«Politicians are not here to govern,» claims Sir Humphrey, «but to do politics»

Translating the double meanings, the turns of phrase... It's important to remember, and more so now we're at a virtual university, that I had fewer problems than I might have just a few years ago. Why's that? Because we now have the internet. There are a lot of very powerful websites, such as wordreference or answers that are extremely helpful. Also remember that I had already seen the series some years previously in Catalan and I then got my hands on the book, in English, which helped me practise the language. After this, I was given the Yes, Minister series and the second boxed set of Yes, Prime Minister, which helped me brush up on my English. So, in fact, I was recreating a story that I had internalised very deeply, but more seriously and with a greater level of English. This background and above all the internet proved very useful. Some websites translate stock phrases for you. In this sense, things were easier than they would have been a few years ago. However, what I would say in any case, is that it was difficult. What I can say is that translating is in itself a very tough profession. But one thing's for sure, I'm a journalist, not a translator! I was offered the project because of my thesis in Political Communication. There are three main characters who form the pillars of this timeless story. That's the charm of Yes, Minister, the book was written 30 years ago, but these three characters still make us laugh. That's why the series is being put on to DVD, because it has a potential audience. The key characters are archetypal. First, there's the Minister, Hacker, after whom the series is named. He's halfway between a naive and an arrogant character. He's a politician, who was once a journalist and also a university lecturer. He believes that he was born for a great mission, to guide his people. He often reminds us of a child who becomes angry when someone disagrees with him, yet at the same time he's extremely innocent, he does things in good faith. And he's an idealist. This idea contrasts strongly with the image we have of the politician, people who are impoverished of spirit, prosaic, etc. This lends an air of charm to the continuous conflict he has with his Permanent Secretary, the Secretary of State as we would call him here: Sir Humphrey, who represents the public side made flesh, the most platitudinal and resistant to change civil servant. Lastly, we have the Minister's Personal Secretary, who is caught between two stools. He is weighed down by his loyalty to the minister, as well as his collaboration with the civil service with a view to carving out a career. The most popular is Sir Humphrey, but personally I have more affection for Hacker. Possibly, because he was once a journalist and also a university lecturer, as is the case with me, and we journalists always stick together. That last remark is obviously a touch of the British humour. The Minister has always made me laugh so much. He wants to do his job, but doesn't know exactly how. Generally, it's Sir Humphrey who tells him. There's a very funny scene where the Minister decides to draw up a draft bill. He asks Sir Humphrey about it and it creates tons and tons of paper! The Minister writes a draft and the Permanent Secretary returns the content after it's been amended. This situation is repeated up to eight times, where Sir Humphrey always returns the changed draft to the Minister. Finally, the Minister says directly to Sir Humphrey that he is trying to write what he wants to do and it's impossible, as the draft always comes back amended. The Minister is then stunned by his answer, «politicians are not here to govern,» claims Sir Humphrey, «but to do politics». Always on the basis of my thesis on political communication. I first wrote «Màrqueting polític: L'art de guanyar eleccions». Then, «Els spin doctors. Com mouen els fils els assessors dels líders polítics». Thirdly, their translation into Spanish. After this, «La comunicació Política (Vull Saber)», and so on. The last book, Yes, Minister, is also in some way linked to my PhD thesis, as it shows what the corridors of power and politicians are like, and the responsibility they have to bear, etc. «La veu de l'experiència», because it is an exception. It's not linked to the thesis, but is a collection of interviews with older people. In the media age, if you're not in the media, you don't exist, as encapsulated perfectly by media leaders such as the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy. The youngest interviewee in the book is 70. These are people who've done many important things during their lifetime, but generally speaking it's unclear why they have not appeared in the press. They include Montserrat Moner, Pau Casals' muse, Jordi Bonet, chief architect for works on the Sagrada Família, Teodor Garriga, one of the country's first radio broadcasters. At the moment... as far as this goes, I'm planning on taking a well-earned rest, which I think I deserve. But yes, I will be co-writing some book chapters, such as a publication on «the latest European elections.»