Transcription
Hello and welcome to Interpreter. Spoiler alert, my name is not Rosa. Sort of, but I am an interpreter. And in this video, I am going to tell you the story behind that and how I feel it made me improve as an interpreter.
So, when I was born, my parents decided to name me after my grandfather, not my grandmother, but my grandfather. So they decided to name me Patricia. His name was Patricio, and he, rest in peace. And that is actually my name. That's how my family and friends call me, and the name that is tied to my personal identity.
Now, my mother also wanted me to have two names, uh, first name and a middle name. So she decided to name me after her. Her name is Rosa, but she doesn't go by Rosa either. And although she never actually used that name in her life, she stuck me with it. So, in my birth certificate, I am Rosa Patricia. But for all intents and purposes, I never used my first name ever.
Fast forward a couple of decades, and I moved to the United States. And sometime after that, I started working as an interpreter. I signed my first contract with a wonderful company that was relatively small. So, as it tends to be the case in smaller companies, things were a little bit more personal, and interpreters were known by their names and not only by their numbers. So I was using my name, Patricia, and everything was fine and dandy.
Then the largest, or at least at the time, it was the largest, not sure about now, the largest language services provider for telephonic interpretation bought this small company, and our contracts were transferred over. So, in my first week interpreting for them, one day I was working as usual, and suddenly I noticed that I was set as unavailable. If you've ever worked as a telephonic interpreter, you probably know that if you are suddenly set as unavailable, that could mean bad news because it could mean that you've done something wrong and QA wants to give you feedback on the spot.
After a few seconds, there it was, that dreaded ring on my phone. Indeed, it was a QA supervisor calling me to question me as to why I was using a different name than what they had in the system. So I start explaining this awkward story that, well, yes, my name is Rosa, but it's not. I go by my middle name, which is this. And they were like, no, girl, you are listed as Rosa, and that's how you need to introduce yourself from now on.
Okay, so I was super bummed because I never liked that name. No offense to those of you named Rosa out there, but it just never felt like my name. I never used it. So I just felt like I could not be myself because I had to use a different name that was technically mine, but it wasn't. You know what I mean?
But after a couple of days of moping, I got back on the horse and I embraced my new interpreter name, Rosa. And soon I started noticing a change. Since I felt I couldn't be myself anymore when I was interpreting because of this name change, it was as if a new character or a new persona had been created just for this purpose. And it was great because as Patricia, I speak a certain way. I am more impatient. It's easier for me to interpret certain things, while it's more difficult for me to interpret other things. So by being Rosa, I felt like I was leaving all my personal biases at the door, and I was able to free myself from that weight to reach new places mentally that I couldn't reach before.
There are actually many studies that have proven that the way a person is dressed has a direct impact on their mood, their attitude, and their behavior. And that when people wear a uniform that is always associated with a certain job, it can help them pay more attention to their job, make less mistakes, and focus more. I was a telephonic interpreter, so I did not have a uniform. But my name was the one piece of personal information that I was able to convey. And when that was taken away from me and I became Rosa, it's like that became my mental interpreter uniform. And in turn, I began focusing more, speaking better, improving my accent, modulating my voice better, and leaving my personal biases outside of the encounter.
As interpreters, we have to have some of the skills that make a good actor or actress. So through Rosa, I could definitely tap more into that. And I know it probably also had something to do with the fact that by then I was a little bit more experienced and all of that. But I honestly feel that a lot of my improvement was triggered by all the mental processes that started happening in my mind when I started separating myself from the encounter. And by that, I don't mean interpreting in a robotic and machine-like manner. Totally the opposite. Because as Patricia, I was impatient, and I would feel frustrated, and sometimes I would let my frustration show when parties were being redundant or did not seem to understand clearly or something like that. But as Rosa, I didn't have those feelings. I was even-tempered and more calm.
Also, if my interpretation was ever challenged as Patricia, or if there was a misunderstanding, I would feel as if it was a personal attack. But as Rosa, the interpreter, I could stand corrected or clarify situations simply as the interpreter without any personal feelings getting in the way. It's like just saying that name flipped a mental switch that activated all those things.
So I highly encourage you to find your switch to unleash your interpreting superpower. And it doesn't have to be something so drastic like a name change. But if you are a telephonic interpreter, you can start thinking of your headset as your mental switch when you put it on. Or if you do on-site, you can consider your switch a special pen you only use for taking notes when you are interpreting. Or you can think of your badge, if you wear one, as your mental switch.
I just wanted to share this story because in the interpreting world, I am not known as Patricia, which is my real name. So if I ever meet any of you in person, don't be surprised if I don't introduce myself as Rosa. Thank you so much for being here. I hope you are staying safe and doing well wherever you are. And as always, thank you so much for watching. Adios.
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