Estefania Magdalena came from Argentina driven by passion and ambition. She dedicated her life to studying English, and through hard work and an unbreakable spirit, she now works as a federal translator and lives her dream life in Hawai‘i. (Photo by Vasilisa Nesterenko)

By Vasilisa Nesterenko | Staff Writer

Estefania Magdalena is a former Kapi‘o News writer who worked from 2019 to 2022. Originally from Argentina, she began building her career in 2019 in medical translation and recently became a Federal Interpreter and Translator for the U.S. Department of Justice. One Monday afternoon in Ala Moana, she shared her story with me over a cup of coffee.

Although Magdalena works daily with the English language, she didn’t always speak it. She started learning it at a very young age. At her kindergarten, all afternoons were dedicated to English practice. Later, she went to a bilingual school in Argentina and continued studying English there.

“I thank God that my parents had the opportunity to send me to a bilingual school. That’s what helped me learn English,” she said.

In 2017, Magdalena graduated from university in Buenos Aires with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics. But her passion for adventure led her to travel the world, and that same year, Magdalena moved to Hawai‘i.

“When I first moved, I just wanted to be closer to the ocean,” she said. Later, as Magdalena was falling more and more in love with the local lifestyle, she decided to enroll at KCC and major in Hospitality and Tourism. But studying English still remained her main interest.

“I studied that [Hospitality & Tourism], but I always had some type of passion toward writing in English,” she said. “My major had nothing to do with what I actually wanted. I’ve been studying English for my whole life.”

From her time as a student Magdalena remembers the aloha spirit of the students and professors, and of course, surfing in between classes and enjoying the island.

“I would just hop on my board in between the lessons and absolutely enjoy the ocean. It was also nice to wear slippers to school. Everyone is so relaxed here,” she said. Those moments made her life in Hawai‘i feel “like a dream.”

However, Magdalena’s college years at KCC were clouded by the challenges of COVID. During “the crazy time of the pandemic,” not only Magdalena but the entire international community on campus was under pressure. Many international students were disoriented in the midst of the lockdown, and some people even lost their visas, Magdalena said.

At the same time, Magdalena started to work as a staff writer for Kapi‘o News for two semesters. She also remembers the huge impact COVID had on her journalistic work. As she said, all of her work turned digital at some point. Zoom interviews and wearing masks on campus were challenging, but people’s fear was the biggest problem.

“As I approached some people, they were like, no, don’t get too close to me,” Magdalena said.

But along with the hard parts of the journalist’s life that both Magdalena and I share, a lot of good things came too. Kapi‘o News helped her develop crucial language skills that she still uses daily in her work.

“Learning a language is like working out in a gym,” Magdalena said. “And when you work as a journalist, like I did in Kapi‘o News, you practice English all day by reading, writing, rereading what you wrote, and receiving feedback — it really helps.”

Magdalena also gives credit to Kapi‘o News advisor Kim Baxter, who was always there to edit articles and support student journalists.

“So many times Kim made a correction and I was like, oh, in English, you say it like this,” she said.

Learning and using English became a lifelong mission for Magdalena. Although she has progressed through her school experience and professional career, Magdalena still faces some challenges. Adapting to cultural differences is the hardest part of speaking English for her.

“In my culture, we make a lot of facial expressions and we use our gestures a lot. But in English, people tend to be less expressive; their tones are different… So I always feel like it’s not my main language.”

At the same time, as Magdalena was improving her language skills and going further into the English field, she decided to build a career using her language abilities. She realized that “speaking English was a career itself.”

Back in 2020, Magdalena, led by her ambitions, started to look for remote jobs. Once, a recruiter from LinkedIn offered her an over-the-phone interpreting position, and she agreed. Magdalena had to be a “language bridge” between an English speaker and a Spanish speaker. That included medical, legal, governmental, and many other environments. Soon, her hard work and ambition helped her make her way in the industry and start working with more companies.

“I had to be completely impartial,” she said. “I had to synchronize with the tone of the person, everything they say. It is more like acting.”

This year in July, Magdalena received an offer from the U.S. Department of Justice to work as a translator. After going through all the interviews and certifications, she started her new position a couple of months ago. Every workday she logs into the system at 7 a.m. and participates in court meetings as an interpreter. She has to deal with many legal nuances and terms, and she always stays professional regardless of how difficult some cases are.

“People who are asking for asylum, who are running away from their home countries like Ukraine,” she said. “… It just breaks my heart sometimes. But I still have to remain in my role; I cannot involve any emotions.”

Despite the challenge, Magdalena said she has her dream job.

“When I know that I do something good, and when I see people being grateful for what I do — it’s undeniable.” Coming from a family of lawyers, Magdalena also found herself enjoying working in legal settings, “about being fair.”

As I was chatting with Magdalena, I couldn’t help but notice her passion for life and her desire to achieve.

“It’s hunger,” she said about the source of her drive. “You come from places where you know what it is to be poor, where not everyone can afford a McDonald’s meal. … You know how much it takes to achieve something. And you know that you have to do it. You have to make the difference.”