 | Off-wiki affairs have made it so that I will not be able to contribute as much as I would like to Wikipedia projects, although I will be logging in regularly, to check messages and contribute edits. I am presently overloaded as interpreter/translator for the Rio Olympics, until the end of August. ...letters, emails, live simultaneous conference call translations using my several mother tongues; ...hectic but exciting. ...eager to get back in full swing at Wikipedia  Natalie Desautels …as within, so without 16:59, 13 July 2016 (UTC) UPDATE: ...presently swamped with translation work ...hoping to chime in soon to have the pleasure of contributing further to WP. Merci a tous. kindest regards, Natalie Desautels …as within, so without 19:59, 14 September 2016 (UTC) |
My goal is to help the Wikipedia movement by contributing, correcting, expanding and translating articles in classical music and jazz. I have a special interest in classical guitar, flamenco guitar and atonal music. I am a proud polyglot, a simultaneous tri-lingual, a code switcher and enjoy several mother tongues; I can translate fluently to and from English, French and Spanish. (My ancestry is such that my father was French, Spanish and German, and my mother English, Scottish and Russian going back one generation). Thanks to my upbringing, I am also a receptive multilingual, able to understand other languages as well. As such I take pleasure in enacting different kinds of selves, and linguistic contexts create different kinds of self-expression and experiences for me. My diplomas are in engineering, languages, music and computer science and I've had the pleasure of doing lots of translation work even though I am fortunate to be independent. Wikipedia is a magnificent endeavor indeed and I am strongly motivated to give some of my time to contribute and help out in many ways including the use of my language skills.
Your compliments are welcome; I interpret them to mean that I've helped improve Wikipedia in some small way. It never has nor ever will be in my nature to get involved in conflict (see userbox below), so I only respond to constructive criticism. In context, constructive means whatever makes Wikipedia better, which at times also means resetting one's ego and sense of self-importance. Alas, Wikipedia is no different than life, which is rife with conflict whether at home or on the battlefield. I believe that the greatest victory is often not going to battle; one should at least try to achieve a higher understanding, to bring people into the conflict resolution process (perhaps without them even being aware of it).
The Buddha said "When I go, I'm gone!" He meant life is so short, and every day is a gift. Indeed, life is how we spend time. Why waste it on making oneself or others unhappy? If you think you have problems, chances are the person you meet has more problems than you do. I treasure civility and the laws of cause and effect; I often ponder upon this ancient wisdom:
As within, so without; as above, so below.
It is not necessary to look outside for better seeing, nor peer from a window; rather abide at the center of your being. For the move you leave it, the less you learn. Search your heart and see. If he is wise who takes each turn, the way to do is to be.
— Lao-Tzu
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.
— Lao-Tzu
Time in its irresistible and ceaseless flow carries along on its flood all created things and drowns them in the depths of obscurity.... But the tale of history forms a very strong bulwark against the stream of time, and checks in some measure its irresistible flow, so that, of all things done in it, as many as history has taken over it secures and binds together, and does not allow them to slip away into the abyss of oblivion
— Anna Komnene, preface to the Alexiad
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 | This user loves cats and prefers to spend some time with them when she sees an argument approaching. |
 | This user believes in civility and assuming good faith. |
 | This editor is a Grognard Extraordinaire and is entitled to display this Wikipedia Vest Pocket Edition. |
 | This user helped promote Planned Parenthood to good article status. |
| This user helped promote Michael Laucke to good article status. |
 | This user has made over 6,010 edits to Wikipedia. |
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 | This editor won the Million Award for bringing Planned Parenthood to Good Article status. |
 -  | This user is a translator and proofreader from French to English on Wikipedia:Translation. |
 - | This user is a translator and proofreader from German to English on Wikipedia:Translation. |
 - | This user is a translator and proofreader from Spanish to English on Wikipedia:Translation. |