The Interpreter as Word Detective: Easy tips to improve your vocabulary
By Yvette Citizen, FCCI
Dedicated to our colleagues in Fiji
Some people think bilinguals are like two monolinguals in one but the truth is, most bilinguals have a well-developed vocabulary for certain subjects in one language and not in the other. Monolinguals of course, have an overdeveloped vocabulary in their language because they’ve had to do everything in one language. For example, you may have an Argentine businesswoman who can negotiate business deals fluidly in English (her second language) but not know how to say “diaper, spatula, door-hinge, screwdriver” and other household words in English because she doesn't need to. Many immigrants to the United States don’t know how to say “mortgage, handbrake, punch card” and the like in their mother tongues because they never had cause to use those words in their home countries. And that’s perfectly fine – unless you’re a professional interpreter; in which case, you will aspire to literally be “two monolinguals in one body."[1] To that end, we must always be striving to maintain our languages at equal levels. This is why we must become ‘word detectives’, investigating every term that comes our way and asking ourselves if we have equivalents in all our working languages.
Here’s an exercise that will not take up too much time out of your busy life but will help you expand your vocabulary. Take on the role of a linguistic Sherlock Holmes – cap, pipe, and spyglass are optional.
EXERCISE: Go into every room in your house and see if your can name all the items you see in your working languages. If there’s an item you don’t have an equivalent for, investigate it! Look for synonyms, think of similar or related items, and fatten up your glossary. Start sleuthing!
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