When I was in middle school, three students came into our school year late. They had just come from Mexico and didn’t know any English. Our teacher tried helping them with work but she didn’t know any Spanish. I sat with them and helped translate the instructions and anything they didn’t catch. We are still friends to this day and they still mention how grateful they were that someone was able to speak to them and help in their language. Like most kids who are bilingual, I have been a translator and interpreter from a young age. I will often times find myself helping translate for random people at stores or other establishments. I try not to step in if I’m not needed but there is a special and sad look that people get when they don’t understand. It’s a look of confusion mixed with frustration and embarrassment. I see it as a blessing that I am able to help people make themselves heard and understood.
