Not many people talk a lot about how they love their jobs. Perhaps because so few are able to love their jobs. Perhaps because they secretly do, but don't want to annoy the people who don't have such a situation.
I love my job as an interpreter.
What I've noticed is that, over the years I have been interpreting, I have never left a job and thought to myself "I hate this job! I need to/wish I could quit." Not a once.
Everyday it is different.
I get to be in situations I have never been in before.
I love the way interpreting makes my brain feel.
I love the creativity involved in it, and I love being witness to the constant evolution involved in languages.
I get to see and hear things that, under usual circumstances, I would never see or hear, which is directly related to my own privilege and power- both systemic and, in that moment, of being usually the only person in the room who can use both languages in spoken form.
If everyone who lives in my general area knew these languages, my job would become obsolete.
I hope for the day that this happens.
Because if it does, it will mean that everyone uses multiple and common languages. It would mean that direct, person-to-person-without-a-middle-man communication would be happening. It would hint toward the fall of the English-as-empire aka "speak English" violent crap that hurls (blatantly, or "politely") itself around and looks down on non-English languages.
As much as I love my job as an interpreter, I would be absolutely elated if the need for it ceased to exist.
(pause)
The at times overwhelming truth is that, if I did not know these two other languages besides English, there are so many people that have heavily influenced and directed my life- as friends, mentors, and/or all-around influences- who would not exist in my life.
(I would like to say that they would be in my life to the extent they are now, but the basic and logistic truth of immediate access to language says that this wouldn't be true. Not to the depths that it is true right now. Depths that will continue to take root when one considers that I will always 'still be learning' languages I did not grow up with.)
And it is impossible to imagine what my life would look like and consist of without the people who have been in and are in my life, and I'm just thinking of that today.
Being grateful for the stretch and reach across languages and cultures- the code switching that happens for everyone not using their/our native languages, but still stretch to it by a desire to communicate. Being grateful that people took the time while I learned/learn their languages, and while they learned mine- it never being an equal exchange because I live in the U.S. and was brought up with spoken English- a dominant language that gets imposed and prioritized.
I guess it is that reaching across languages and cultures that I am feeling humble for/about today.
Twelve years ago I thought myself ridiculous for trying to learn another language.
Five years ago I thought the same thing.
If you're thinking about learning another language, don't buy into this shit about children and uber brainiacs being the only ones who can learn multiple languages.
Because it's bullshit.
And if you don't buy into the bullshit
and have the drive
and the humility to be okay making an ass out of yourself as you learn something (because there *is* no "faking it" with language learning, people...)
it will change your life
and the way your mind works
forever.
be well; be loved; keep falling in the good way
and more importantly,
keep standing up.
k.
(image credit: from fetusmuffins tumblr)
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