Communication si, con placer

[Tom Priestly]

Maybe I am an exception . . . I learned what turned out to be
sufficient Spanish for my Camino last fall and was the translator for
my companion(s). I also helped out with the occasional situation with
two other languages I know - French and German. I never found it
annoying; on the contrary,  quite the reverse: it was a chance to
help people, when I had been helped so much by others. Also, of
course, I am (a) grateful for the gift / series of opportunities
[take your choice, following your philosophy] which made languages
easy for me to learn; and (b) I am proud of the linguistic abilities
I have and like to show off. More (a) than (b), I hope.
Of course, I was not called on that often. I appreciate, having had
to do it, that interpreting for long periods is very tiring. So:
avoid doing a lot of it - but enjoy doing a little. Like drinking
rioja.
Tom
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Prof. Emeritus Tom Priestly
Modern Languages & Cultural Studies
University of Alberta
Edmonton AB
Canada T6G 1E6
phone 780-469-2920
fax 780-492-9106
e-mail: tom.priestlyaualberta.ca
http://myprofile.cos.com/priestlt69
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