Werther Blanco is a natural storyteller.
Blanco, who lives and works in the Hampton Roads area, is an interpreter for Commonwealth Catholic Charities (CCC). In his eight years with CCC, Blanco has assisted in over 2,500 interpretation sessions.
Blanco shared the story of a man who fell at work and broke his leg. It was a bad break; the bone was visible. Coworkers called an ambulance. The injured man did not speak English.
“In the ambulance, there are two problems,” says Blanco, “a broken leg and a language barrier.”
“The guy is under stress because he doesn’t know how to explain what happened and he doesn't know how he’s going to understand what the procedure is.”
Blanco is called in and introduces himself as an interpreter and immediately the man relaxes. “That is priceless." says Blanco, "Because [for the guy], one of the problems disappeared immediately... It's amazing!”
Being an Interpreter
CCC provides interpreter services in the Richmond, Roanoke, and Newport News areas. Already this fiscal year, CCC has provided over 5,000 hours of interpretation services, most often in medical and legal situations.
Many of CCC’s fifty interpreters are fluent in multiple languages. Humaira Tayyeb, an Afghan citizen who was born in Pakistan and resettled in the United States in 2015, regularly switches between six languages including Dari, Pashto, Urdu, Farsi and Hindi. Juggling so many languages is challenging, but Tayyeb enjoys each one.
“Knowing one [language] is [knowing] one person, and knowing two is two people,” Tayyeb said.
“Being an interpreter is not an easy job,” said Alexina Portyrata, CCC's Interpreter Services Program Specialist. “In addition to translating the words, interpreters must also understand and be sensitive to culture, accent, dialect, and personal experiences—all of which could potentially change a word’s meaning.”
“Someone speaking English in the United States will communicate differently than someone speaking English in England,” explains Blanco. “Interpretation is more than being bilingual, you must have the cultural and academic education to both earn the client’s trust and to communicate effectively."
Medical interpretation, especially, can be mentally and emotionally taxing for interpreters who must thoroughly understand medical terminology and complex diagnoses and then communicate it effectively. There are times when a wrong word could cost someone their life.
The work that interpreters do in a community is critical to the good of the community.
“Werther and Humaira and all of our interpreters make a meaningful difference in so many people’s lives,” said Portyrata. “Without interpreters, language barriers lead to isolation and fear. With interpreters, that gap is bridged, and people of different cultures can connect and work together.”
CCC is immensely grateful for all the interpreters who work to bridge these gaps as well as CCC Interpreter Specialists Mirian Ulloa and Reyhaneh Hussani, who work closely with our interpreters and clients.
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