Hi, I’m Gabriele.
I was born on August 24th, 1987, in Curitiba, Brazil. My first language, consequently, is Portuguese, in which my father taught me to read and write at home when I was five years old. Despite never having had difficulties to speak in public, during my first years of school, I was a relatively shy and introverted child, talked little. To refrain the pen, that was indeed a hard task. I’ve always enjoyed writing. A bit too much, even. The teachers were always asking me to write shorter texts. But the words simply flowed.
When I was a teenager, I moved with my family to a small town in Santa Catarina State. At that time, I used to write up to eight pages a day in my journal. I liked writing tales, poems and theater plays. The theater, by the way, was of great importance at this stage of my life. I acted and helped to produce several plays, which we presented in the city and festivals of the region. Some were long, others short. But at school, the essays for the Portuguese classes just became bigger and bigger, to the despair of the teachers.
It was only in college, when I entered the Advertising course, that I finally learned to use few words to express my ideas. That contributed to my becoming a flexible writer, able to write slogans and instruction manuals (which need a simple and direct language), as well as tales and romances (which call for the development of details). The experience as an adwoman also granted me the contact with various types of businesses. Therefore, I developed the ability to write the most varied types of texts, be it in technical or colloquial language, to different audiences. This ability is reflected not only in writing, but also in translation.
My interest in other languages began still in Curitiba, when I started studying English. For some reason, that I can’t explain very well, I’ve always found it easy to learn and teach. And when I was an advanced level student, already in Santa Catarina, I was invited for the first time to give classes. Soon the translation works also started to appear. Since then, these two activities have always been present in my daily life, even if only in the background, as a complement. It was also the contact with foreign languages that awakened my love for traveling.
I always tried to be independent and, on my own initiative, I started working early. With the support of my mother, at age 13, I sold jewelry, lingerie and chocolates by catalog to family and friends. At 17, I got my first “real” job, in the library of a public school, a small paradise for me. During college, I worked in advertising agencies, as a copywriter and planner. After I graduated, I went to work in the marketing sector of a large Brazilian textile company. My role was to promote the product all over the country, through lectures to retailers and salespersons. It was a great opportunity to get to know the rich and diverse culture of all regions of Brazil.
At that time, it was great to be always in different places and meet different people. However, traveling eighteen weeks a year, I didn’t have time for a graduate course. And, to be honest, I wasn’t really sure that this was the path I wished to take at that moment. I just knew I did not want to stop studying. And that’s why I went to learn my third language: Spanish. Opportunities to teach and translate in this language also appeared later.
In 2011, I took my first international trips, to Argentina and to the United States, which helped me start broadening my horizons. But it was the following year, 2012, which brought me the greatest achievements. First, I met the person who, since then, has been always by my side and today is my husband. Second, I realized a big dream that had been with me for years: to do an exchange, spend one year living in another country.
My twelve months in Ireland were very intense. Not only did I plunge into a different culture, also my perspective of the world itself has changed. Suddenly, all the other countries were no longer a vague idea, that I only knew through the media. Everything got closer. There was no more distance that couldn’t be covered. There was no more dream that couldn’t be reached. The planet got smaller. And every place, since then, is strangely familiar to me.
Back in Brazil, however, a series of professional frustrations and disappointments made me abandon advertising and enter the public service, where I remained for almost three years. Also along this time, the responsibilities of adult life increased and took, little by little, more and more space, pushing the habits of reading and writing to a hidden corner. I like to think of this period of my life as a time of “creative hibernation”.
Finally, in 2017, we moved, my husband and I, to Germany. He came to work in a multinational technology company. And I found time to wake and rescue all those things that always brought me joy and satisfaction: reading, studying history and culture, learning and teaching languages, translating, writing and telling stories. In short, giving life to words.
I believe that nothing happens by chance. Every step I took so far brought me to this moment. My goal, now, is to use everything I learned to produce quality content, bring information and entertainment to as many people as possible.
And now?
If you have read this far, it’s because you’ve taken an interest in my story and believe that, in some way, I can help you through my services, be it to write, translate or teach. (link to services page will be available soon)
I hope I can meet your expectations to fulfill your needs. In case you wish to know some of the works I’ve already done, check out my portfolio. (link to portfolio page will be available soon)
For questions, compliments, criticism and suggestions, I’m always available at the e-mail gabriele@gabrieletscha.com. Or, if you prefer, fill out the form on the contact page.
I’ll be delighted to serve you.