I, like many other people of my generation, have the bad habit of sitting in front of the TV while sat with my iPad, mobile phone never far away. But the other night, I came across a film which caught my attention to the extent that all other devices were put to the side. The film was called “The Interpreter” (2005) starring two A-list American celebrities: Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman. Since I work in the language services industry, I was interested to see a figure from our industry (an interpreter) taking centre stage in a Hollywood film.
This political thriller combines intrigue and action as Nicola Kidman, a UN interpreter, overhears an assassination plot to kill the President of Matobo (a fictional African country) in her native language of Ku (also fictional). Sean Penn is the US Secret Service agent assigned the task of investigating the interpreter, since her background suggests she might want the President dead (though assassination is not a common feature of interpreting work).
I found myself thinking “why a film about an interpreter?” Secret Service agents I can understand, but a linguist? What’s next – a film called “The Accountant” with a gorgeous blond accountant and handsome, rugged tax man? No, that wouldn’t work. Why not? Well, firstly, working at the UN and interpreting for major international political speeches and negotiations certainly provides a “glamorous” backdrop to work, but I would also argue that, on a very general level, many people are fascinated by the ability to speak more than one language.
If you go onto Youtube and search “bilingual celebrities”, you’ll find a whole host of videos about American celebrities who speak a foreign language. Youtube users record interviews they have found in which the celebrity speaks a foreign language and upload it onto the site: Charlize Theron speaking South Afrikaans, Mila Kunis speaking Russian. Even the UK’s leader of the Liberal Democrat Party can be seen in interviews speaking Dutch and Spanish—you don’t even have to be beautiful and female to look cool when you’re speaking a foreign language! It’s interesting that people upload these videos simply to watch people who live in the public eye speaking in a language other than English.
But why the fascination? Maybe there are two reasons. Firstly, for aspiring linguists, being able to interpret, or also translate, represents the peak of language ability, because both go far beyond the general skill of speaking a foreign language. These two professions demand a special combination of high-level language ability which then only forms the basics of what is really require. Developing the skills to transfer information accurately and effectively between two or more languages within a specialised field comes only after a lot of hard work and practise. When I visited a university recently, I spoke with students learning Japanese and many of them were filled with ambition to become an interpreter or translator. For them, making it as a seasoned professional interpreter or translator means you have nailed that goal of being a great linguist in your chosen language. And since working on a freelance basis is also often deemed an attractive working lifestyle and is common in the language services industry, it propels interpreting and translating into the stratosphere of cool.
But for people who aren’t aspiring professional linguists, what’s the appeal of foreign languages? I think this second point lies in the ability to change your persona through foreign language. Like acting, or even just buying a new dress, speaking a different language changes you; it gives you a new image—people perceive you in a different way. One minute you’re a Brit from Barnsley, the next you can be like a Spaniard from Andalucia. People enjoy this opportunity to change and others who don’t have this ability watch with curiosity to see the transformation thinking it’d be cool to do that. And languages are a social experience. It’s fun to learn a bit of the lingo when you go on holiday. Trying out your rusty French with a local in Paris aids the holiday experience of escapism. Just for a moment – no matter how brief the conversation – you’re part of a new place, talking with new people. It’s a fun, social interaction that’s just a little bit different and many people enjoy this experience, whether they work with languages or not.
Despite the political story that played out in The Interpreter, the film worked because people find interpreting – or language skills – interesting. Most likely the reality for many professional interpreters and translators is that work is not always so glamorous and speaking a foreign language is simply a normal feature of everyday life. But, if those of us in the language industry watch The Interpreter, we can smile in amusement and say, “You know what? Foreign languages are really cool”.
I would love to see Nicole Kidman do a sequel: “The Translator”.
