This week at Atlas…

‘Never a dull day around here’… Although, this week we are working on translation of some payslips and bank statements.

You may well be yawning in sympathy with the poor English/ Spanish translator who has to trawl through these (and aren’t they predominantly figures anyway?), but this work could play a small part in an incredible romance story.

Ross Procter (25) of Norwich, left his desk job in April 2012 to head for the sunnier skies of Ecuador, to try his hand at teaching English in the jungle town of Puyo.

He went without a word of Spanish in his head, but despite a monumental language barrier, he fell hopelessly in love with the sister of one of his colleagues at the school where he worked.

Ross said he and Ximena hit it off over his ‘gringo inability to dance’, and her desire to teach him.

He said: “From the start, even though I couldn’t speak Spanish we understood each other. She was about the only person I could communicate with.”

He only remembers one incident where their communication failed. Popping to the shop he asked what she wanted, “helado” came the response, and he came back with a huge bag of ice. She had in fact just wanted an ice cream.

Ross and Ximena (27) were together for 16 months before he had to return to the UK, and now the race is on to see each other again. They speak via Skype whenever they can, but to be together Ximena needs a visa.  With neither one fluent in the other’s language Ross turned to Atlas for help to ensure all the documents to support her visa application are correct.

We’re waiting with anticipation to see what happens next and whether Ross and Ximena will have the chance for their ‘happy ever after’.