The Many Faces of Languages
June 2022

I am so proud to say that I work as an interpreter at CanTalk! Being able to combine my day job as a manager in healthcare with interpretation opportunities through CanTalk is extremely rewarding. I have worked in private, provincial government and federal government environments so having vast experience in healthcare certainly helps when interpreting medical terminology. I have also lived in 4 different countries so the international experience and travel also adds to the ease of being able to understand different accents, dialects and cultural differences. I interpret 4 different languages for CanTalk so I’m certainly thankful for the opportunities and always excited to receive the calls.

When my family moved to Canada they have struggled with learning English and dealing with every day activities so I can empathize with the callers. Dealing with a stressful situation can be tough and on top of that not being able to effectively portray meaning through conversation certainly adds anxiety.

It has especially been rewarding during interpretation opportunities when assisting individuals through challenging and stressful medical appointments or booking covid-19 vaccine appointments. I truly appreciate being able to assist individuals who may have language challenges or simply feel more comfortable dealing with matters in their language. I love to immerse myself in the conversation, not just to interpret but to convey meaningful and genuine responses with the tone of my voice. Difficult decisions and conversations when for example hearing about a cancer diagnosis or choosing a nursing home can be challenging so being able to understand the emotions and to respond in an appropriate tone is extremely important.

I haven’t always been a patient person but through this opportunity as an interpreter I have certainly become a calmer and patient individual, being able to deal with stressful and challenging conversations. I continue to enjoy every call, forming a human connection between myself and the callers and always learning something new.

Thank you CanTalk for your support and opportunities!