“In a foreign language — without interpreters — you express what you are able to say, not what you want to say.” ‒ Hans-Dietrich Genscher
I saw this quotation in a tweet (thank you, Ale Checcarelli) and it got me thinking. When learning a foreign language, you need to stretch what you are able to say. It’s good to be challenged to express yourself in situations, including tricky ones. You will be frustrated, you will make mistakes, but the outcome will be beneficial as you develop fluency.
But in a professional context, the point is to express yourself as completely and clearly as possible. At a conference, a meeting, an interview, a presentation, or an official discussion, it’s essential to express what you want to say, and not to be limited by what you are able to say. So why do people sometimes fail to realize a language professional is needed?
From Florida to Japan
The April 6, 2020 issue of The New Yorker features an article titled Dancer in the Dark: An Artistic Passion Turns Lethal by Rachel Aviv. It tells the very sad and troubling story of a woman named Sharon Stern who became obsessed with the Japanese tradition of Butoh dance. She went into a downward spiral in her quest for enlightenment and perfection, and ultimately committed suicide. Her family accused her mentor, Japanese choreographer and teacher Katsura Kan, of causing her death, and won a wrongful death suit against him in Florida civil court while he was living in Japan. It’s a fascinating article that raises a lot of interesting questions about art forms, communication between cultures, mental health, and individual and collective responsibility.
“I reply your answer took more than 6 hours”
At the end of the piece, Aviv relates her communications with Kan over email and Skype. This is the “big reveal,” the chance for him to finally explain his feelings about Sharon’s suicide and to defend his teaching. But Kan writes to her, “I reply your answer took more than 6 hours as my English is not skillful.” The phrasing of this answer itself clearly demonstrates his limitations in English.
I’m mystified as to why Aviv didn’t decide to hire a Japanese translator to translate her questions and Kan’s answers over email, especially after receiving this description of his struggles. It’s not hard to find a translator or interpreter (here is a simple guide to the process).
An “Insurmountable” Language Barrier
Describing their conversation over Skype, Aviv writes, “when I asked him if he regretted crossing professional boundaries with her [Sharon], the language barrier felt insurmountable; he had trouble with the word ‘boundary,’ interpreting it in terms of movement and the importance of pushing one’s body and mind to the edge and beyond.” If the language barrier is “insurmountable,” then clearly the only thing to do is to hire an interpreter to be present over the Skype calls. (Translators work with the written word, and interpreters deal with spoken words in real time.) A Japanese<>English interpreter would have understood how the writer is using “boundary” in English and could have expressed this in idiomatic Japanese so that Kan would understand.
Kan had taught in the U.S., so perhaps Aviv felt that he could handle himself in English. But teaching dance is a very hands-on practice, where language limitations can be overcome through gestures and bodywork. In the Florida wrongful death suit (which was something of a circus), Kan attempted to defend himself long-distance but had no adequate interpretation services and no opportunity to testify. This article is going to be a record of Katsura Kan’s relationship with Sharon Stern. Shouldn’t he have a chance to express himself in his own language?
Photo by Francesco Ungaro from Pexels