Interpreter or... Peace Ambassador?

9 Mar, 2022, No comments

Are you an interpreter?
Yes but... sometimes I see myself as a peace ambassador.

I wondered how I could put my thoughts into writing, withouth sounding indifferent to the current situation in Ukraine.

I believe that what I am about to share is more about hope than anything else.

A few weeks ago I gladly took part in the Innovation in Interpreting summit which allowed me to meet a few wonderful colleagues from all around the world during the networking sessions.

We discussed many aspects of our profession such as remote interpreting, home-studio set-ups, our mental and physical health during the pandemic, artificial intelligence and speech recognition softwares and also... the reason why we chose to become interpreters.

When I asked some of my colleagues what drove their carreer choice I discovered that our reasons were more similar than I thought.

I am not at all saying that all interpreters feel this way or share this background but I think it's fair to assume that for many of us, what I'm about to say will ring a bell.

Personally, I don't feel like I chose to become an interpreter, I feel like this profession chose me. Growing up in Italy, my mother spoke French, her mothertongue, and Italian which she had learned from her family at home, and my father, only spoke Italian. I spoke both, fluently, and I would often find myself translating back and forth or explaining to one or the other a whole conversation I had in another language. During summer break, when I was 6 or 7, my favorite evening activity was simoultaneously interpreting the Italian TG (television news) into French - very distracting for my grandfather, but he was very patient with me.

And then, the more languages I learned, the more I had the ability to help.

I could help foreigners on holiday find their way around town, I could help people order at the restaurant, or buy a train ticket...

Basically I could help people whose only fault was that they did not speak a given language, and that to me, was truly fascinating.

I realized that understanding one another is already extremely difficult, even when we communicate in a common language. Imagine then, how difficult it is if you add to that a language barrier.

So in a way, I made it my life's mission to help people.

Help them understand eachother, truly, on a deep level. Help them prevent conflicts and misunderstandings.

Communication is such a powerful tool, it is at the very heart of our lives and it can drastically change our lives, only with one word.

That's why I think that there is something wonderful and magical about being an interpreter. We give our voice to the voiceless. We are instrumental in decision making processes yet we remain in the shadows. There is something very selfless about what we do and that is why I sometimes like to think of myself as some sort of peace ambassador.

Speak Up For Yourself

17 Feb, 2022, No comments

As a young professional, especially if you are a #freelancer,

Do you ever feel like you struggle to #StandUpForYouself?

Do you ever fear the consequences if you simply #SpeakYourMind?

Well, here is a little #StoryTime

I've honestly been going back in forth in my mind deciding whether I should write this post. I feared my point would be misconstrued, I feared people might label me as something I am not. But then I realized that if they did, it would tell more about them than it does about me.

So here I go...

A while back, I started collaborating with *insert name* as a conference #interpreter. In the beginning everything seemed fine except there was something bothering me but I couldn't seem to figure out what it was.

As time went on, I obviously had multiple conversations with them, and most often than not, with one person in particular.

Here comes the good part:

I believe that in a professional collaboration, both parties should feel more than free to discuss a numer of things such as: work conditions, expectations, quality and of course #rates.

It started with a few snarky comments here and there, some distasteful remarks and in the end I realized what was bothering me.

Anytime I'd disagree on something, to them, it wasn't because I was a professional expressing my opinion or stating my expectations;

it was because - you guessed it - I was a #woman, not even, I was just a girl, having her period, waking up on the wrong side of the bed that morning... I was nothing more than an explosion of hormones with whom it is "impossible to have a conversation at the moment".

And all for what? Because I had the courage to stand up for myself? Because I had the courage to put my money where my mouth is and stand up not only for me, but for the values and beliefs of a profession that I adore?

So please, especially if you are on the younger side, talk to people around you, share your experiences because you might not know it just yet, but some things are unacceptable. Please don't let people take advantage of you, of your willingness to accept things just for the sake of getting started in your career.

I guess what I'm saying here is: If you don't know, just ask. Some colleagues will be more than happy to give you their two cents.

#1nt #terplove #communication #freedom #business #career #collaboration

Welcome post

11 Feb, 2022, No comments

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Interpreter or... Peace Ambassador?

Are you an interpreter?Yes but... sometimes I see myself as a peace ambassador.

Speak Up For Yourself

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Are you an interpreter?
Yes but... sometimes I see myself as a peace ambassador.