Translators, Interpreters and the Complexities of Communication

The world has become much smaller due to the Internet.  Unfortunately, language translation technologies have not kept up.  When I began talking to people in Ukraine on the Internet, and started to travel here to establish a life, I found myself walking through a verifiable minefield of challenges to understand and be understood.  Here is what I've learned.

Translation and interpretation are slightly different things.  For the purposes of this article I will refer to translation as written translation and interpretation as oral translation because these terms translate better into the Slavic languages spoken here in Ukraine.  Written translation is meant to take a text written in a "source" language and rewrite it into a "target" language using vocabulary and a structure that is as close as possible to the source.  Oral translation is meant to interpret the meaning of something spoken and communicate that meaning as accurately as possible.  A good oral translator might take an entire five minute tirade and reduce it to, "they are really angry about what you said because it's an insult to question someone's authority here in Ukraine."

Computerized translators have improved considerably but still struggle to accurately translate many messages.  There are a couple of ways to minimize misunderstandings.  First, always back-translate a message if possible.  By using the same translator you can take the target translation and translate it back to the source language.  If the meaning is retained it's probably a good translation.  If the meaning of the back-translation is incorrect you can reword the original message and try again.  As I mentioned earlier in this article, we use written and oral translation instead of translation and interpretation because these terms translate better into other languages, especially with computer translators.  Second, when possible write in your native language and let the other person use a translator.  I discovered, the hard way, that if I sent my message in translated form the other person assumed I meant exactly what it said but, if they did the translation themselves they were much more likely to understand that the translation might not be completely accurate.

If you want your message to be clearly understood a human translator is still required.  This has its own  challenges as I discovered when I first started hiring written and oral translators here in Ukraine.  I found that many of the translation agencies I used were simply running the text through computerized translators and then giving the text a cursory look.  In addition, the oral translators I hired, complete with certifications, simply could not keep up with even simple conversations.  

Oral translation is challenging because it requires not only a solid command of both languages but, a familiarity with the subject of the conversation.  This includes both technical terminology and the ability to understand and communicate the context surrounding the conversation.  The makes an understanding of the subject and the situation even more important than the basic languages skills of the translator.

Written translation is challenging because there is typically an expectation that the vocabulary be very accurate and the writing be without grammatical mistakes.  This makes the command of the target language important to the point where most written translations are done by someone who is a native speaker and a skilled writer of the target language.

Unfortunately, finding good written and oral translators here in Ukraine is challenging.  The level of English required for various degrees and certifications is relatively low and students rarely have significant contact with native English speakers.  That said, there are definitely very skills translators here in Ukraine.  One just needs to vet them carefully.

At Caravela we have a team of written and oral translators who are native speakers in Russian and Ukrainian and work with native English speakers on regular basis.  We prepare them for oral translation projects by studying the topic and interviewing participants before the event so as to understand the technical language and context.  Finally, we have native English speakers who edit any translations when English is the target language.

Expats Working in Ukraine

In 2016, when I decided to establish a life here in Ukraine I wanted to continue working.  My career has covered a wide range of different technical disciplines, geographies, and types of organizations.

I have worked in organizations that range from gigantic to tiny.  My undergraduate degree is in food and beverage science where I began my career in operations and general management.  After getting an MBA I went on to work for a large consumer foods company in marketing and brand management. which included international positions.  Later, I returned to school to get an M.A. in Leadership with Post Graduate studies in psychology and started doing Leadership and Organizational Development consulting.

So, when I looked at what I could do while living in Ukraine there were two immediate options.  Work remotely and travel back to the U.S. to work with clients there and teach English in Ukraine.  Those are the two most common options I see for expats here in Ukraine.  I know many expats who work remotely as IT consultants and contractors.  I also know some who work remotely as dispatchers for transpiration companies in English speaking countries.  In addition, there is always a demand for native speakers to teach English.

There are two primary complications with working in Ukraine as an expat.  Very few expats speak Russian or Ukrainian fluently and they are very difficult languages to learn quickly.  This makes the options for working in Ukraine very limited.  In addition, the pay scales for work here are considerably lower than the U.S. and Western Europe.

I have been able to work with some English schools in Ukraine, not only to teach English but help them with business development and management.  I have also been able to teach seminars and do business consulting which has helped me enormously to learn about both the culture and business environment here in Ukraine.  I eventually established my own English school and translation agency with a staff of interpreters, translators and language instructors.  This has allowed me to do consulting projects and contract work for expats and foreign organizations in Ukraine.

Our primary focus now is remote work for western clients, consulting and contract work for expats and foreign companies in Ukraine, and English proficiency exam preparation for IELTS and other exams.

Ukrainian Farmers Market

Back in the U.S. we have to make a special trip to a farmers market and most were only one day per week.  Here in Kherson, and many other places in Ukraine, the home, village, dacha, and farm products come to us.  Here is a video of my egg guy, Misha, who sells home eggs.  Not exactly free range eggs but much closer than cage farmed eggs.

Why live in Ukraine

I am from the United States and I have lived in two foreign countries, Mexico and Ukraine.  I lived in Mexico because I was on a foreign assignment for a U.S. company.  I came to Ukraine to start a new life outside the U.S.  I am now married to a Ukrainian woman and live in Kherson full time.

I have found Ukraine to be a wonderful place to live with manageable challenges.  We recently rented a sauna with some friends to spend an afternoon hanging out.  Relaxing is as important to the daily routine here as working is in the U.S.  You can see a quick tour of the spa in the video.

The Challenges of Language in Ukraine

As in many places, language is a significant political and social issue in Ukraine.  Some counties have more than one predominant language, in Canada it's English and French, while other countries have only one, like English in the United States.  Ukraine has two predominant languages, Ukrainian and Russian.  It's a complex issue with strong feelings all around.  Russian was the language of the Soviet Union, and prior to that, the Russian Empire.  Some people see Russian as the language of the oppressor or enemy while others see it as a part of their identity and ethnic traditions.  In this article I want to focus on the challenges this presents for foreigners as well as the challenge of learning one of the languages spoken in Ukraine.

One question is what language to study.  I live in Kherson which is predominately Russian speaking.  I am married to a Ukrainian woman and our Ukrainian family speaks Russian.  Even though they speak Ukrainian they prefer to speak Russian.  I have chosen to study Russian for that reason.  Also, Russian is more widely spoken than Ukrainian outside of Ukraine.  This choice has caused tension in some situations when people question this choice.  I certainly plan to learn both but I have chosen to begin with Russian and pick up Ukrainian after that.  In addition, I try to use the Ukrainian version of the names of cities and have learned enough Ukrainian to great someone and be polite.  When people ask why I chose Russian I usually just say that it's what my family speaks and that is usually an acceptable reason because most people put family over politics.

There is a significant challenge to learn either language if you didn't grow up speaking a Slavic language.  Slavic languages are very different from the Germanic and Latin languages I speak and are seen as some of the most difficult languages to master in the western world.  The languages are based much more on word conjugations to convey meaning which makes both learning the vocabulary and the grammar incredibly difficult.  

In addition to the challenge of learning either one in its pure form, the two are mixed together here.  Signs in Kherson seem pretty evenly divided between Russian and Ukrainian.  In addition, there are people who prefer to speak Ukrainian even though Russian is prevalent and when you run across people from the surrounding villages they'll speak Surzhyk which varies from village to village.