encontrar financiación…".
Los miembros de YouthCan están por todo el país. Yazidi Boulbeba es uno de ellos. Vive en Siliana, una pequeña ciudad rural del interior de Túnez. Un diploma en Física y Química no le ha bastado a este joven de 28 años para encontrar trabajo. Forma parte de un partido político, pero cuando vio la oportunidad de unirse a YouthCan, no lo dudó. "La revolución la hizo la juventud por tres motivos: dignidad, libertad y trabajo. La libertad es mejor, pero no puede haber dignidad sin trabajo". Le gusta el concepto de YouthCan de entrenar a nuevos políticos y cree que esta plataforma puede unir a los jóvenes con la política. "Lo espero, porque hoy vivimos un boicot político por parte de la juventud".
En Siliana la pobreza avanza. "Solo hay una fábrica en la provincia y los productos que cultivamos se procesan en otras ciudades". La consecuencia es que mucha gente se marcha a estas áreas más boyantes. "La segunda alternativa es el extremismo y el terrorismo. Casi todos los terroristas vienen de las zonas más pobres del país", admite Yazidi.
Translation - English Tunisia's youth are scrambling to leave their ideological differences behind and work together as they did three years ago, when they succeeded in overthrowing Ben Ali's former regime. YouthCan is a new organisation that is trying to unite all of this strength in order to put a stop to Tunisia's real problem of the day: its lack of prospects for youth.
"¿A Cité Ettadhamen?" "No." The cabbie refuses to go to this city, well known for its poverty and marginalisation, which is situated on Tunis' outskirts. Last January, there was heavy rioting there. Demonstrators burned tires to block access to streets and the police had to resort to tear gas to disperse them.
While a second cab is driving there, the motorways get muddy and the butcher's hang animal skin, and the remaining parts that are sold, in their entrances. Hundreds of people work their way up and down and then sit at numerous cafés and tearooms. Hafedh Oueled Saad waits at a zebra crossing. He's 23 years old and has been unemployed ever since he came back to Tunis. He gets coffee and soft drinks for his guests and sits in a room full of white and gold settees. He starts to describe why he decided to illegally emigrate to Italy in 2011.
“Back there in the café, you could find 20 or 25 people that tried to go to Italy, too,” Hafedh explains. After disembarking in Lampedusa, he managed to get to Switzerland, but his European dream came to an end when his asylum application was rejected and he was deported. His hope for the Revolution is already long gone. Hafedh tells us: “I don't mean anything to those politicians, so they don't mean anything to me. I wouldn't say the situation is any better”. He plans to learn Italian to work at a call center, “but I don't think it pays very well”. The first time he fled Tunisia, he paid 1,500 dinares (approximately 725 euros). “Today, if I had the chance, I would do it all over again.”
The ailing economy and lack of prospects for young people are the biggest threats that still lie ahead for the country's transition to full democracy. Three years have passed since Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia, and the new politicians have been unable to find a solution. They're too old and they don't connect with the problems of youth. At least that's what they think at YouthCan, a new non-partisan group that has collected more than 25,000 signatures in a little over a month. Its objective is clear: support young Tunisians, between 20 and 35 years of age, secure decision-making posts at institutions. It doesn't matter what party or ideology they support.
A Bleak Future
“They can't see any future. I'm going to study. I'm going to study. And then what? That is taken to extremes by somebody who can manipulate their minds. YouthCan's energy is making them aware of their own potential and what they must do.” Mehdi Guebzili is a founding member of the group. He and its president, Besma Mhamdi, speak from l'Étoile Du Nord, a modern coffee shop-bar-bookshop in downtown Tunis. This is where YouthCan organised its first meeting. Back then, there were 70 members, today there are over 4,500 in their closed Facebook group, where there are also members from Italy, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
“From the very first moment that YouthCan appeared — Besma explains — it was perfect. It was during the National Dialogue [the ex-Prime Minister, Ali Laarayedh, had resigned and the politicians couldn't agree on appointing a new head of government], when people were really frustrated. We raised hope and optimism at a moment when everything was completely failing.”
Young Tunisians are experiencing uncertain times. They pulled off the Arab Spring and they continued to be at the forefront when Ben Ali sent in the snipers. According to the UN, Tunisians under the age of 24 represent 40% of the population. However, today they face a 30% unemployment rate. And it doesn't matter if they have university degrees: 40% of university graduates are jobless, versus 24% of non-graduates, according to the World Economic Forum. Moreover, they're altogether excluded from institutions. As Mehdi maintains: “Especially for young people, for us, the National Constituent Assembly was a disappointment because they didn't talk about anything. They're not familiar with the problems we experience.”
YouthCan is still a brand new organisation. It doesn't have an office and the majority of its work is done online, where the movement was spontaneously born. Despite their own doubts in the beginning, the idea is very clear now: train new politicians and reconcile youth with politics. In December 2013, two Tunisian youth (Bassem Bouguerra and Tarek Cheniti) spontaneously sent their resumes over with the objective of serving the government that Prime Minister, Medhi Jomaa, was creating, “free of charge”. During this process, hundreds of young people explain their motivations on social network sites to become, in less than 24 hours, YouthCan's most prominent showcase. “Bassem Bouguerra shared his resume on Facebook, offering his help to the Ministry of Home Affairs. I saw it and I contacted him, just like everyone else did,” he remembers. “All we knew was that we didn't want to be a traditional political party,” adds Besma. Their objective is long-term, but there's no time to waste. The first project will be for the upcoming elections, planned for the end of 2014. 200 candidates will be trained for them. “Young people powered by young people, training them in public speaking, introducing themselves to one another, finding financing...”
YouthCan's members are spread throughout the country. Yazidi Boulbeba is one of them. He lives in Siliana, a small, rural, farming community in Tunis' interior. A diploma in Physics and Chemistry hasn't been enough for this 28 year old youth to find work. He takes part in a political party, but when he saw an opportunity to join YouthCan, he didn't hesitate. “The youth had a Revolution for three reasons: dignity, freedom and jobs. Freedom is the best, but there will be no dignity without jobs.” He likes YouthCan's concept of training new politicians and he believes that this platform can bring young people and politics together. “I hope so, because this is the youth's political boycott.”
In Siliana, poverty is on the rise. “There's only one factory in the province and the crops we grow are processed in other cities.” As a result, a lot of people go to more prosperous regions. “The second alternative is extremism and terrorism. Nearly every terrorist is from the county's poorest regions,” Yazidi confesses.
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Years of experience: 10. Registered at ProZ.com: Jul 2014.
I am a professional word taster and sentence sommelier (a writer trained in foreign languages). I understand the world of the writer and translate it in a daring, competent, culturally sensitive manner. My objective is to delve into new projects as a fearless, freelance translator while expanding my network with colleagues from around the globe. I strongly believe the beauty of literature can be preserved in foreign language translations. A good translator has the power to magically capture the delicate nuances of the original text, thus, making a profound impression on the reader. My daily output ranges between 2,000 - 2,500 words or 8 working hours, which includes proofreading and editing.
My specialties include: Politics & Government, Foreign Policy, Cultural Issues, Art & Music, Medicine & Healthcare and Education.
I am now accepting projects in Spanish and Portuguese.
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