By Juanita Ecker
My husband and I were glued to the television set on Sunday, the last day of the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, GA. What an exciting game that was!
When it was time for the “presenting of the green jacket” ceremony, three players were present: the student amateur, Mr. Hideki Matsuyama; last year’s winner, Phil Mickelson; and this year’s winner, Charl Schwartzel. Because Mr. Matsuyama is from Japan, there was an interpreter present to translate what was being said. Jim Nantz, a sportscaster known primarily for his work with CBS Sports, was also present for the ceremony. When Nantz was interacting with Mr. Matsuyama, he made a small etiquette error. When you deal with an interpreter, you speak to the person, not the interpreter. Jim Nantz said to the interpreter, “Tell Mr. Matsuyama we were happy to have him be part of this year’s Masters Golf Tournament.” Instead, he should have looked Mr. Matsuyama in the eye, addressed him by name, and said what he wanted to say. Then, the interpreter would have translated his words as well as the response from Mr. Matsuyama.
When you are dealing with a translator, it’s easy to want to look at the person who speaks English and treat the other person as just a bystander. But the translator, for all his or her hard work, is not the one you need to impress. Therefore it’s important that our words as well as our body language are focused on the individual you are speaking with. (more…)
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