{"id":4137,"date":"2016-12-21T14:30:40","date_gmt":"2016-12-21T18:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/ID\/?p=4137"},"modified":"2018-12-24T09:06:49","modified_gmt":"2018-12-24T13:06:49","slug":"a-christmas-poem-for-interpreters-by-cynthia-roat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/ID\/a-christmas-poem-for-interpreters-by-cynthia-roat\/","title":{"rendered":"A Christmas Poem for Interpreters"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"[Christmas<\/p>\n

\n

(Apologies to Clement Clarke Moore)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house,<\/p>\n

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.<\/p>\n

The teenagers sprawled all awry in their beds,<\/p>\n

While visions of skateboards caromed in their heads.<\/p>\n

And I with my headset and glossary too<\/p>\n

Had just settled in for a session or two.<\/p>\n

Telephonic interpreting seemed to make sense<\/p>\n

To help pay a bit of the Christmas expense.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d picked up the phone and was just signing on<\/p>\n

When something big zoomed by outside and was gone.<\/p>\n

And up on the rooftop I heard such a noise,<\/p>\n

I muted my microphone, really annoyed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow what could that be?\u201d I grumped, a bit irked,<\/p>\n

“They know not to bother me when I\u2019m at work.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll just have to go check; I can see I\u2019m committed.<\/p>\n

Background noise when interpreting isn\u2019t permitted.\u201d<\/p>\n

I crept from my office and down the front stairs<\/p>\n

And into the living room, not a bit scared,<\/p>\n

When what from the fireplace suddenly appeared<\/p>\n

But a man dressed in red with a fuzzy white beard.<\/p>\n

The cap on this head and his bag did the trick;<\/p>\n

I could tell in a moment this must be St. Nick.<\/p>\n

But he didn\u2019t look jolly or jovial or cheery.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuick girl, do you speak any Reindeer?\u201d he queried.<\/p>\n

Now it happens that I, among other fine traits,<\/p>\n

Am facile with languages, and I speak eight.<\/p>\n

Among them \u2013a secret not too many know \u2013<\/p>\n

Are Penguin and Reindeer and a smidgen of Crow<\/p>\n

Which I learned one September when I was just two<\/p>\n

And I got left behind at the Woodland Park Zoo.<\/p>\n

(A wonderful place if you want to learn Trout;<\/p>\n

But the wolves\u2019 accent I never could figure out).<\/p>\n

So there I was talking to jolly St. Nick<\/p>\n

Who looked like he might be about to be sick.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need an interpreter! I\u2019m in a stew.<\/p>\n

The reindeer won\u2019t fly. I don\u2019t know what to do!<\/p>\n

I need to find out what the problem could be,<\/p>\n

But I don\u2019t speak Reindeer, and they can\u2019t talk to me.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve shouted, used sign language, practically cried!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis sounds like a job for a pro,\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n

The next thing I knew I was up on the roof<\/p>\n

With the red-suited man and his reindeer to boot.<\/p>\n

I did a quick pre-session, gave a small glance<\/p>\n

And faded back in my interpreting stance.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long, to old Santa\u2019s delight,<\/p>\n

To learn that the elves had the harness too tight.<\/p>\n

A terrible problem (but easily fixed)<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re pulling a sleigh with a whole load of gifts.<\/p>\n

The harness adjusted, the reindeer at ease,<\/p>\n

St. Nick left some presents down under the tree.<\/p>\n

Then he handed me one that he\u2019d left till the end.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd this is for you now, my bilingual friend,<\/p>\n

To thank you for saving our Christmas this year.<\/p>\n

What would we have done if you hadn\u2019t been here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Then I opened the box and I smiled to myself,<\/p>\n

For I found there a bilingual gloss\u2019ry of Elf.<\/p>\n

We laughed and I wondered just how he had known<\/p>\n

I\u2019d been studying Elf late at night all alone.<\/p>\n

He leaned close and said, \u201cWe sure need you around.<\/p>\n

Chief North Pole Interpreter \u2013 how does that sound?\u201d<\/p>\n

Then putting his finger aside of his nose,<\/p>\n

He smiled and then up the chimney he rose.<\/p>\n

And I heard him cry as he zoomed off with a streak,<\/p>\n

\u201cMerry Christmas to you all, whatever you speak!\u201d<\/p>\n

December 2006<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Excerpted from\u00a0Healthcare Interpreting in Small Bites: 50 Nourishing Selections\u00a0<\/em>from the\u00a0Pacific Interpreters Newsletter, 2002\u20132010\u00a0<\/em>with permission from\u00a0Language Line Solutions.<\/p>\n

\n
\"[Cynthia<\/div>\n

Cynthia E. Roat<\/strong>\u00a0is a national consultant on language access in health care. In addition to training interpreters and interpreter instructors, she assists healthcare administrators improve their language access programs. Ms. Roat is the author of a wide array of key resources in the field, and her book\u00a0Healthcare Interpreting in Small Bites<\/em>\u00a0is used as an ancillary text in various interpreter training programs. She is a founding member of the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC) and is known nationally as an engaging speaker, a knowledgeable resource, and an energetic advocate for language access in general.<\/p>\n

Image by mploscar\u00a0via pixabay.com<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Apologies to Clement Clarke Moore)   ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The teenagers sprawled all awry in their beds, While visions of skateboards caromed in their heads. And I with my headset and glossary too Had just settled in for a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":4178,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[89,138,188],"yoast_head":"\nA Christmas Poem for Interpreters - ATA Interpreters Division<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This poem by Cindy Roat is just too good not to share with you again. 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