The Many Faces of Languages
November 2021

There comes a point in life where you realize what your passion really is and what you want to do with your life. For me, the answer is and will always be languages. Being born and raised in one of the most diverse countries, Malaysia, I have been immersed in an amazingly multicultural and multilingual community. Growing up in such a diverse environment has taught me the beauty of diversity which then sparked my interest in learning new languages and cultures. Before coming to the U.S., I speak Mandarin, Cantonese, English, and Malay fluently and read Korean. My strong interest in languages has also urged me to make the decision to double major in French and Spanish at Oregon State University.

Over the years, I have always wished to put all my knowledge of languages into practice to help people in need. To be more specific, I would love to be an ‘interpreter without border’. My biggest goal in life is to go around the world and be an interpreter on humanitarian trips at third-world countries in Africa and South America where French and Spanish are spoken. I strive to help build a connection between the people in need and the outside world so that their voice can be heard. Also, I want to teach the people, especially the children, languages so that they are equipped with adequate language skills to earn a living on their own and change their destiny. I am constantly driven by my favorite quote, “A simple act of kindness might not change the world, but it might change someone’s world”.

To me, languages have always been so magical. There will not be communication without languages, and without communication, there will not be peace, tolerance, and love. Language services are basic human rights. As interpreters, we try our best to make sure no one’s voice is unheard because of language barriers. No one’s rights should be stripped away in any part of the world just because they don’t speak a certain language.

I started working as a freelance on-site, telephonic, and video interpreter in February 2021. Starting this new career has, without a doubt, reassured myself that this is what I want to do with my life. Every smile, every appreciation, every word of gratitude that I receive after every assignment, be it in person or over the phone where I can’t even see the LEP’s face, has been reminding me of how meaningful this job is and how much you can achieve by just sharing your language skills. Don’t let your language skills sit around collecting dust, share it, use it as a way to help people just as how you want to be helped if you’re in a foreign country where you don’t know a word of their languages, because again, an act of kindness might not change the world, but it might change someone’s world. Let your language skills fill in the last piece of the bridge of communication.