by Amy Lethbridge
I am writing this sitting on a veranda overlooking the volcanic caldera of Santorini in Greece. It is a week since the 4th annual NAI international conference has ended and I am still full. Full of new ideas and opportunities, full of pride in the work of interpreters around the globe and the role that interpretation plays in protecting our precious resources and full of love and friendship for my colleagues – old friends and new.
A relatively small gathering, we came from big cities and small islands, from ancient cultures and landscaped valleys. Some were brand new, just starting in this thing called interpretation and some shared stories of the advances in the profession over the last 25 years and their role in them. Whoever we are, and wherever we came from, I believe that we all leave richer for having been here. While I learned a great deal from every session, I must admit that, for me, the magic was in the individuals. Strip away the power point, the agency and title, the citations, and what you had was an amazing group of passionate warriors for the earth and our heritage.
There was Jonathon from New Zealand, who greeted us in Maori and welcomed us from the four directions from which we came;
Rick and Alvaro from Panama, who reminded us that people can’t always come to us and that sometimes we need to bring interpretation to the people;
Corky and Tom from the US National Park Service who gave us both a history of where we have been here in the states as well as a glimpse of the future with the webranger program;
Darko, from Croatia, who will be remembered every time we are tying a tie;
Ian, from New York, who taught us about the brain, sang us songs, and told coyote stories;
Stefano from Italy who urged us not to just visit nature, but to “taste it, lick it” with a passion that we should all be so lucky to bring to our programs;
Barbara from Austria who brings the forest to the dinner table and embraces all she does with a contagious laugh and unbridled joy;
Michael from Scotland, who with a twinkle in his eye, reminded us all to access our inner poets;
Thorsten from Germany, a multilingual jukebox, whose passion for music was superceded only by his commitment to sustainability;
James, Keith, Scott, and Caroline from France and Belgium and the US, whose commitment to preserving the memory of those fallen in battle and telling their stories to a new audience moved us all;
Eva and Sandra from Sweden who are introducing interpretation to their country with a fierce determination and single mindedness that leads me to believe we will be hearing great things from them at future conferences;
and John from Australia who reminded us to ask “what if?”
There are many more who I haven’t mentioned – equally inspiring, equally committed. I will remember every one of you.
As interpreters we know that there is a sweet spot where intellect and emotion come together and in that magic moment comes a new knowledge and passion. I cannot believe that everyone who attended this event did not feel as I did, that we are all better off for having attended. That with the new knowledge and inspiration gained we are leaving stronger interpreters and maybe even better people.
Last year, in Sokcho Korea, we held hands and sang “We are the World” and in that moment – that amazing wonderful moment – I felt like we could do and accomplish anything. I felt it again this year. Call it empowerment, call it inspiration, but when I hear about the work my colleagues around the world are doing I think maybe after all things will be all right. And that whatever our particular role in this business is – manager, planner, trainer, or front-line interpreter – it is together that we are unstoppable. We didn’t sing “We are the World” this year. We didn’t need to. It was there, in our hearts, all along.
