So, my friend, Margarita, and I began studying for the Federal Court Interpreters Certification Exam (FCICE) a few weeks back. It takes a minimum of 2 years to certifiy since the written exam is only offered in even years and the oral part of the exam is only offered every odd year. I doubt I will be read to take the written exam (which I think is in June) this year. Therefore, I will have to be in this for the long haul if I am serious about it. It would be useful for taking statements from defendants and depositions from witnesses, to some extent. Although, our interaction with the latino portion of the north country population is not all that frequent. Maybe there is more legal interaction in other settings (like family court or through social services). Regardless, both Marga and I find it very interesting and fun (in a geeky grammarian way...lol).
However, the little experience I have so far in pursuing this has made me feel totally inadequate linguistically speaking. Wow! Whenever you THINK you know a little something, you find out just how LITTLE that something is when doing something like this. I have immediately recognized some severe weaknesses in my Spanish language "skills". The verbs and vocabulary will be relatively easy to acquire, emphasis on RELATIVELY, in comparison the language nuances. I know that to help with that I am just going to have to start reading all that I can in Spanish. I have been SO linguistically lazy since I dropped out of my Master's program. (It still pains me to think of that, despite the fact that I believe that all things happen for a reason.)
When I try to see the big picture with this venture, I get discouraged. So, it will be best for me to focus on the parts that make up the whole and the whole will eventually be taken care of. Anyway, I find the parts fun. Yes, I confess I love grammar. My friends think I am a weirdo, but they ALWAYS come to me when they want to know how to spell something or to ask if something is grammatically correct. Well, when it comes to my English speaking friends. I take pride in being able to articulate myself well. There is an audio motivational program called Lead the Field in which Earl Nightingale says that the better one articulates oneself the more likely the listener will feel that person is knowledgeable. I'm paraphrasing, of course, but I feel there is some truth in what he says because he also goes on to say that that projected sense of knowledge has the ability to also elicit a sense of respect from the listener. It is difficult to perceive someone is credible when he/she cannot express him/herself competently.
In my opinion, the concept of the "economy of words" goes very well. It is worthwhile to mention two quotes of Thomas Jeffereson here.
"No style of writing is so delightful as that which is all pith, which never omits a necessary word, nor uses an unnecessary one."
"The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do."
Essentially, both quotes discuss the same subject: the economy of words. I find it amusing how the second of the two actually puts into practice this economy. I don't if chronologically these quotes were uttered by Jefferson in the order in which I have them. If so, it would be perfect example of putting that economy into practice because he had said virtually the same thing with using fewer words.
I find when I speak and when I write that I have tendency toward such an economy of words myself. I have often wondered why that is. I think it may have something to do with my perception of words as pieces to a puzzle and that the puzzle has a limited number of pieces with which it is constructed. None should be missing, none should be left over. There should be just enough of them. That is not to say that there is only one way to say or write something. It simply means that in order for words to fit well together, they have to be profuse and redundant.
So I think that language acquisition has had its appeal to me for the same reason. It is like a puzzle to try to figure out how to say what you want to say in one language and translate it into another, capturing structure, meaning and nuance and therefore completeing a mini puzzle.
I may never get to interpreter status, but having a study partner for this is going to prove to be so invaluable. It gives me the spark I had in me years ago that, through personal difficulties, had grown dim. So, I am looking forward to whatever I learn even if it isn't used for court interpretation. If I do manage to acquire such a high level of skill, it would be a good "retirement job" to work per diem in the court system (I would especially find criminal cases interesting). It will feed both my love of language and my love of a good detective story!
