The Engineer Who Kept the Lights On
A Engenheira Que Manteve as Luzes Acesas
In a world learning to run on electricity, a female engineer quietly designs the heavy machines that power whole cities, and stays when everyone else leaves.
In a growing kingdom, a new kind of power was spreading.
Em um reino em crescimento, um novo tipo de energia estava se espalhando.
Electricity was lighting homes and running machines.
A eletricidade iluminava casas e operava máquinas.
But power stations needed skilled engineers to build the big machines inside them.
Mas as usinas precisavam de engenheiros habilidosos para construir as grandes máquinas dentro delas.
A young woman named Greta studied electrical engineering at a city college.
Uma jovem chamada Greta estudou engenharia elétrica em uma faculdade da cidade.
She graduated and joined a large factory that made machines for power stations.
Ela se formou e entrou em uma grande fábrica que fabricava máquinas para usinas.
The work was loud and heavy.
O trabalho era barulhento e pesado.
The machines were enormous.
As máquinas eram enormes.
Many people thought women did not belong there.
Muitas pessoas achavam que mulheres não tinham lugar ali.
But Greta was good at her work.
Mas Greta era boa no seu trabalho.
She designed rotating parts that spun smoothly without breaking down.
Ela projetou peças giratórias que giravam suavemente sem quebrar.
When wars came and times grew hard, many women were told to leave.
Quando as guerras chegaram e os tempos ficaram difíceis, muitas mulheres foram mandadas embora.
Greta stayed.
Greta ficou.
She kept designing.
Ela continuou projetando.
She kept building.
Ela continuou construindo.
Year after year, her machines went into power stations across the land.
Ano após ano, suas máquinas foram para usinas em todo o país.
People in cities flipped a switch and lights came on.
As pessoas nas cidades apertavam um interruptor e as luzes se acendiam.
They never thought about who had designed the machines that made it possible.
Eles nunca pensavam em quem havia projetado as máquinas que tornavam isso possível.
But the power flowed because Greta's work was good.
Mas a energia fluía porque o trabalho de Greta era bom.