ABOUT

Behind Scope Language Services is Cynthia Santos. She was born and raised in Brazil and has been living in the US since 2005. Prior to becoming a translator, Cynthia has worked as a biologist. Her passion for science has always been accompanied by words. After all, it was through them that she has published the results of her field and lab work.

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Through the years, she has started noticing that her most important vocation was writing, be it writing academic book chapters, peer-reviewed scientific articles, reports, proposals, or science articles for laymen. 

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Her professional background grants her the expertise to perform scientific translations. Cynthia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences, a Master’s and a Ph.D. in Zoology, from the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Throughout her Master’s and Ph.D. programs, she has worked in a biodiversity characterization and conservation program – BIOTA-FAPESP – and has collaborated with the Smithsonian Institution in zoology and evolutionary biology projects.

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Her experience as a scientist and a writer and the fact that she is an avid reader reflect on her writing style and ability to find the most appropriate translation for scientific and/or technical terms.

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Cynthia also helps people interested in learning Brazilian Portuguese. She has been teaching Portuguese, developing educational materials, and offering language consulting services since 2008, when she also started working as a translator.

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Perhaps the fact that she has been living in the Washington, DC area since 2005 may have contributed to this change of course. People from all over the world live in this region and Cynthia loves being involved in their conversations, generally centered on international relations and often uttered in different languages. She loves the rich cultural life of the city and the great variety of restaurants, an indication of the diversity of its people.