The Responsibility That Comes with Interpreting

By Elizabeth Leighton

Elizabeth (right) poses with other Mission volunteers and employees

Before I headed out for Guatemala, my family hosted a retirement party for my dad after 41 dedicated years at our local newspaper, The Salem News. My father is a man of integrity, and that is something that I have never questioned. He took his job as a local reporter more seriously than most, I would argue. And a few months ago he shared this story with me, one that very poignantly encapsulates the importance of journalism.

Two years after the anniversary of 9/11, a local resident reached out to my father. He had lost his daughter during the attacks, but hadn’t been ready to talk about it until that moment. After sharing the heartbreaking story of what had happened to his daughter, and bravely opening up to my dad so that his story could be shared with the public, the man said: “Paul, my life is in your hands.”

Wow.

These were not words that my dad took lightly. I truly believe he has carried this sense of responsibility on with him since that moment. It is the job of a journalist to accurately portray the truth and reality of peoples’ circumstances to the audience. Because if you don’t, you are not only cheating the people who read your work, but more importantly those who entrusted you with their story in the first place.

I have always respected my dad and the commitment he has to the work that he does. But it wasn’t until recently that I realized this same principle applies to the work that I am doing here at the San Lucas Mission.

This past Tuesday I had the privilege of attending a house dedication for the first time. This is when the Construction Program at the Mission hands over the keys to the family to whom the house has been donated. Although I have worked on construction projects before, I have never witnessed the final product and presentation to a family.

Along with the family and Mission employees, the donors who helped to sponsor the project were also there to celebrate this special moment together. My responsibility in all of this was to interpret the story of the mother to whom the home was being gifted.

The mother of four expressed her sincere gratitude and appreciation to God for listening to and answering their prayers. She explained how pivotal this house would be for her family. And she thanked the donors for helping to make it all possible. At the end of her thanks, she began to get emotional. And it was my job to convey her story accurately to the visitors there who did not speak much Spanish. Her story had me choked up, however I had to continue with the interpretation.

It was in this moment, with tears in my eyes, that I realized interpreting is more than just the words that are being said. This woman was trusting me to convey the story of her family to this group of visitors. It is not a responsibility that I take lightly.

I hope that, like my dad, I am doing right by the people of San Lucas in the interpretations I am providing. Although I am not fluent yet, I understand the significance of the work that us Long-Term Volunteers are doing. The stories and narratives we help to present reflect the history, culture, and people of San Lucas Tolimán and the broader communities.

I hope that throughout my time here I can continue to provide accurate interpretations. And even more so, that I continue to treat this job with the same journalistic integrity that my dad has employed throughout his whole career.

I am eternally grateful for the chance that I have been given to be a Long-Term Volunteer with the Friends of San Lucas. The impact of the stories we have the privilege of sharing is immeasurable. I still have tears in my eyes when I think back on that mother’s story. Her faith and her gratitude could be felt by all in the room. In that moment that I was interpreting, her life was in my hands, and I could not have felt more honored that I had the opportunity to share her story with the visitors.

To learn more about becoming a Long-Term Volunteer, click here.