Mission as a translator 3

Continues from Mission as a translator 2. 




Translator.

Finally after 3rd time of doing this work, I realized that a translator might be a 

physically demanding job. 

First time in 2008, I was more excited to learn the Shihan teacher course,

and also was excited to be able to stay in a hotel for 4 nights! It was like 

a vacation for me!

End of the Shihan course. First time to do the translation.

However, I developed a very high fever, 40.2c (105F) and ended up in a ER. Probably,

my brain was in shock by being used too much.

The second time in 2009, I was still excited from the past seminar and my adrenalin 

was going strong!  I even organized the entire seminar, did the translation, and we even

did a small talk show for people. 

I was just fine during the seminar and event.

A small talk show in Vancouver.

Although, every time when we finished seminar, I felt like I burnt out, and 

could not do anything for 2~3days.  I was a useless mom.

Did not do laundries, and a delivery pizza for dinner... 

2010 Vancouver seminar. 

In 2010, I travelled to Seattle, just to do translation. Other people were organizing

the seminar, so I could only focus on my duty as a translator. It seemed a lot 

easier for me, but again, I  ran down after the seminar ...

I thought,

"Translation is only 'talking'. I must be aging, because I get tired by only

talking !" 

By the way, the style of translation is not a simultaneous interpreting,

but consecutive interpreting.

 A person talk for one sentence, and interpreter translate the sentence. It takes a lot 

longer than simultaneous interpreting which translation happens while a person

is talking.  But consecutive interpreting can pass the information more correctly.

  

In Jikiden Reiki seminar, there are seminar participants who speaks English only, Japanese only, and also people who understand both English and Japanese. 

That means, during the lecture, Mr.Yamaguchi speaks in Japanese, and I translate in English.

English speakers ask some question, and I translate in Japanese for Mr.Yamaguchi.

Mr.Yamaguchi answers the question in Japanese, and I translate in English.

Japanese only speaker ask question in Japanese, and I translate in English

for other English speaking people.

Yamaguchi-sensei answer the question in Japanese, and I translate in English.

In my head, there are 4 times conversation going around, and I hardly have

time to grab water, because I do not want to miss any words, and constantly

thinking what is the best way to translate into English....

In addition, Japanese often have deep meaning in just one word.

For example,

"Itadakimasu" 

This is one single word we say before we eat meal. Nice and short.

But it translates 

”Thank you for the nature, Thank you for the farmer, thank you for the cook, 

thank you for the life in the food that gives us the life." 

Turns into a long sentence by explaining a deep meaning behind it.

There are so many Japanese word which can be done only one single word, but often

it turns into 3~4 sentences by translating into English and also explaining the cultural back ground of the word.  

My brain works in full speed !!!

I have never taken a proper "interpreter's course", so I have no idea what other

interpreters are experiencing.  Probably, they are all experiencing the similar situation.

Despite the physically demanding work, I still love doing this work!  It is such

a fulfilling duty !!!  Please do not stop asking question during the class !!! 

 Anyways, we had a Vancouver seminar in 2011, and that time, I leaned a lesson.

In a hard way. 

Usually, the semnar can be done in 4 days. But we started to offer teacher's course.

So entire seminar became 6 days, instead of 4 days.

In addition, there were many people who were wishing to learn Jikiden Reiki in

2011, so we did  2 sets of the seminar.

8~10hours/day for 6 days, one day break, and 8~10hours/day for 3 more days. 

2011 seminar. 

Well, I just about fainted.

Probably, my brain was over worked for 9 days.  I lost my ability to think,

I could not understand conversations, I have to really focus to stay in 

the conversation, and I couldn't even order pizza, because I could not

make any decision !!!

Eventually, I recovered from it, but I thought I should not do such a long seminar.

I learned a lesson.

In the following fall, I travelled to Halifax, just to do the translation part. It should be

easy for me, and I was feeling just fine during the 6 days seminar. 

However, on the way back from Halifax, I started to have a massive headache,

and I threw up in the airplane...

Why is this happening all the time for me? 

I blamed myself, and thought,

"Translation is talking. Am I too weak to do a translation? 

Don't I even have a stamina just for talking? Am I really aging?" 

　

But at the same time,

"Wait a minute.  Let me research about other translators job. How are they

doing at their job? "

I was curious to know about other translator's work and researched about them.

In Wikipedia 

　　”Simultaneous interpreter is a physically demanding job. It usually offered by 2~3 interpreters

         in shifts, as short as 15 minutes. " 

"What ? 2~3 people in shifts, as short as 15 minutes each???" 　

OK,OK. I am normal to get so tired. If there was a private question from participants

to Yamaguchi-sensei in a break time, lunch time, I am there to translate

the conversation.  That means, break time is not a break time. We continue to talk

for 8~10 hours a day. 

In my case, I am not doing the simultaneous interpreting, and it is not an international

governers meeting. But I found out that usual consecutive interpreting also offered in shifts by few translators. 

I felt relieved !  It's not me who is being too weak and whimpy! I am normal !

From the lesson that I learned, I made a small changes for the 2012 seminar.

Lesson 1 "Ask for help."

For me, it is usually hard thing to ask for help. But once I received helps, 

I felt so much gratitude from the help that were given to me. 

This is how people feel when I help others !  

Thank you so much for my friends who helped me at the seminar !!! 

Lesson 2 " Sit down when I need to." 

I felt impolite and rude by sitting beside my teacher who was standing and 

giving a lecture. 

But I had to keep my pace to be able to stay strong !!! 

Lesson 3 "Have a break, in a break time." 

Break time is for everyone, include me. 

Lesson 4 " After the seminar, take full 4 days rest and do nothing." 

I stick with my lessons and was able to solve the problem !!!

I did not faint, I did not lose my ability to think, I was able to get back to

the normal life after 4 days of resting. 

I was so happy !!! 

This duty is only once or twice a year, and I love, love, love to be able to

be a bridge between Japan and Canada.

Maybe I should take a proper translator training course.

Enough about a translation???