As a result of academic collaborations between the University of Boston and the headquarters of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Boston, the Arab Charter on Human Rights drafted in 2004 was translated into Spanish for the first time.
In this project it is emphasized the participation of Montserrat Altamirano Fernandez, a graduate from the School of Law of UNAM, who is currently undertaking her professional practices at UNAM-Boston as an option to obtain her Law Degree. The translation of the document was in charge of Montserrat, and later on, it was edited by professors Dorothy Estrada-Tanck and Susan M. Akram, both academicians from the University of Murcia and Boston University, respectively.
This joint initiative is a sample of the talent formed at the University, in this case at the Law School; and reveals the importance of promoting opportunities for internationalization in order to create bridges, so students of our University could become part of multidisciplinary and intercultural teams, with academicians and students from the world’s best universities in different geographies.
Despite the travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the UNAM-Boston and the School of Law managed a call to undertake professional practices remotely, thanks to which Montserrat and other graduates from UNAM have had the opportunity of living this internationalization process at home, which has contributed to their professional, academic and personal development. The full document can be consulted at the following link:
Hereunder, Montserrat shares few words with us about what the experience meant to her:
“Once again, my Alma Mater allows me to have an international experience, this time working online from home. And even though, the team that made the translation possible and I were not at the same physical space, I felt more than connected to them. I was amazed at how easily we were able to organize, how respectful we were to each other, how punctual we were in our work, and how committed we were all to make this translation as accurate as possible. We all understood the importance of each word, and that they represent years of dialogue. Translating a legal instrument like this one is a great responsibility, it must be clear to each person who reads it and it must mean exactly what was agreed. It was an honor for me to participate in a historical moment like this one; translating into Spanish, the Arab Charter on Human Rights 2004.
I want to thank Professor Dorothy Estrada-Tanck and Professor Susan M. Akram who edited the Letter and were incredibly nice co-workers, Professor Mohammed Amin Al-Midani who made such an enlightening introduction, to the team of the headquarters of UNAM in Boston for building such strong connections for UNAM students, and to my family for always supporting me in the new projects I undertake. I hope that having a document of this magnitude translated by a graduate from UNAM, whose mother tongue is not English, will inspire people to continue studying languages, different from their own.”
Montserrat Altamirano Fernandez is a graduate from the School of Law of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She has worked both as a lawyer and as a professional translator, and has also specialized studies in International Law from the University of Amsterdam. She is currently collaborating with the team of the Center for Mexican Studies of the UNAM in Boston.
