So today after rehearsal one of the people in the office asked me to do her a favor. Never one to refuse a favor for someone in a position of authority, I agreed. Then she told me she needed me to translate for the conductor this week (he is from Germany, only speaks English, no Spanish). OK, I can kind of do that, I thought. But for what? Oh, an interview. OK, no problem. Wait, what kind of interview? For a TV station. OK, wait, ON tv? Yeah. Hmm…OK, I wish I had taken a shower this morning then, but I’ll do my best.
So we got in her car and drove to the TV station- I got to meet the conductor and talk with him which was really nice, he is a really friendly guy, and as a low horn player, I don't often have the opportunity to really meet the conductors. He's a big fan of our section which is always nice. We arrived to the station and were greeted by, I don't know, TV guys, who whisked us into the studio, Hurry, hurry, they said. We have two minutes. I said, WAIT, this is live??? Yeah…quick, sit, ok here's your microphone, ok go. And I found myself really translating for the first time in my life on live TV for a German conductor!! I think I did OK, although I found out later I said "rego" instead of "reto" for challenge. Other than that, not bad.
Translating is hard. It is hard to remember everything the person just said. It is hard to get the person right (third person, first person, what??), it is hard to get across the exact meaning of the adjectives. But, it was amazing how clear my mind could flip from one language to the other, like a light switch, when I was on the spot like that. It was actually pretty exhilarating.
I think I have another idea for a back up career if this whole horn thing falls through…
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