Private vs. Public (Professional) Persona
We all try to reconcile our public and our private personas. Sometimes it’s easy, other times it’s not.
However, the role of conference interpreters is to facilitate dialogue, to help people of different cultures and opinions come together through a process of negotiation, not war. We are entitled to our own opinions, of course, but in my public capacity, I cannot, and will not, take sides.
Because of the ‘New Friendship’ concept that social networks are spreading, I keep receiving invitations to join in petitions, groups, etc. regarding Tibet. There is no point in bombarding me and expecting me to join in, just for the sake of it.
If I wanted to act on this issue, I would take action through different channels, and in a totally private capacity.
In other words, I am a professional translator, not a professional activist.
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April 11th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Hello Nadine. Even before I finished reading your post, an answer almost came out of my lips and it was exactly the answer you gave at the end of your post. And I have a feeling that actions done without too much noise and fuss around are also those that can really make a difference.
P.S.: I am not a professional interpreter, but I do remember from my university days that the taking/not taking sides in interpreting was quite an issue.
ilda’s last blog post..Everybody wants to be a cat…
April 15th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Ilda,
It’s great to find like-minded translators in the blogosphere, you are one of them. Thank you for commenting.