A pack of lies

For the past few weeks, I have been immersed in a pack of lies.

Don't call the heresy patrol just yet. Let me explain. In early April, the Vida Nova publishing house asked me to check and edit the Portuguese translation of 12 Lies You Hear In Church, by Tim Riter. I estimated 3 weeks to complete the job. It took me 4! Along the way, I learned a thing or two.

Lesson #1: Never underestimate the complexity of a book. I thought, "At 180 pages, how hard can it be? This is no theology textbook. Easy stuff." I hadn't reckoned with the bumps along the road. More on that later.

Lesson #2: Words are my playground. Once again, I realized how much I enjoy shaping words to create understanding. Adding the layer of another language doubles the fun.

Lesson #3: It's not what you know, it's who you know. When I get stumped on an expression in Portuguese or on a grammar question, Lalia rescues me. She is a gifted wordsmith for whom I have the highest respect.