Translation – what a rush ! Have you ever tried it? Boy do you feel powerful . . . errrr, I mean, helpful . . . no, really!

A few weeks ago Sarah (Esther) Anderson and myself stumbled upon the opportunity to translate for two doctors visiting Tarija; Colonel Dr. David Simpson (retired, Air Force), and Lt. Colonel Dr. John Tugwell (Mississippi Air National Guard).

 Dr. Dave & Dr. John, along with a wonderful support staff, were giving out free eye exams and free eye-glasses to campesinos (folks from the countryside). The Docs were doing their best to see as many people as possible – collectively seeing over 250 patients a day! 

Fortunately, for we two volunteers, Dr. Dave & Dr. John had well developed senses of humor – as Esther and I scrambled to learn medical terminology in Spanish !! (ummm, who forgot the dictionary?)

Many of the men and women we saw battled their intimidation to impart hugs, kisses, and elaborate blessings on the Doctors and the rest of us. After multiple blessings and hugs, the woman (2 photos above) with Dr. John asked if she could take Dr. John home - and he cleverly responded that he hadn’t heard a better suggestion all day! 

I have a newfound respect for professional translators everywhere ! Not only is translating in ‘real-time’ linguistically challenging, but it is truly exhausting. Or perhaps, I just need to practice my Spanish a bit more !

Esther and I both felt blessed to be able to help the Docs and their support team from the Mississippi Air National Guard. It was a very special chance to help hundreds of people very quickly – a rare opportunity even in the Peace Corps.

Saludos a todos!,

 S

 (a special shout-out goes out to Madame Asselin, I have no idea how you do it in SO many languages!)

Now playing: Timbaland - Apologize (feat. OneRepublic)

Posted by Sarah Robinson on Tuesday, October 16th, 2007 at 12:05 am.