Ever the perfectionist, Jonatan Giráldez won’t settle for losing details in translation. As the Washington Spirit’s Spanish-born coach recalled his grandfather’s eclectic professions and pursuits, he asked to commandeer a reporter’s laptop so he could pull up Google Translate and pinpoint the right words in English.
“Marinero,” he realized, translates to “sailor” — his grandfather’s occupation as he spent several months a year working on a fishing ship. “Depuradora” means “treatment plant,” where that relative also found employment in the northwest city of Vigo. But at heart, Giráldez said, his grandfather was always a “jardinero,” or “gardener.”
“In Vigo, the mentality is the only thing I need is work,” Giráldez said.