Edith Burkhard: 

“My unrestricted faith in God has helped me through my process of spiritual development”

	Edith Burkhard (photo), was born in Zurich, Switzerland, but was brought up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her parents and one of her brothers moved to Brazil shortly after the Second World War. They returned to Switzerland in 1963. A retired bilingual secretary, she now lives in the town of Winterthur. She has been a Spiritist for more than 25 years.
She is well known among Spiritists as the Divaldo Franco’s interpreter during his speeches in Europe.

When and in which circumstances did you have your first contact with Spiritism? 

My first contact came when I met Divaldo Franco for the first time, in Zurich in 1988. From the following year I became his interpreter and translator. I became a Spiritist and in 1998 I joined the Centre of Spiritist Studies Allan Kardec in Winterthur as a volunteer worker. 

Did you have any problems with your family for becoming a Spiritist?

No, even though my family was not Spiritists and they did not understand my commitment with the Teachings, they did not oppose it. 

What are your main activities and duties in Spiritism? 

As a Spiritist speaker, I am often invited to give talks in Portuguese and German in many German and Swiss cities. I am also involved in the translation of Spiritist books and I work as interpreter for Spiritist speakers who come from Brazil, like Juselma Coelho or Divaldo Franco, who comes every year.

What books have you translated from Portuguese into German? And what do you have to say about the importance of a good translation, as we are aware that some translations are not reliable? 

I have translated some works by the Spirit, Joana de Ângelis, written by the medium, Divaldo Franco, and the books Our Home (Nosso Lar) and Mensageiros (Messengers), both by André Luiz and written by the medium Chico Xavier. I believe it is very important to have good translations, as that is the best way of providing native German speakers access to the Spiritist Teachings. As for how to control the process, I understand that is a delicate issue, but a necessity. I am in favour of having all books translated to other languages, not only German, submitted to a serious scrutiny over its contents before their publication. 

How did you become Divaldo Franco’s translator and interpreter in Europe? 

As we all know, nothing happens by chance. I met Divaldo Franco in a spring night in 1988, when a Swiss architect, André Studer, invited him and Nilson Pereira de Souza to give a talk at the G19 centre in Zurich. G19 is a foundation that encourages universal conscience. A few months earlier, I had picked up a flyer that read: “This is for your!” And I had the strange feeling that there was something for me there indeed, but I did not understand that message, really. It was only a week before the event that I found out that the message was about Divaldo Franco’s talk and seminar, which would be translated from Portuguese into German.

When I arrived there, I went to say hello to Divaldo and Nilson, as well as to their English language interpreter John Zerio. The talk was translated into English and André Studer translated it into German.

After Divaldo’s talk, André Studer asked me if I could translate the seminar, as the person hired to translate had not turned up. I had worked as a translator at Zurich airport and accepted the invitation. That is how I eventually became Divaldo’s translator and interpreter every year, with the exception of 1989, when I was living in Italy. I began translating his talks in Switzerland only and from 1995 began to travel with him to Germany and Austria too. 

What is your assessment of the level of interest Europeans – not only in Switzerland, but also across the continent – have for Spiritism? 

German speakers are gradually becoming aware that our soul is immortal. It is, however, a very long-term process. Once the initial curiosity is gone, they lose interest. Many are more interested in the scientific and theoretical aspect of the Teachings. Once they realise that Spiritism is an opportunity for inner reform, they simply give up. What strikes me is the fact that the interest in mediumship is much higher than their interest the study of Spiritism. The main thing is to bear in mind that we can never give up, as it will be through our acts in life and our behaviour that they will understand the true meaning of Spiritism. 

Thousands of refugees are seeking refuge in Europe now. Do you believe the Swiss people and other Europeans are prepared to practice charity at this moment and welcome those refugees and our brothers and sisters? 

I notice in the attitudes and words of many people a true wish of helping and contributing to alleviate the suffering of the refugees. We are praying for the politicians to be able to seize this opportunity to practice charity. And we, Spiritists, are able to help, praying both for the refugees and the politicians. 

Leave us with a thought or a word that conveys the importance of Spiritism in your life. 

Through Spiritism and my work as translator, I can say that I found myself and learned to take on responsibilities. My unrestricted faith in God has helped me through my process of Spiritual development. I am immensely grateful to Jesus and His Love for His Patience with me. May God bless us all.