my new excursion at unlv....

I just embarked on a new journey as an instructor at UNLV (University of Nevada Las Vegas). Of course, I am teaching Japanese as a foreign language. I should be lesson planning as we speak but as you may already know, I am a bit of a procrastinator. I love the exhilarating feeling of deadlines ( I know, you don't have to tell me. I have a problem).

So, I had couple notable embarrassing moments:

1) I tripped on the first day. I told my students, "You do not laugh at me. It is still the first day of school."

2) It happened while I was teaching my students how to bow in Japanese.

Me: Girls you put your hands to the side and bow.  Oh, oops, that's for boys.

       Now, girls, you cross your hands and bring them to the front as if you are
       covering your private parts. Ohh, that's right, you don't have any.
       (I need to watch what I say. I can get in trouble)

Right, laugh at loud. I do know how to keep myself entertained.

Stories to be continued.......

the word is MAGIC.....

MAGIC is the acronym for Men's Apparel Guild of California. It was founded in 1933, as an annual show. This show has now become the largest, most comprehensive apparel, footwear, and accessory trade event in the United States. 

I had the privileged of working the entire show the past week from the 20th through the 24th. I was hired as an international typist which equates to registration attendant/ information booth for anyone who spoke Japanese and only Japanese.  However, the show only provided assistance for language speakers of Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese. What happened to other language speakers? They had to speak to us in English. Considering that we were all multiple language speakers, we were definitely more patient and attentive to the other language speakers though we were not able to assist them in their native tongue. 

So, I had a wonderful time working with other international typists and assisting visitors from all over the world.
Two great things from this show: Gained few friends who I would love to spend more time with and gained a direct Japanese contact for future interpreting needs. Yaay! They are PRICELESS gains! I'm super excited. 

So, I'll end this post with a funny conversation I had with a client: 

Me-  Sir, are you an exhibitor or a retailer?

Client - Excuse me?

Me- (repeat the same thing) are you an exhibitor or a retailer?

Client - I am Korean. 

This concludes my adventure as a bilingual/international typist. 

Check out MAGIC!

Oh California I'm Coming Home......

California

by Joni Mitchell   

Sitting in a park in Paris France
Reading the news and it sure looks bad
They won't give peace a chance
That was just a dream some of us had
Still a lot of lands to see
But I wouldn't want to stay here
It's too old and cold and settled in its ways here
Oh but California

California I'm coming home
I'm going to see the folks I dig
I'll even kiss a Sunset pig
California I'm coming home

I met a redneck on a Grecian isle
Who did the goat dance very well
He gave me back my smile
But he kept my camera to sell
Oh the rogue the red red rogue
He cooked good omelettes and stews
And I might have stayed on with him there
But my heart cried out for you California

Oh California I'm coming home
Oh make me feel good rock 'n' roll band
I'm your biggest fan
California I'm coming home

Oh it gets so lonely
When you're walking
And the streets are full of strangers
All the news of home you read
Just gives you the blues
Just gives you the blues
So I bought me a ticket
I caught a plane to Spain
Went to a party down a red dirt road
There were lots of pretty people there
Reading Rolling Stone reading Vogue
They said "How long can you hang around?"
I said a week maybe two
Just until my skin turns brown
Then I'm going home to California

California I'm coming home
Oh will you take me as I am
Strung out on another man
California I'm coming home

Oh it gets so lonely
When you're walking
And the streets are full of strangers
All the news of home you read
More about the war
And the bloody changes
Oh will you take me as I am?
Will you take me as I am?
Will you?

© 1970; Joni Mitchell 

I came across this song today. 
I never thought much of it until today. 
Joni Mitchell, I can relate to you today. 
It does get a little lonely when you're walking down the street full of strangers.

I'm not in Spain but somewhere close enough in description. 

I went to a party and there were pretty people. 
They were dancing and drinking their youth away.
Free to do. Free to be. Free to live. Free to love.  
Glad to know that I'm set free.

Within the grandeur of the city, I saw vanity. I felt emptiness. I sensed loneliness. 
Glad to know that I am secure. 

Life goes on. We co-create our lives with the one utmost. 
I still consider life a precious gift. 

Maybe it's time for me to go home to California (just for a short while).

Will you take me as I am?

Joni Mitchell - California (Video)  

The Case of Code Switching...

Shall I define code switching for you? 

Wikipedia defines it this way, code-switching is the concurrent use of more than one language, or language variety, in conversation. Multilinguals - people who speak more than one language - sometimes use elements of multiple languages in conversing with each other. Thus, code-switching is the use of more than one linguistic variety in a manner consistent with the syntax and phonology of each variety.

Well, its when a bilingual (trilingual or quad-lingual even) individual when speaking to another bilingual of the same two languages switch off from one language to another when conversing with one another. 

This phenomenon fascinates me because I do this; and I do it ALL the time. Maybe I should rephrase the statement. "I have this BUG" or better yet, "I am a VICTIM of this ailment." Apparently, I am not the only one with this situation. There are more than a handful of people around me who exhibit the same symptom. But, the youngest of them all is my favorite 5 year old, little-Mr. Z. I was just helping little-Mr. Z with his Japanese homework (he did a fine job at it) and this is when I noticed his constant switching from English to Japanese. 

Our conversation was something like this:

Little- Mr. Z (z):  Sacchan (my Japanese nickname), kono shukudai (this homework), I don't wanna do it.
Me (s):  z, yaritakunakutemo  owarasenaitone. (we still have to finish it even if you don't want to do it.)

z:  *sigh. Why do I have to do this? 

(begin working on homework)

s: kore nani? (what is this? -while pointing at a Hiragana character)

z: I know! "Ki" Kirin no Ki! (It's "KI" KI for KIRIN (giraffe) )

What causes these switch from one language to another? 

For the case of Little-Mr. Z, I believe there are three reasons. 

1) Accessibility of the language

2) Discrepancy in vocabulary count between the languages
3) Innate cultural identification with words and phrases

In other words, he uses phrases that are easier to formulate. Some phrases are  shorter and sweeter in English. Other phrases may have a better flow in Japanese. This allows us to see that our brain functions very efficiently even at the developing stage of five years-old (our brain is like a convenience store of words and phrases!). Another reason may be his lack of vocabulary. He tends to use words that he knows from whichever language that best fits the context. Little-Mr. Z, the smart guy, also inherently identifies and implements phrases that are inseparable from the respective language culture. For example, the last phrase about a giraffe, the phrase only makes sense in Japanese. 

There are tons of other factors that trigger code switching..... it is definitely worth researching.

Let's talk about the certification process...

I had a hectic morning! Ugh. Becoming a substitute teacher for the Clark County School District (CCSD) is definitely a tedious process! I also have DMV/vehicle registration issues to handle along with financial aid documentations for my master's program, and can't forget my duty to prepare for this coming semester at UNLV. Just to speak on this morning, I've been at the district office, bank, and the police station (I didn't do anything crazy. I stopped by for fingerprints). After this, I'm visiting a different bank, stopping by a dealer to get my car smog checked, get a money order at 7 eleven down the street,  paying a visit to the Nevada Department of Education, and finally back at home to finish up the cumbersome online training for CCSD. The routine repeats itself (slightly at a lighter course) on Thursday morning at 7 a.m., what a joy!

I really can't wait for 4 p.m. when life will slow down at the hot yoga studio. I'm also excited to help my little boy with his Japanese tonight! Enough of my rambling... 

Let's really talk about the certification process....

There are three certifications that I'm aspiring to get:

1. American Translators Association

2. California Court Interpreter

3. Nevada Court Interpreter 

Cost: 

ATA:  $35 + $300 + $65 + practice tests + traveling expense

CCI: $150 + $350 + $150 (all tests) + processing fee  + traveling expense

NCI: $50 processing fee + time (court observation) + testing fee (?)

I will make the investment in obtaining these certifications in the long run but I am in constant amazement in how pricey these tests and registration costs are. I hope someone will someday provide for me a break down of where all this money is going to. If you think about it, its all for few pieces of paper. Well, I can't complain too much about the cost. It is what it is. Concerning the actual process, for the American Translators Association, the candidate must first pass the eligibility requirement. Once that process is completed, you are considered an associate member of the ATA. Following this course, the candidate makes a choice in taking the examination. With a passing grade, the candidate, now an associate member will be upgraded to a voting member of the organization. The examination includes both written and oral portion. The test taker will be suggested to demonstrate their knowledge in both consecutive and simultaneous instances of interpretation. I guess I have it lucky, this is nothing in comparison to the sub teacher process at CCSD.

My goal was to be certified with ATA by the end of this year. Do you think I can do it?

Following is the list of test dates and locations:

(this gives me a reason to go somewhere I've never been)

Exam Date	Location
Saturday, August 20, 2011 1 pm - 4 pm	Reno, NV Register Now
Saturday, August 27, 2011 9 am - 12 pm	Decatur, GA Register Now
Saturday, September 10, 2011 9:30 am - 12:30 pm	LaJolla, CA Register Now
Saturday, September 10, 2011 2 pm - 5 pm	Irving, TX Register Now
Sunday, September 11, 2011 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Nashville, TN Register Now
Saturday, September 17, 2011 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm	Chicago, IL Register Now
Saturday, October 29, 2011 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.	Boston, MA a.m. Register Now
Saturday, October 29, 2011 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.	Boston, MA p.m. Register Now

with Dir en grey.....

I spent couple of days with two eclectic men from Dir en grey in the middle of July. It was indeed a pleasure to meet them both. They're entourage made my experience even finer (Thank you for the wonderful time!).

So, you may ask, what did you do?

I interpreted their press release interviews (phone, video, and in-person). I'm pretty sure you can imagine this but this is the exact process: the interviewer asks a question, I translate from English to Japanese to relay the inquiry to the band members. The band members respond, I then translate from Japanese to English to relay the answer to the interviewer..... and the cycle continues.

In doing this, I was told exactly to do two things. Which were: 1. interpret and 2. capture their attitude

So, what does #2 exactly mean?

Dictionary.com defines the word, Attitude as, manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind. 

They were rock stars! They were full of ambiguity or I should say, unidentifiable attitude. 

So, I asked myself, what now? 

My initial instinct was to get to know the band members. I talked to them personally to see a glimpse of their personality and made careful observations of their mannerism. The other essential tactic I used was to interpret/speak like they did. When they were wordy, I decided to be so in my interpretation. I incorporated as many "disposition markers" as possible such as, pauses, slight change in pitch and or speed of their conversation to convey their emotional state of being.

As a professional, I realized the significance of "flexibility and adaptation." This was indeed a great experience!
 

The end product... enjoy

Punkvideosrock.com -Dir En Grey interview w/ Robert Herrera 

Video interview - you will see my name in the end credits

Dir En Grey interviewed by Metal Assault - July 14th 2011
Video interview - you will also see my name "sachi" as the translator