Triple Interpretation

Triple Interpretation

 

[시사타임즈 = 이철원 시사타임즈 회장] The Philippines has a land area of ​​1.3 times the size of the Korean Peninsula and a population of 100 million. As a country made up of about 7,000 islands, each region has distinct colors due to the nature of the country. To put it bluntly, they have diverse cultures, but to put it bluntly, they are divided into many islands, making national integration difficult. So, there are still dozens of languages ​​spoken in the Philippines that have limited communication with other regions. Spain and the United States, which had colonized the Philippines, used Spanish and English as their colonial languages ​​to solve this problem, which is why English has become one of the official languages ​​of the Philippines.

 

And just as the remnants of Japanese remain in Korean after 36 years of Japanese colonial rule, Spanish and English, the colonial languages ​​of the Philippines, influenced the local language of the Philippines. As a representative example, Tagalog, which is currently used as an official language along with English in the Philippines, was greatly influenced by English. So it's closer to Tagallish, which is Tagalog + English. Tagalog is one of the local languages ​​spoken in the northern part of Luzon, including the capital Manila.

 

▲Interpreter for medical support (c)SISATIMES

Because schooling is conducted in English and Tagalog, the higher the academic level and the higher the level of work in public institutions, the more fluent in English and Tagalog. Leyte, the area where South Korean troops were dispatched, spoke the Visayas language, the language of the central region of the Philippines. So as we moved into the countryside, few English-speaking residents and the dialect was so severe that communication was limited. Therefore, it was virtually impossible for us to fully communicate in English and Tagalog with the local people we come in contact with between the restoration work and the community-friendly activities. As a unit commander, most of the personnel I come into contact with are the Philippine military, police, and administrative officials, so I could communicate in English, so there was no problem. However, the medical support personnel who had to directly contact the residents on the spot suffered from communication problems. In particular, it was necessary to get an accurate explanation of the symptoms from the patient for treatment.

 

▲Interpreter at graduation ceremony (c)SISATIMES

It was possible to treat patients only after going through a triple interpretation of Korean, English, and Visayas. However, the problem was that whenever we went to a remote village, we had to find a person who could translate English into Visayas in the local area, but such people were rare. So, initially with the help of the Visayas-speaking Philippine military, we hired locals who could interpret in English and Visayas.

In the chaotic situation immediately after the typhoon, criminals or persons with mental problems may apply, so I met the governor and asked to select the necessary interpreters. First of all, it was suggested that they should be able to speak English, Tagalog, and Visayas, and that they should be selected as college graduates if possible, and the wage offered about $10 a day (10,000 won) considering the daily wage of an adult worker before the typhoon damage. In terms of the amount, although they are not paid much compared to local workers, when they received the applicants recommended by the state of Leyte, the qualifications were much better than expected.

 

▲Philippine military interpreter (c)SISATIMES

We selected six applicants through an interview at the base after conducting the first verification through the background check of the Philippine intelligence unit for these applicants. Fortunately, all the interpreters who served in the unit were proud to work with the ROK Army. In particular, what was encouraging was that they became the most friendly personnel supporting the ARAW Unit, directly promoting the unit to local residents, and spreading the unit activity throughout the Philippines through SNS such as Facebook.

 

The reason that all local employees are happy and proud to work with the ARAW Unit is because our soldiers treated them personally and shared their sincerity as colleagues without prejudice. All of them became strong publicists and strong supporters for the ARAW unit.

 

글 : 이철원 시사타임즈 회장

 

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