Lost in Translation – Why I’m Not an Interpreter
The anniversary of the post that started this whole blog…
My Mother often asks me why I don’t step up and help foreigners translate, as they stammer and gulp their way through the simplest things, like asking where the bathroom is, how to get to the bus station, what happened to their cell phone, which was on the table in front of them at the restaurant only moments ago, and so on.
Now, don’t get me wrong. My first instinct is to help people in need, and not just to stand by and watch them helplessly flail about, then capture the meaty bits on a blog for your reading pleasure. But I’ve decided that foreigners usually only require extensive interpretation, when things aren’t going so smoothly. In such cases, interpreting requires a great deal of finesse and may become tricky.
VIVE LA FRANCE!
The best place for tempers to boil is waiting in line for something that doesn’t…
View original post 1,158 more words
4 comments on “Lost in Translation – Why I’m Not an Interpreter”
Leave a Reply
lostnchina 
great site!!!
LikeLike
Thanks for visiting!
LikeLike
This also explains, more or less, why I got out of the French business all those years ago.
LikeLike
Wendie, I hate to generalize about a certain race of people, but out of all the clients I’ve dealt with the French have been consistently rude and demeaning…though I have to say Americans might be close behind. However, the Chinese still probably hold the gold medal in being the most racist against the Chinese race.
LikeLike