Comments on: Let them speak Spanish! http://elenamary.com/2007/09/let-them-speak-spanish/ de aquí y de allá - mirish xicana finds her place Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:47:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: xine http://elenamary.com/2007/09/let-them-speak-spanish/comment-page-1/#comment-314 xine Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:52:04 +0000 http://www.elenamary.com/2007/let-them-speak-spanish/#comment-314 "I enjoyed reading about Condoleeza Rice and how while on a trip to Russia she corrected her Russian interpreter." that is the unfair advantage right there. I was actually thinking about this issue (not in terms of the debates but in general) last night. The differences in interpreters and what they think their role is, how they decide to interpret what you are saying, those are all very important things and things that you don't realize if you don't speak the language yourself. When I was on the cusp of learning Spanish, I was listening to a former FMLA combatant woman talk about her years in the revolution and what it meant to her. I had a very important and personal question to ask her about revolution and being a woman, and I don't remember the details, only that I knew that I really wanted to know the answer. Anyhow, I could understand Spanish, but this was such an important question that I decided to ask it through an interpreter (a male, not that it necessarily had anything to do with it). I knew enough Spanish to know that in fact what he was asking her was mearly a paraphrase of my actual question, and didn't get to the heart of what I wanted to know. If I had not spoken Spanish I wouldn't have known that. I couldn't have clarified. I mean, yea, it is ridiculous that folks couldnt say a word or two in Spanish, but really, in my opinion it would have been unfair. Also, when you are debating, you want to know EXACTLY what the other person is saying, and interpretation sometimes leaves something to be desired. “I enjoyed reading about Condoleeza Rice and how while on a trip to Russia she corrected her Russian interpreter.” that is the unfair advantage right there. I was actually thinking about this issue (not in terms of the debates but in general) last night. The differences in interpreters and what they think their role is, how they decide to interpret what you are saying, those are all very important things and things that you don’t realize if you don’t speak the language yourself. When I was on the cusp of learning Spanish, I was listening to a former FMLA combatant woman talk about her years in the revolution and what it meant to her. I had a very important and personal question to ask her about revolution and being a woman, and I don’t remember the details, only that I knew that I really wanted to know the answer. Anyhow, I could understand Spanish, but this was such an important question that I decided to ask it through an interpreter (a male, not that it necessarily had anything to do with it). I knew enough Spanish to know that in fact what he was asking her was mearly a paraphrase of my actual question, and didn’t get to the heart of what I wanted to know. If I had not spoken Spanish I wouldn’t have known that. I couldn’t have clarified. I mean, yea, it is ridiculous that folks couldnt say a word or two in Spanish, but really, in my opinion it would have been unfair.

Also, when you are debating, you want to know EXACTLY what the other person is saying, and interpretation sometimes leaves something to be desired.

]]> By: Cuerpoaztlan http://elenamary.com/2007/09/let-them-speak-spanish/comment-page-1/#comment-315 Cuerpoaztlan Wed, 19 Sep 2007 16:33:17 +0000 http://www.elenamary.com/2007/let-them-speak-spanish/#comment-315 Great post! Let them speak Spanish! Until it is made so a poor person could realistically run for President, it's all about advantage anyway! Amor y Rebeldia! Great post! Let them speak Spanish! Until it is made so a poor person could realistically run for President, it’s all about advantage anyway!

Amor y Rebeldia!

]]>