When I Was an Interpreter

Communication can be very difficult and frustrating for foreigners who immigrates to the United States later in life, and unable to grasp the ability to learn the English language.  My mother is a prime example.  She came to the United States while in her mid-forties. No matter how hard she tried, she just could not hone down the English language. During my youth (which took place after I was educated enough to be bilingual in both the Khmer and English language), I remember I had to translate for my mother pretty much everywhere we went. At the time, I thought the task was unpleasant and would try to get out of it whenever possible. As luck would have it, I was not very successful.

I remember I had a strong aversion to being the interpreter for my mother. I remember how I absolutely hated it when I couldn't find the right word-for-word translation. Anyone who speaks more than one language knows what I'm talking about; there's rarely an exact word-for-word translation. I remember being totally irritated by the daunting task because all I wanted to do was be a kid and hang out with my friends. In retrospect, I'm not sure how my mother would have gotten by without an interpreter. She knew only a few basic words of English (and still does to this day). One can only say, "Hello. I'm fine," and "thank you"  so many times in a conversation.

Looking back, I'm glad that I was able to be my mother's interpreter even when I drudged the task. I can't imagine being in a foreign country and not able to communicate. Now, as an adult, I won't hesitate to help others who are in similar situation as my mother.  However, with that being said, I will always be glad to see a professional interpreter because more likely than not, I will end up adding new words to my ever growing word bank. In my opinion, it never hurts to increase one's vocabulary, especially when translating from one language to another.

(Read my other post, The Importance of Adequate Translation, and watch a short comedy video).

The Importance of Adequate Translation

Oftentimes, just like the video above, important words and phrases can be lost in translation. I believe its not done intentionally. I believe when there's an inadequate translation method used, such as the one in this video clip, both parties can miss the entire picture (and meaning) all together. I know this dialogue was meant just for laughs, and I actually did laugh out loud, numerous times. However, aside from the humor, I'm sure there is some truth to this scenario. And for the patient's sake, I hope it doesn't happen too often. Or better yet, not at all.

For those who do not speak the Khmer language, the dialogue goes like this:

At the beginning the patient mumbles something about her kids. Then she mumbles about the food and how she's enduring this ordeal.

Patient: "I don't want to eat the food. It does not have any flavor. Nobody eats it. It will make them ill even more. Cannot eat it. I cannot eat it. I don't like this food. Don't like this food. This food is not tasty. I don't want this food. I don't want to be here. I cannot endure it." 

Then the patient mumbles something about death. The hospital worker put the phone receiver in the air. The interpreter sums up only what he heard, which was repeated out loud by the worker; "I can't stand this. I wish I was dead. Please kill me." 

Even though the translation was not word-for-word, it did get the message across. If you're curious to know the word-for-word translation, it is "I cannot endure it. Kill me! I cannot endure it. I cannot endure it! I want to die! I just want to die!! I can't endure it. I want to die."

The portion of the dialogue that was lost in translation was the part where the patient complained about the food. The segment that the interpreter heard was when the patient said she couldn't stand it and wanted to die. Now imagine if this was a real life situation where only a fraction of the dialogue got translated, while the other equally important part was left out. I would be concerned. Wouldn't you?

(Read my other post, My Early Days as an Interpreter).