Thanks to Mari Vicente for her emotionally compelling piece of flash nonfiction, “Lost in Translation”!
Lost in Translation
“I know enough English to understand most of what is said, but I still need a translator to make sure I don’t miss something important” a defendant told me at the Boston Superior Court. Clearly, this was an important day in her life.
She seemed nervous during the two hours we waited to be called to the podium. When the moment arrived, I got up with her and translated: Her Spanish words into English for the judge, his English into Spanish for her.
Judge O’Connell asked for her name and place of birth: Marta Mendez, San Juan, Puerto Rico. He asked if she had counsel, looked over some paperwork and checked something with his clerk before proceeding to explain her rights. Diligently, His Honor carefully said to Ms. Mendez, “Any foreigner found guilty of a felony could face deportation.”
Listening to his explanation, my brain automatically began to translate his words. But, instead of transmuting them into Spanish, they got stuck, becoming prisoners behind my lips. Recognition of Ms. Mendez’s understanding rendered translation unnecessary. Looking at each other, the pain of two invisible Puerto Rican women screamed into a courtroom full of deaf ears.
Mari Vicente
Amherst, MA
Mari Vicente recently retired as a Spanish teacher. Her work experience also includes journalism and social work. She wrote Para todos los niños: La historia de Felicitas y Gonzalo Méndez for her students. It is her first comprehensible (easy for language learners to understand) novel. Mari lives in western Massachusetts with her husband, Nick. A member of the collaborative The Writing Sisters, she plans to continue writing about Latinas who’ve done great things in the world, but whose stories were forgotten by the world.