When I First Met My Brother-in-law

 

My wife’s sister is married to a British man and lives in London. So my brother-in-law is a British gentleman.

When my wife was still my girlfriend, I was introduced to her sister and her brother-in-law. They were visiting Japan for a short time. We planned a one-day trip. My girlfriend’s parents, sister, and brother-in-law and my girlfriend and I gathered at a bus station one early morning. I was studying English. I tried to speak with my girlfriend’s brother-in-law in English and show off my English ability to her parents. Furthermore, I wanted her to find me attractive.

I was studying American English, and her brother-in-law spoke British English. There are differences between these varieties of English. But, somehow, I was still able to communicate with him. I assumed that my girlfriend and her parents thought better of me after hearing my English. I assumed I had made it.

I got onto the bus we were traveling on. My girlfriend followed me. When we sat down she whispered some words to me. I was expecting the sweetest whisper I had ever heard. But she actually said, “Your nose hair is waving at everyone.”

Apparently, whether or not we speak English is irrelevant. When we meet people, we should pay more attention to our appearance.

Picture by watcartoon

Two Professors and their Interpreters

 

When I was a graduate student, I attended a lecture meeting. The lecturers were two professors who were both English speakers. The venue was in Japan. Simultaneous interpreters assisted us.

There were big differences between the two professors. Professor A gave us the lecture very eloquently. It was as if he was talking to us directly. Professor B gave us the lecture with the interpreters. They got along very well with each other. Professor B spoke slowly and clearly. He talked in very short sentences. Sometimes he waited for the interpreter finish the translation.

If you asked me which professor’s lecture was easy to understand, I’d definitely say Professor B’s was. Professor A’s lecture was too eloquent. I felt the interpreters were confused. I could not understand Professor A’s lecture.

I guess Professor A had little experience giving a lecture abroad or didn’t know the difficulties involved in studying a foreign language. He didn’t seem to understand how interpreters worked.

A person who works as a simultaneous interpreter can think in two languages at the same time. This is a special ability. But the person is not psychic. He or she needs some breaks in order to translate a long lecture.

About fifteen years ago, I heard that first-rate simultaneous interpreters could get paid US$ 1,500 per hour. I can’t be a simultaneous interpreter. I am not even good at simple interpretation. I just want to get paid US$ 1,500 per hour. I wish I could work for just two hours a month. And I wish I could enjoy the time left, which would be plenty of free time.

Picture by TeraVector