Proust Questionnaire: Daiane dos Santos (fan translation)
English translation of an interview with the gymnastics icon to Gama Revista
Twenty years ago on this day, August 24th, the trailblazer Daiane dos Santos got her historic world title at Anaheim. Daiane brought the first gold medal in a World Championship for Brazil, showing her country was a rising gymnastics program, while also paving the way for other Black gymnasts around the world as the first Black champion. And she also has two gymnastics skills named after her. It’s safe to say she’s an icon and she’s a legend.
I wanted to make something cool to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the day Daiane dos Santos became world champion because it was an awesome feat on itself, but also to celebrate all she represents for many folks around the world. I’ve been meaning to do it in a while and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to translate this interview since it’s such a good insight of who Daiane is a person.
This interview is part of an ongoing series of Proust Questionnaires from Gama Revista, a Brazilian publication, where Gama has interviewed notable people from Brasil using a questionnaire created by the French writer Marcel Proust. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, the Proust Questionnaire contains 35 questions aiming to uncover someone’s personality, like the things someone likes, the things they hate, the things they want to change, you know… the deep stuff.
The interview was translated in its entirety, though I took some liberties here and there to make the sentences sound more natural in English — while keeping the meaning as close as possible to the original. Bear in mind I am not a professional translator, but I tried my best (and some of my friends helped, thank you friends who helped!) and added some pictures of Daiane to make the whole thing look more aesthetically pleasing.
You can read the original interview here.
Proust Questionnaire
Daiane dos Santos
Gymnast
November 14, 2020Commentator, ambassador of Brasileirinhos Project and public speaker, she was the first Brazilian gymnast, among men and women, to win a gold medal at a Artistic Gymnastics’ World Championship.
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Being with my family and engaged with activities I love.
2. What is your greatest fear?
Losing my family.
3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Impatience.
4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Bigotry.
5. Which living person do you most admire?
My parents.
6. What is your greatest extravagance?
I celebrated a holiday with my girlfriends and family.
7. What is your current state of mind?
Changing.
8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Persistence.
9. On what occasion do you lie?
I lie to protect someone or to avoid creating a bigger issue.
10. What do you most dislike about your appearance?
The dark circles under my eyes.
11. Which living person do you most despise?
I despise, although it’s a very strong word, people who’ve got racial, ethnic, gender and sexual prejudices.
12. What is the quality you most like in a man?
Objectivity.
13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Versatility.
14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Boldness. I am not much of a talker, but I got bold attitudes.
15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My family.
16. When and where were you happiest?
When I became world champion. It was a very happy moment for me and for everyone who fought this battle by my side.
17. Which talent would you most like to have?
A gift for words, to be a good writer.
18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Impatience.
19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Becoming who I am today, not only as a athlete, but as a whole person: getting my degree, building my career. My biggest accomplishment is being myself.
20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Nelson Mandela or Ayrton Senna. I think those people represent me a lot.
21. Where would you most like to live?
Porto Alegre. Even though I’ve left 19 years ago and lived in many places, my home will always be Porto Alegre.
22. What is your most treasured possession?
My Worlds medal, because of its meaning.
23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
There’s a person who’s already facing a hard situation, emotional or financial, and someone uses it to get some kind of benefit for themselves. This is low.
24. What is your favorite occupation?
Staying with my dogs and taking care of my plants.
25. What is your most marked characteristic?
Loyalty and persistence.
26. What do you most value in your friends?
The friendship.
27. Who are your favorite writers?
I’ve been reading a lot of Augusto Cury and Paulo Vieira right now, since I’m currently focusing on my mind.
28. Who is your hero of fiction?
Black Panther. He represented so much as a hero. The movie plot is very strong and the story behind it is even stronger.
29. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Nelson Mandela.
30. Who are your heroes in real life?
I believe the greatest hero is Jesus, but everyone who contributes for humanity to grow are heroes, to a greater or lesser extent. I’m a believer of the work of Doctors Without Borders [Médecins Sans Frontières], I see them as an organization of heroes, and the goodness legacy left by Nelson Mandela, Ayrton Senna and Princess Diana.
31. What are your favorite names?
Joana, Olivia, Benjamim, João Pedro e Joaquim.
32. What is it that you most dislike?
Injustice.
33. What is your greatest regret?
I faced a positive doping test in gymnastics, though I wasn’t training during that period. And I regret not being more careful in order to avoid that issue.
34. How would you like to die?
Warm and comfy while sleeping.
35. What is your motto?
Don’t let people define where you can go. Only you can define it.
Hope you enjoyed this translation at least as much as I enjoyed making it! Again, you can check the original interview here.
