One of my earliest memories is playing in the park with my best friend Juan
Carlos, we must have been around 5 or 6. We were alone a few yards from our
front doors. A fierce dog came running wildly towards us and Juan Carlos ran
screaming. I froze. The dog ignored me. He chased Juan Carlos, who got a nasty
bite on his bottom, needed stitches. It sometimes seems like I'm still waiting
to see if it's safe to move.
In 2008 I went to a seminar about interpreting for domestic
abuse cases in the courts. I have been to numerous classes, seminars and conferences in over 10 years in the field. I tried writing
to the coordinator of the seminar about a key issue that I've never
seen discussed. I made a comment/question but found myself
floundering .It is the scariest place for interpreters to go, accuracy and
spirit do not always go hand in hand. It is exactly in that no-man's-land where
you will find me. Maybe it's a sign of my own insanity that I have chosen
to focus on the expression "the Spirit of the message" to a degree that
goes beyond the realm of professional discourse. The email to the
coordinator has been a useful marker in reflections that began long
before and continue to this day
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Hola,
The point I was struggling to make was basically about that "gray" area that we often find ourselves in. I understand the reluctance to talk about this openly, it is an especially hard subject to broach and still come across as a credible representative of our profession. I wrote the following a couple of months ago:
The point I was struggling to make was basically about that "gray" area that we often find ourselves in. I understand the reluctance to talk about this openly, it is an especially hard subject to broach and still come across as a credible representative of our profession. I wrote the following a couple of months ago:
I take great pride in the quality of attention that I give health care providers and
patients, yet I realise that it's like the old adage "the more I know, the
less I know". The more aware I become of the dynamics of the
patient/provider interaction I'm involved in, the more the subtle shifts become
glaring. When a patient tells me something they don't want the doctor to hear
it's easy to know what to do, but to pick up on a hesitation, turn of phrase,
choice of words, body language, pause, conveying every and any detail of their
presence in the room becomes an ever-growing challenge.
OK, so we shouldn't get too obsessed with finding meaning where none is
intended, but my question remains, "does greater experience and expertise
permit a smoother transmission of surface meaning, or does one delve deeper?
Both?" Discussion over. Simple, right?
What of mentally-ill patients? Am I inviting a
very certain insanity into my psyche!? In our team of 10 interpreters I would
volunteer for the difficult, challenging, confusing cases because of my
fascination with that edge, that border between sanity and insanity, light and
dark, intention and expression.
Can we lose ourselves entirely and be the patient, or the doctor, if we truly listen to their hearts?
I remember a patient who was visibly moved by this "Spirit of the message". She turned to me after the appointment and thanked me for the beauty of what I said to her. I said "I was only translating what the doctor said". She didn't believe me because this was a doctor who she saw regularly with other interpreters. I remember feeling a glowing golden stream flowing to and from the both of them and even though I was speaking it wasn't really my voice I could hear.
Can we lose ourselves entirely and be the patient, or the doctor, if we truly listen to their hearts?
I remember a patient who was visibly moved by this "Spirit of the message". She turned to me after the appointment and thanked me for the beauty of what I said to her. I said "I was only translating what the doctor said". She didn't believe me because this was a doctor who she saw regularly with other interpreters. I remember feeling a glowing golden stream flowing to and from the both of them and even though I was speaking it wasn't really my voice I could hear.
Another example: The presentation of the provider is crucial, merely "transferring" information
is not enough. I do not mean that modification of the message is necessary, but
our stance (subtle or blatant) toward the
provider can make a huge difference in, for example, how much faith the patient
has in them. Without faith, compliance is highly unlikely. The patient may well
feel they wasted their time and money and though the diagnosis and treatment
plan could have been spot-on, the outcome is uncertain if the patient senses the interpreter doesn't subscribe to the provider's
opinion and is swayed by that opinion, which can be transmitted so subtly through the eyes or tone. So their condition worsens. Likewise, if the interpreter lets slip a
mere hint of judgment or disbelief towards the patient, then they are likely to censor their story, leaving out the contentious projections, which
may well hold the key to understanding their condition. An opportunity missed.
What is remarkable to me, is that an intense,
profound interview can hinge on a moment of distraction or emotional response
on the part of the interpreter. A burdensome responsibility or a challenge to
be relished? I'm talking about
split-seconds, the intricacies of self-control. Details? YES! For the majority,
for the millions of people that have no clue what we do, it is an understandably pointless question. Yet,
time and again, glazed looks, or awkward silence are the response from "fellow" "professionals".
This is barely the
tip of the iceberg...
I am also aware of how I have little or no practical knowledge of the court
setting, but in a discussion about domestic abuse, intense emotions naturally
arise and personal bias (e.g. good intentions) can be very damaging. Some day I
would like to hear (more) experienced interpreters discuss this. Of course, the
answer is always going to be the same, to remain neutral, but what of
spirit? I mean, when we talk about the spirit of the message, and how it is more important than the actual words...or am I missing the point? Tenuous, frail, illusory grip.
