Learning to Organize Translations
For the workshop that Barbara Love led in Israel this spring, I was asked to be in charge of the translations.
The first thing I did was ask a counselor of mine to assist me. It was good to have someone listen to my thinking about how to do things and make sure that not all the work fell on me. I organized a list of translators and told each person when he or she was to go up. On the second day, all translators and people who wanted to translate met at lunch. This important meeting set the tone for translation at the workshop.
At the meeting I asked people what they needed in order for the translation to be good and fun for them. I had them choose one person who would back them up while they were translating and asked them to say what they needed and wanted from their back-up person. When I felt I needed to, I took some time to discharge. I had my assistant write down everything that needed to be written down. There were questions about the translating. After that, I set up the order in which people would be up to translate and asked each person to remember who was before and who was after him or her. That way I didn't have to remember the list myself. (I also had the list hung up where the classes were held.)
I told the translators to see each other as a support group, to notice each other while they were translating, and to see that things went well for each translator. I said that each time a person finished translating we would cheer him or her with loud and enthusiastic cheers. I finished by telling them I was completely sure of their abilities and competence.
The translation went smoothly, and I could rest without worrying.
When one of the translators had a request and my best thinking told me not to agree to it, I decided to stick by my thinking and be firm about it.
It happened that people did not translate according to the list, and this caused some confusion. So on the morning of the last day we set another meeting. I explained again about the list and told people that they were not to change the order without asking me first. I also decided that each translator would translate for a set period of twenty minutes and then switch, regardless of whether he or she felt he or she could continue or not. That way people wouldn't translate beyond when they didn't have the attention to do it anymore, and we could also have more people translate each day. This worked well, and I think it solved a lot of confusion about when to switch the translator, as well as allowing me to rest even more.
Each day I made an announcement reminding people not to interrupt, correct, or criticize the translators. I think this was a good reminder, and it was fun to find a new way to say it each day. On the last day I invited people to personally appreciate the translators for the way they translated.
I also reminded people who talked to talk in short sentences and had them halt when they didn't.
The most important part for me was the way I was firm and tough about the things I said and decided, and also my trusting my thinking and getting the support I needed to do that. I know that regardless of who is in charge of translations next time, I have changed the face of translations at workshops in Israel for good!
Lotahn Raz
Jerusalem,
Israel