The Linguist

32 The Linguist Vol/62 No/2 thelinguist.uberflip.com INSTITUTE MATTERS A life with languages Why every day is a discovery in both linguistics and the art of living and dying for interpreter Valentina Crvenkovska, who writes here in Bosnian and English Pronašla sam svoj pravi glas. Jednom, sa mnom se suočio preživjeli logoraš u svojoj posljednjoj terapeutskoj sesiji, i rekao: "A ti... prepoznao sam te od 'početka'. Bila si tamo sa mnom tokom tih najgorih momenata. Kada smo bili gladni, bolesni, maltretirani, prebijani na smrt, umirali. Osjećao sam da si tu sa mnom, uvijek uz mene. Hvala ti." On je gledao u mene ali u sebi je pronašao svog prevodioca koji mu je pomogao da preživi i da sa svojim vlastitim moćima zacijeli i pronađe mir u sebi. Obožavam posao koji radim. Svaki dan je otkriće, kako u lingvistici tako i u umjetnosti življenja i umiranja. Ja sam Medicinski ljekar iz Makedonije, kao i moje dvije sestre i naš pokojni otac. Uvijek sam raspravljala sa njima o kjučnoj važnosti jezika u svakoj fazi medicinske prakse. Odrasli smo u Makedoniji, u multikulturalnom društvu, gdje biste mogli čuti razne jezike kad god bi ste uključili TV. Moji prijatelji su bili različitog etničkog porijekla i uvijek sam željela naučiti njihove jezike kako bi ih razumjela u njihovom kulturnom kontekstu. U tadašnje vrijeme, svi smo bili obavezni da govorimo naš nacionalni jezik. Naučila sam Engleski jezik u školi, a Srpski, Hrvatski, Bosanski, Bugarski, Crnogorski i Goranski iz knjiga i od običnih ljudi na ulici. Nakon dolaska u Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo 1993 godine, radila sam u Britanskom Crvenom Krstu, što me je dovelo do Bosanskih službi za podršku, pomažući medicinskim evakuiranima i ljudima koji su izbjegli smrt u koncentracionim logorima. Tada sam počela raditi kao prevodilac. Priče koje su ljudi dijelili su bile duboko uznemirujuće. Samo sam slušala; bila sam tamo sa njima kroz njihovu tišinu i jecaje. U sebi sam ojačala. Zadržala sam svoje suze za kasnije. Upoznala sam i počinioce neljudskih djela. Nudila sam im jednako svoje lingvističke sposobnosti takođe, a oni su bili zahvalni. U West Midlands postoji mala ali močna zajednica Bošnjaka. Od tada, najveći dio moga rada bio je u Institucijama specijalizovanim za mentalno zdravlje; gdje koristim nekoliko različitih jezika u toku dana, osjećala sam kreativnu slobodu i naučila sam umjetnost profesionalnog prevođenja. Pridružila sam se Školi za Praktičnu Filozofiju i pronašla sam meditaciju i unutrašnji mir. I am a medical doctor from Macedonia like my two sisters and our late father. I always debated with them about the crucial importance of language in every stage of medical practice. We were raised in Macedonia, in a multicultural society, where you would hear various languages whenever you switched on the TV. My friends were from different ethnic backgrounds and I always wanted to learn their languages so I could understand them in their own cultural context. Back then, we were all obliged to speak the national language. I learnt English at school, and Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Montenegrin and Gorani from books and from ordinary people. After coming to the UK in 1993, I worked with the British Red Cross. This led me to the Bosnian support services, helping medical evacuees and people who had survived the concentration camps. I began working as an interpreter. The stories people shared were deeply disturbing. I was there with them through their silences and their sobs. Inwardly I was growing up. I kept my tears for later. I also met the perpetrators of inhuman acts. I offered them my linguistic skills too, and they were grateful. In the West Midlands, there is a small but powerful community of Bosnians. The bulk of my work has been in mental health settings; I use several languages on a daily basis, feel the freedom of creativity and learn the art of professional interpretation. I also joined the School of Practical Philosophy and found meditation, inner stillness and my true voice. Once, a Bosnian concentration camp survivor told me, in his last therapy session: "I recognised you from the 'beginning'. You were there with me during those most horrible times. When we were hungry, ill, mistreated, beaten to death, dying. I felt you there with me, always by my side. Thank you." He was looking at me but discovering his inner interpreter who helped him survive, connecting him with his own power to heal, to reconcile. I love the job I do. Every day is a discovery both in linguistics and in the art of living and dying.

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