Ok, today's training was in Finance and I have a knot in my stomach after all that. I don't know what half this crap means in English, let alone Spanish! The vocab list I created during the class was ten pages (Word) long. There came a point where Susana, the trainer asked, "Any questions?" and I replied, "Yes. Am I the only one sitting here reciting, 'I am only the interpreter. My task is to interpret. I am not a stock broker and I do not have to know what these things mean, just how to say them in Spanish.'" My tummy feels so yucky right now.
What makes you think the stock brokers understand them? Don't worry just yet Wrey. How much longer on your training course have you got left?
Just one more day! Tomorrow! And tomorrow is Law. I expect to vomit at some point during the class from stress.
I'm out of structural support (stay away from the Brooklyn Bridge, when they asked me I smiled and gave them popsicle sticks and said they'd be fine) but I still have lots of moral support .
Thank you everyone! (feel free to continue the support, though!) My belly ache has subsided a smidge, but I may have to turn to Pfizer, or Glaxo-Smyth Kline this evening for help with sleepy nigh-nigh.
Gratuitous Request for Moral Support... You got it Wrey, best wishes for you tomorrow. I know you'll do great!
It just means that it will help Wrey out without costing you much effort. You're thinking gratuity. Like a tip helps the waitress out without costing you much, but helps him/her a lot.
Oh, gotcha. Because the sign on our church bus says "gratuities accepted" or something like that. And so at three am on my way to mexico I had to ask what it meant. So. When the word "gratuitous" was said, I thought Wrey was asking for money.
Hey Wrey! Don't worry too much just yet! Remeber you got to do the training because they think you're awesome enough to take your career up a notch!! That means you rule! And it's always a steep climb in the beginning. I've a number of friends that do accounting and finance and if you've got any questions I'm sure I can ask them for some notes. If you're translating then it's no surprise you've a page full of notes - you should see my french books! Notes notes notes notes notes!! So, yeah, don't worry about it. Plus you're probably not the only one feeling lost but you ARE the only one whose got the gumption to say it out loud meaning that you'll get over this and make huge leaps and bounds while the others are floundering around lost in their own confusion. Moral of the moral support: You'll be just fine, you've got all the brain power you need to make this work and people out their believe in you so you better believe in you too!
I'm curious - what was Susana's response, and what about the rest of the class? I can understand hurling over law terminology. Just try to get some of the splash on a lawyer, if possible. Good luck. Wrey. You'll do fine.
There really was not any response other than nervous laughter from the other students. There is a cultural tendency not to admit to lack of comprehension and to remain silent instead. My admission of confusion and frustration was very much out of cultural context although later that day I received a number of e-mails from the other students admitting to the same sentiment.
It takes courage to expose one's vulnerable flank. But it must make you feel a bit better to know that others are in the same boat. And, byt the way, it must have been a tremendous relief to those who were suffering silently, not to mention those who wouldn't even admit it in email to you. You done good.
Class is over! Done! Fin! The Law chapter today did not freak me out so much because legal interpreters almost always have to be state certified in order to serve in courtroom venues. I am not state certified in Spanish and have no intention of garnering said certification. The Finance chapter was the worst. Those scenarios do not require any kind of state/federal certification and the vocabulary is actually much more... rarefied.
