Anyone who travels along the No. 45 State Highway (Strada Statale 45) connecting Genoa and Piacenza will understand the meaning of this celebrated exclamation, traditionally attributed to Ernest Hemingway.

The landscape of the river valley, as it twists and turns, with breathtaking glimpses of the meanders, punctuated by campanili and towers in the distance, is seen in all its splendour even by those who only travel along the valley by car. However, innumerable footpaths allow the visitor to penetrate the woods, climbing up to the highest peaks until the sea comes into view, or descending to seek refreshment in the cool waters of the river. Nor is there any lack of places of historic significance, with a myriad of sites and little villages which can be sought out starting from Bobbio, the pulsating heart of the valley. [ … ]

The above passage is taken from the ‘Bobbio e Alta Val Trebbia’ guidebook, published by the Piacenza-based publishing house Tip.Le.Co and available at newsstands and bookshops in the Trebbia Valley and Piacenza and from the on-line store https://www.tipleco.com/edizioni.html”.

It is a very practical, slim and lightweight, pocket-sized guide, with beautiful pictures and very comprehensive and detailed texts.

The publishers offered us the task of translating it into English and French, which was quite challenging to say the least, but highly rewarding!

It enabled us to revisit the history of a part of our beautiful province and to admire once again its artistic and natural treasures, at times even discovering some that were new to us.

This assignment made us want to learn more about Bobbio and the Upper Trebbia Valley, which we already visit and love.

But it’s not only people who visit our area for the first time who are enchanted by it – even those of us who live here never cease discovering new things to admire about it.

Click here to check out the Guide. https://www.tipleco.com/bobbio-e-alta-val-trebbia.html

“Donne e motori, gioie e dolori”. That Italian saying (“Women and cars, joys and sorrows” in English) must have passed through the mind of Gaetano Derosa, the author of Vernasca Silver Flag: the first 25 years, when he entrusted Translation and More – a studio run solely by women – with the translation into English of his book dedicated to the prestigious motoring event held on the roads between Castellarquato and Vernasca.  In June of this year, after a year’s delay due to the pandemic, lovers of historic four-wheelers will be able to visit a bookshop and find the eagerly awaited publication, dedicated to Piacenza’s international get together.

Notes on the event

At this point we ought to provide some background notes for those who aren’t in the know. The Vernasca Silver Flag, revived by the Club Piacentino Automotoveicoli d’Epoca (CPAE) in 1995, would have celebrated its 25^th anniversary in 2020. Unfortunately Covid forced the postponement of the celebrations and the race scheduled for last year until better times. Now it seems that we’re all set to start the engines and once again, ‘liven up’ our beautiful Val d’Arda.

The author and the translation

The publication is the work of the Deputy Editor of Ruoteclassiche and member of the CPAE. Born in Lodi but Piacentine by adoption, Gaetano Derosa has spent his life in the world of motoring. Thanks to his expertise in the automotive sector and the help of one of the most valued members of the Translation and More team of translators, the book will be published not only in Italian but also in English, to the delight of fans around the world. No, really, because when the Silver Flag is held, Castellarquato opens its doors to cars that truly are unique specimens, boasting exceptional sporting histories, some restored, others well used, in original condition, many being multiple award winners. They are the real ‘sirens’ that attract collectors and enthusiasts, drawing them together to marvel at the world’s most beautiful sports cars as they sweep through the bends of the approximately 9 kilometre route.

The grand gala

So, only joys and no sorrows! And as a further cause for joy, we eagerly look forward to the day of the celebration Gala to be held at the end of June in the beautiful setting of the mediaeval village of Castellarquato. See you after the big event; there will be no shortage of things to photograph and discuss!

Without wishing to obsess constantly about the same problem, indeed, precisely to try to move past it and gradually leave it behind, we wanted to take a brief look back at what happened in the world of translation in 2020 and during this first half of 2021.

The first few months of 2020 were a real shock but, unexpectedly, with the reopening in May, work began to flow again, with steady though limited quantities. The previous year’s numbers were just a distant memory, but we still considered ourselves fortunate, because compared to other badly affected sectors, ours seemed to be able to survive.

New clients

In some cases we acquired new clients, whose activities differed from the usual ones we dealt with, and who were operating in sectors emerging specifically during the period of the pandemic.

All in all, our lives have been easier because the profession of the translator is adaptable; it can be carried out anywhere, in just a room, provided you have a computer and a good Internet connection. In addition, translators are known for being extremely flexible, so after the initial sudden impact we all reorganised ourselves to cope with the new circumstances.

Interpreting services and language courses

Interpreting services and language courses, on the other hand, did not fare so well, as they remained on hold for a longer time.

We then discovered that, despite all the difficulties at times encountered with the connections, here also we could use platforms that enable us to communicate remotely to offer the working arrangements that we were used to, albeit in a less personal form.

Human contact was severely impaired, but never mind, we had to make the best of a bad job – we were in an emergency!

To sum up

During this difficult past year we never stopped, always trying to make our professional expertise available and offering our support in innovative ways. We hope we have succeeded, although the outside world hasn’t always made it easy for us. Take the public administration sector for example – but that’s another story. We’ll tell you about it next time! 

For now, let’s be mildly optimistic; and let’s be forward looking, as is our wont, in the hope that the worst is truly over.