FINCA 2026's Catalog Is Out!
- Ana Carrino
- Aug 7
- 3 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
It's here! The FINCA (International Environmental Film Festival) returns to Buenos Aires for its 8th edition to explore one of the defining challenges of our time: our relationship with the environment. Bewteen August 12 and 19, Cine Arte Cacodelphia, the Alianza Francesa, Cine York and Cine Empire will host an array of films across genres and runtimes that become an urgent call to reflect on the way we connect with the land, and, ultimately, each other.
Human Translators in Argentina at the Forefront
For the 8th edition of the FINCA Film Festival, translation was an essential part of making the program accessible to Spanish-speaking audiences. From film synopses and filmmaker biographies to program descriptions and festival materials, the catalog communicates the tone, urgency, and cultural nuances of the voices behind the films.
The catalog of the 8th edition of FINCA Film Festival is the result of months of programming, editing, coordination, and translation. And behind its Spanish-language texts is a team of volunteer Argentine translators who make an essential part of that work possible.
I have had the privilege of coordinating this team and overseeing the translation process for four years now. And there is one thing that defines our approach: every text is translated by a person, discussed by people, and reviewed by people. And it doesn't stop there. Some of the film subtitles are also created by our team.
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Translation for Film Festivals Is Collective Work
Festival translation is often invisible. By the time the catalog reaches an audience, the many decisions behind every paragraph have disappeared into the finished text.
But translation is rarely a solitary act, particularly in a cultural project of this scale.
Our volunteer translation team works collaboratively, sharing questions, researching terminology, discussing possible solutions, and reviewing each other's work. A title may require a conversation about tone. A technical environmental term may require research. A film synopsis may need to be reshaped so that it sounds natural in Spanish while preserving the filmmaker's intention.
The Value of Human Translation for Cultural Projects
At a time when AI translation tools are becoming increasingly common, choosing a human-only translation workflow may seem almost old-fashioned. For us, it is a deliberate choice.
A machine can generate a sentence, but cannot participate in the collective discussion that takes place when translators ask:
Does this sound like something a person would actually say here?
Is this the right term in this particular environmental context?
Does this preserve the filmmaker's voice?
Those decisions are part of creative translation. And they are particularly important when working with cultural content, where language is not simply a vehicle for information but part of the experience itself.
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The Value of Volunteer Translators' Work for Our Film Festival in Buenos Aires
There is another dimension to this project that deserves recognition: the translation team is made up of volunteers. People who contribute their time, expertise, and attention because they believe in the impact that cultural projects have on society.
Coordinating a volunteer translation team means establishing criteria, answering questions, maintaining consistency across dozens of texts, reviewing translations, meeting deadlines, and creating a space where translators can exchange knowledge and learn from one another. It is project management, language work, quality control, and collaboration all at once.
And, perhaps most importantly, it is a reminder that good cultural projects are built by people working together. And I couldn't love it more. This is where my 15 years of prior experience in teaching really comes to play; I see my team as my mentees.
Ultimately, this catalog is not just the memory of the event. It is the memory of how people worked together. People who ask questions, who revise, who help each other, who care about making change happen through art.
So, without further ado, go grab a coffee and enjoy the art of making a catalog 👇.
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