Love in Translation: Letters to My Costa Rican Daughter - Paperback

by Priscilla Aguirre (Illustrator), Katherine Stanley Obando (Author)

When a Phoenix schoolteacher buys a one-way ticket to Costa Rica, she gets pretty much what she hopes for: salvation on a bus, enlightenment in a taxi, and a serendipitous romp of a reporting career. What she doesn't see coming is a decade-long affair with the country's sly and hilarious street slang, whose wit and wisdom changes the way she sees life, love, and eventually motherhood. A delight for travel buffs, parents and linguists alike, Katherine Stanley Obando's ingenious and soulful phrasebook portrays a Costa Rica most tourists never see - and explains how what's lost in translation helped her find herself.

Praise for Love in Translation

"No one who loves Costa Rica should be without this delightful book - but it will also speak to anyone who has ever been far from home, or loved a child, or marveled at the power of language. 'Love in Translation' has earned a cherished and permanent spot on my bookshelf and in my heart." -Oscar Arias, Former Costa Rican President and Nobel Peace Laureate

"Delicious... Lovingly written, with luminous joy." -Carlos Arauz, author of Costa Rica: leyendas y tradiciones

"This is cross culture at its most charming." -Henrietta Boggs, Former Costa Rican First Lady, author of Married to a Legend: Don Pepe

"She has taught us a valuable lesson: that our language and culture are rich and worthy of preservation. We must carry it in our souls. The pride of being Costa Rican, just the way we are." -Mar a Mayela Padilla, National Culture Award-winning writer and folklorist

Author Biography

Katherine Stanley Obando is a writer, editor, translator, speechwriter and nonprofit communications specialist. A graduate of Harvard College and a former Teach for America corps member, she moved to Costa Rica in 2004, where she has worked as a teacher, journalist and presidential adviser, and in various leadership positions within the nonprofit and education sectors. She is a co-founder of JumpStart Costa Rica, a project that provides intensive, free English camps and hands-on teacher training in low-income rural and urban areas. Katherine lives in San José with her husband and daughter. Read more at www.katherinestanley.com.