Found in translation
Last week I unexpectedly ended up live translating an interview with a contemporary author at my local bookshop. The talks were quite fascinating; Anna Hope has a great way of talking about her books and inspirations, and it was lovely to have her family in the audience chiming in with extra details every now and then. For a first-ever experience in live translation, this could hadly have gone any better.
After the talk ended, an elderly lady came up to me from within the audience.
'I must really thank you,' she said. 'I don't speak a word of English. I would have been lost without your translation.' Then she beamed. 'You know I attend every single talk here. I love books. Books taught me everything, because, I say it with pride, I've never been to school at all!'
She thanked me again and we parted ways.
And just like that, she didn't just make my day; she made the whole week.