Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Bilingual and Misinterpreted


Here is my new blog: From Parents to Parents: Let's Address Issues in Deafness Together...Feeling frustrated...AGAIN! It is SO UNCOMPLICATED to blog in English, my native tongue...Italian has to be the most complicated language, and I MUST write using it. I am dependent on my husband to translate all of my words and thoughts, totally dependent. We often fight during the translating because he wants to manipulate the language to make it grammatically correct, when I intentionally don't want it to be grammatically correct because I LOSE MY QUIRKINESS when I am grammatically correct.

*Is this what if feels like when you use an interpreter?? Is the interpreter able to truly convey the proper messages both to you and by you??*

English is comfortable, I can play with words, create images based on common experience, use goofy language in a way that readers know I am being goofy and when I write in my own language, I AM MYSELF.

I have never had a problem using my tongue, I've even managed to become bilingual, but saying it and writing it are two entirely different things. Although, I must say, I find the whole endeavor veramente eccitante!

5 comments:

mishkazena said...

yes ;)

My pet peeve is interpreters changing the words I use. The words I chose for a reason and if someone changes it, the meaning is altered subtly. It's not because the sentence isn't grammatically correct since they are.

For the interpreting mode, my choice is transliterating, so there is no need for them to change my words. As you can see, it annoys me to no end.

me, just an Italian man said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

well... My only job is to put some corrections in the article's grammar...
You are the editor, you have the ideas, you do the research, you pic the subjects, you have the aknowledge..
Yes, sometimes I'm annoing with the corrections and sometimes I try to sneak some of my ideas in the articles... these are the moments where I forget that I'm just your employee and the husband side of me came out..
Just think how frustrated could I be if you'll be able to do everything without my help?.. a man need to feel that his woman needs him..

;-P

Unknown said...

I almost had a heartattack, I saw both posts via email...scemo.

Mishka, thanks for responding, I was curious, because I do feel that my experience here is parallel to Jordan's world...many times. Hugs, Jodi

Anonymous said...

Yup, happens too often! Talk about lost in translation! This is why I ask for a terp that signs every spoken word, word for word. This is not an option many deaf would choose because English is not their strongest forte.