I hope no one is offended by this message. I am simply responding to a need that I think might exist here in Cali based on my friendship with Colombian translators.
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I would like to warn the men who are thinking of coming here that they should consider hiring an independent translator. I am an American student doing Post Graduate work who has lived in Cali for a long time now. I am a native English speaker and fluent in Spanish.
Several of my Colombian friends from the University are translators for the marriage agencies. While they have pretty good English, they are still lacking quite a bit because most have never lived in the US and have often been schooled in United Kingdom style English. Therefore they have considerable trouble picking up on American humor, slang, suggestion, metaphors etc. Anyone who knows Latin American women knows that these are very important things. There are many many things that are very difficult for a non native English translator to express and understand. The worst part is, that if your translator is not understanding you and communicating incorrectly what you say to your date, you will never ever know it. You might just be asking yourself what went wrong. Having lived in Cali for an extended period, I have also learned the regional Valle Cacuano slang and metaphors that that Caleņas use (very different from the rest of the country), so you can be sure you will understand what your date is trying to tell you.
Therefore I am offering my independent translation services to anyone who will be coming to Cali or the surrounding cities. Don't let it get lost in the translation and make sure you make the absolute most of your next trip to Cali!
Best of Luck,
Brendan
CaliAdvisor@nospam.com