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Office of Public Affairs | |
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| Feature Story |
Date: March 26, 2008 |
OVERCOMING THE LANGUAGE BARRIER | |
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SEATTLE -- Communication is unquestionably the largest obstacle of international cooperation. At the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum (NPCGF), an unexpected assortment of enlisted, commissioned and civilian members are overcoming this age-old obstacle by serving as Coast Guard interpreters. "We found a plethora of Coasties who have very solid linguist skills in all the languages we needed," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Bob Day, Deputy Commander, Maintenance and Logistics Command Pacific. (Link) Audio Interview of Capt. Bob Day March 24, 2008, delegations began the ninth semi-annual meeting in Seattle of the Pacific Ocean's six largest maritime enforcement agencies. The exhausted members of these foreign Coast Guard equivalents arrived to face the daunting challenge of achieving interagency unity, with the added complication of speaking five separate languages. In 1992, the United Nations banned high-seas driftnet fishing to protect species such as salmon, squid and tuna. The United States, Canada, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea work together in an effort to detect and interdict these illegal fishing operations.
Click here for higher resolution version. Petty Officer Ludmila Matson interprets for members of the Russian delegation during the reception for the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum on March 25, 2008, during an interview with Petty Officer 1st Class Anastasia Devlin. Matson is in Seattle as a Russian interpreter for the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum. (Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric J. Chandler, U.S. Coast Guard) This successful collaboration of nations depends on the pivotal contribution of Coast Guard interpreters like Petty Officer 3rd Class Ludmila Matson, an information specialist from Sector Northern New England, Maine. Matson was born in Ukraine and moved to the United States when she was 9. (Link) Audio Interview of Petty Officer Ludmila Matson #1 (Link) Audio Interview of Petty Officer Ludmila Matson #2 Matson described the attitude of the Russian delegation, saying, "They were very focused on communicating with everybody and letting them know that they are excited to be here. These people are very interested in making sure that everything is up to date, up to par and that everyone understands each other."
Click here for higher resolution version. Petty Officer Ludmila Matson speaks to members of the Russian delegation during the reception for the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum on March 25, 2008. Matson is in Seattle as a Russian interpreter for the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum. (Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric J. Chandler, U.S. Coast Guard) "For my group, for the Russians, they are very eager. They want to get this going," said Matson. Interpreting is a collateral duty, or a responsibility assigned in addition to an individual's normal duties. Most often, interpreters are discovered within the diversity of Coast Guard personnel after joining the active duty, reserve, Auxiliary or civilian staff. Jimmin Chang is a micro-electronics engineer from Sunnyvale, Calif., who volunteers for the Coast Guard Auxiliary during his off time. Chang said that he has interpreted for the Coast Guard for seven years, at least four or five major missions and many smaller ones. "It is important for someone who has the right language skills to help the delegates, to make them comfortable and productive in the meetings. I am glad that I am here to help out," said Chang.
Click here for higher resolution version. Vice Adm. Charles D. Wurster, Pacific Area Commander, (left) accompanies Auxiliarist Jimmy Chang (right) during a tour of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Lake Washington Ship Canal on March 25, 2008. Chang is in Seattle as a Chinese interpreter for the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum. (Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric J. Chandler, U.S. Coast Guard) Lt. Scott Barton learned Japanese in Tokyo as a foreign exchange student when he was 17. Barton said he had worked on several cutters deployed overseas as a Japanese translator, and that he was the interpreter for nine Japanese delegates during this mission. "I think overall that they are excited about being here," said Barton. "Without a doubt, I think that the expectation from the Japanese side is that they are going to continue and hopefully expand the Coast Guard Forum and its operations." The success of the program was demonstrated last year, when the United States Coast Guard detained six Chinese flagged vessels for illegal high-seas driftnet fishing and returned them to China for successful prosecution. Coast Guard story and photos by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric J. Chandler | |
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