In Memoriam:

Paulo Wengorski, 1951 - 2010

aulo Wengorski, President of the Associação Brasileira de Tradutores (Brazilian Translators Association—ABRATES) passed away in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on September 24, 2010.

Paulo was an accomplished English and German to Portuguese technical translator, having worked for Phillips, Westinghouse, DIN, the Brazilian Mint, and the Brazilian Navy Arsenal, among other employers. Subsequently he founded TODOTEXTO to pursue a successful freelance career.

Born in São Paulo, he moved to Rio de Janeiro in 2003, and to Porto Alegre, State of Rio Grande do Sul, birthplace of his wife Maria Isabel, in 2004 to have a life-saving kidney transplant. He jokingly defined himself as "Paulista de nascimento, carioca de coração e gaúcho de rins" (in my poor translation: a man born in São Paulo, who left his heart in Rio to receive his kidneys in Rio Grande do Sul).

Paulo was active in politics; in his youth he was a member of the left-wing Partido Trabalhista, which he later renounced, but continued to participate in the translators' labor movement. He was President of SINTRA (Translators' Union) from 1995 to 1999.

As President of ABRATES, and with his health already failing despite the transplant, in 2010 Paulo organized the first ever Conference outside Rio de Janeiro, as a first step toward making his beloved organization a truly national one.

After the highly successful Conference, Paulo and Maria Isabel embarked on a romantic journey to Italy to celebrate their 25^th anniversary. Upon their return his condition worsened. After several days in the hospital, he succumbed to a severe infection.

Paulo was a loyal friend, a competent professional, and a visionary leader. His death is a tragic loss for his organization and for his many friends and admirers.

Acknowledgment: Thanks to Renate Schinke (rschinke@terra.com.br), who provided me with many of the details of Paulo Wengorski's life.