An Almost Translation Train Wreck

While I like to think my Dinka is improving and is now at a ‘low yet passable’ level (read: I can tell when people are talking about me, but not exactly what they are saying about me) I still rely on translators when doing any sort of significant work with groups.

Last weekend Heather and I went on a few parish visits, and this time we were invited out to one of the ‘chapels’, about a 15 minute drive into the bush outside of Yirol. There we were greeted  by singing and dancing , including a wonderfully eccentric old man in a jalabiya (sp?) whose English consisted of singing a song with these lyrics: “somebody are working very hard, somebody are doing nothing” (I will sing this for you someday – it’s incredibly catchy and usually running though my head).

Heather and I go on to lead a workshop teaching some of the things we learned at our capacitar workshop back in May, including some acupressure points to help manage pain and traumatic stress. Enter almost translation train wreck… thank goodness for the ‘almost’.

Kaitlyn: So, if you are pregnant or if you are travelling in a vehicle and you are feeling sick, like you need to throw up, here is something you can do…

Young-In-His-Twenties-Male-Translator: (Turns to me with a confused/nervous look) Sorry, um? If you need to have sex?

Kaitlyn: Ah! No! No, no, no, no… um, no. If you are sick. Like nauseous. Sick, you need to throw up. Um.

Sister Immaculate (from the back): VOMIT!

Kaitlyn: Yes! If you need to vomit!

All English speakers in the room laugh, and I am grateful for a translator that seeks clarification.