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Brand the Interpreter
What if La Malinche—the Indigenous woman who famously served as interpreter and advisor to Hernán Cortés during the Spanish conquest of Mexico—could share her stories? Imagine the insights and experiences she could offer about the power of language and navigating the complexities of two worlds. That’s the spirit behind the Brand the Interpreter Podcast!
Hosted by Mireya Pérez, an interpreter and personal brand advocate, this podcast gives today’s interpreters a platform to share their own fascinating stories, challenges, and triumphs. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the world of interpreting, from navigating high-stakes conversations to facilitating cross-cultural understanding, offering listeners a glimpse into the lives of the professionals who bring meaning across languages.
Whether you’re an interpreter, a bilingual professional, or simply curious about the magic that happens behind the scenes, Brand the Interpreter immerses you in the stories of language professionals making an impact every day. It’s more than just a podcast—it’s a celebration of language, connection, and the vital human element that makes communication possible.
Join us to explore how the power of language, driven by human connection, shapes understanding, opens new worlds, and transforms perspectives, revealing the deeper truths that unite us all.
Brand the Interpreter
Vision, Language, and Inspiration: Ahmad Jaafil's Story
Discover the remarkable journey of Ahmad Jaafil, who transformed his life after facing serious challenges, including significant vision loss. In this inspiring episode of Brand the Interpreter, we celebrate five years of storytelling, exploring how Ahmad's passion for language and determination to advocate for himself fueled his success in the interpreting profession.
From an early age, Ahmad showed a deep interest in English, partly due to the influence of American television and video games. This unique pathway opened doors to understanding languages and connecting with people. However, his teenage years took a dramatic turn when unforeseen health issues began to impact his vision. Ahmed candidly shares his experiences navigating this life-altering reality, including the emotional toll it took and the determination it ignited within him.
Moreover, Ahmad's role as an interpreter for his parents during crucial medical visits not only enhanced his language skills but also broadened his perspective on the importance of communication. This episode highlights how Ahmed's early adversities taught him invaluable life lessons about resilience, inspiration, and the power of believing in oneself.
Join us as we unpack his journey, perils, aspirations, and how each challenge inspired Ahmad to rise above expectations—both his own and those of others around him. As he embarks on his new role in the interpreting field, he provides insight and hope to listeners, helping them understand the importance of self-advocacy in overcoming personal and professional barriers. This episode serves as a powerful reminder: no matter the obstacles in your path, there’s a light waiting to shine through when you believe in yourself.
Engage with us and share your own stories of resilience. Subscribe, leave a review, and join the journey as we continue to explore the heart of interpreting through impactful conversations.
Only on the show that shares your stories about our profession: Brand the Interpreter! #BTI5years
Connect with Ahmad:
ahmad.jaafil@aplustranslationsllc.com
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Welcome back everyone. To Brand the Interpreter, I'm Ireya, your host, and today we are kicking off season eight. But this season is extra special because we are also celebrating five years of this podcast. Five years, that's five years of stories, insights and conversations that have shaped the way that we think about interpreting. When I started this podcast, I had no idea what it would become. I just knew that interpreters had stories worth sharing, stories that deserve to be heard. And now I'm looking back and I'm blown away by the incredible voices that have been featured and the connections that we've built along the way.
Speaker 1:Through the years, I've heard from listeners who have shared how one of the episodes have either helped them navigate through interpreting assignments, or they resonated with some of the guests' stories, or have felt inspired or compelled to do something different in the profession. And that, to me, is what this podcast is all about Real experiences, real conversations and a community that grows together. And speaking of growing, as with every new season, I'm always inspired to do things a little different or to take things even further. I've got some amazing guests that are lined up, powerful stories to share and conversations that will challenge, inspire and maybe even surprise you. We'll be diving deeper into the realities of interpreting, not just the technical side, but the human side, the emotional side and the moments that don't always make it into the textbooks. And since we're celebrating a major milestone, I want to make this season even more interactive than ever. I'd love for you to be a part of it. So here's a challenge Share your favorite Brandy Interpreter moment, whether that's an episode that stuck with you, a guest that inspired you or a lesson that you've carried into your work. Tag me or use hashtag BTI5years so that I can see you share your stories. Believe me, your participation, whether that is engaging in my posts or sending me messages or visiting the website, whatever it may be, always helps inspire me to continue doing the work.
Speaker 1:I would not be inspired or compelled to do this for five years if it weren't because you the listener is here along the way, is here taking this ride along with me. I get it Life gets busy, things get hectic and sometimes we may slip behind. We don't necessarily listen to every single episode, but every so often we'll happen to tune in and we capture something that is compelling to us. That would be the moment to share. That would be the moment to say, hey, I'm still tuning in. Here's one of my favorite episodes. In the coming years, it's very likely that these are the communities that we will need to help inspire us to move forward, to feel connected to others and to continue doing the best work that we possibly can for the people that we do it for. You inspire me and we inspire each other. So here's to five years of our little Brand the Interpreter community. Thank you for being here with me. So are you ready? Because Brand the Interpreter is back and Season 8 starts right now.
Speaker 2:When I was entering my teenage years. I was about to turn 13. My vision took a huge downslide. I was actually wrestling with my cousin we were big wrestling fans. He accidentally kicked my right eye and my retina detached. Afterwards I couldn't see clearly with that eye. I was having double vision to an extent and there was a lot of blurriness. So we had to do a surgery to put the retina back in its place. Unfortunately, the surgery wasn't successful and I lost vision in my right eye completely because the pressure just went to zero and my right eye started even deflating. It didn't look normal.
Speaker 1:Ahmed, welcome to the show. Thank you so much for joining us today.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Maria. Thank you for having me on the show. I'm really happy to be here.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm happy that you're here, willing and able to share your story as it relates to the interpreting profession, but, of course, also your very unique and specific story. So, again, thank you for being here and I look forward to sharing your story with this audience. Let's dive right in by getting to know Ahmed a little bit more.
Speaker 2:Absolutely so. To start off, I was born in the country of Lebanon. It was, overall, a very amazing childhood. It did have its ups and downs, but one thing I'm fond of from that childhood is my love for English. It helped me in a lot of ways. I learned English just by spending countless hours watching television and playing video games on my PlayStation, so that alone helped me get ahead in class, and sometimes I'd even sneak out of class when I felt like the session, the class was boring, or if I felt like I was too ahead and my friends were behind, it would get too boring for me. So that's something, you know, that I'm fond of. Yeah, just being at an advanced level thanks to watching TV and playing video games, which is something you don't hear very often.
Speaker 1:That? No, no, it's not, but that that is so interesting to hear that you were picking up the language through video games and cartoons. So the video games were in English, so there was no localization of the video game, I imagine right, but talk to us a little bit more about those experiences.
Speaker 2:Well, you're absolutely right. Localization back then wasn't a big thing like it is today, and everything was mostly in English, mainly American English, sometimes British English. So I would spend most of the day just watching Cartoon Network. When I was at home or when I'd visit my cousins, we would just spend the time watching Disney Channel. You know, some of my favorite shows were Ed and Nettie, hannah Montana, wizards of Waverly Place. So I learned a lot of English just by sitting and watching that whole time. Video games, however. Video games, however, uh, were more entertaining for me because of the action you get out of them and, uh, there were like some cool moments in both video games and uh shows that are memorable and you just can't help but memorize what the character was saying and, more importantly, how they say it, which, like, signifies the importance of the moment or the subject.
Speaker 1:Wow, that is so unique.
Speaker 1:I really love that.
Speaker 1:I think it's going to go contrary to potentially what many parents out there myself included, right are always thinking about when it comes to how much time are children spending in front of a screen, and let alone that it's even helpful in any way, shape or form. So you, along with other guests that have been here on the show, have actually shared and confirmed that, thanks to them watching TV shows, their favorite TV shows in English, they learned to develop the English language for one, yes, but also exactly what you just said how the meanings are conveyed, watching the body language and you know just the spirit of the message by simply watching one of their favorite shows or many of their favorite shows. So I just find that so interesting in terms of your love for the English language obviously is developed because you are watching these shows that become your favorite shows. But you get to a point it sounds like where, even in the formal classroom setting, you're thinking I'm more advanced than the classes, right, or than what's being taught. Talk to us a little bit about that.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. It does give you a huge advantage and I felt that several times throughout my time in school. Like I'd like to tell you this funny story that happened with me when I was in the first year of kindergarten. My friends were still learning the letters from A to K and they were trying to form words out of those letters and by that time I, like, knew all of the alphabet and I was able to form sentences and even write or speak paragraphs. So I was very bored and I decided to sneak out of class and I got into a drama class. I snuck into a drama class at the time just to waste some time, but you know, eventually I was caught, I got into trouble and there were some severe consequences at home.
Speaker 1:I mean, that was only kinder too, so you were already getting into a little bit of trouble there at quite a young age.
Speaker 2:You're already getting into a little bit of trouble there at quite a young age. Exactly, exactly. When I look at it now, I can't help but laugh at it, but not just like at how funny it was, but like the meaning behind it. Just because I was way ahead, I decided to do all of that, which is amazing, and credit has to go to television and video games for that.
Speaker 1:I want to make sure that I highlight the fact that I am in no way, shape or form bypassing one of those crucial moments of your experience growing up, which has to do with your vision. We'll get into that story further down. I just want to make sure that right now we're focusing on how language came to be in your life. So talk to us a little bit further, if you will, about what the acquisition of a second language felt like for you at home, because did your parents speak the English language where you could practice it, or who were you practicing your language with?
Speaker 2:That is an interesting question. I love it At home and I want to mention this about Lebanon almost everybody, you can say, is trilingual Almost everybody, because we know Arabic. It's our native language. Then you have French, since we were colonized by the French in the previous century, so almost every household speaks French to a certain level. And then, of course, you have English, which is probably the most popular language in the world.
Speaker 2:At home, both my parents spoke Arabic and French. My mom was a French teacher. Actually, she was teaching at a Catholic school, at a Catholic school. She wanted me to enroll in that school, but at the time they were only taking girls in, no boys were allowed. So she ended up putting me in the school I went to and I'm grateful for that. But when I wanted to express myself at home but when I wanted to express myself at home, when it was speaking with them, it was, of course, in Arabic. But when I was playing video games and I wanted to express myself, I would do it in English, or even when I felt frustrated or sad, I'd start talking to myself in English.
Speaker 2:Really, yeah, I would do that a lot and sometimes, when I would have a call with one of my uncles living in California, I'd speak to them in English just to express myself and show them how good I am. But if I were to do that with my friends and classmates in school, it would have been difficult because they were a few steps behind me at the time.
Speaker 1:Sure, yeah, I think that's why my mind sort of went there when were you practicing your newly acquired language skills if you felt you were advanced in the development of your skill set? So it's really difficult to even try to have a conversation with someone else if the comprehension isn't there.
Speaker 2:I got the chance to practice my English even more when I came to California in 2014. My family and I had just received our green cards and I was super excited for the opportunity. And I was super excited for the opportunity. I wanted to practice my English more on a daily basis, just by conversating with people. I didn't have that opportunity back in Lebanon because nobody would conversate in English. So when we came to California to visit my uncles, I also started seeing an ophthalmologist in the University of California in Los Angeles, you know and we're going to go back to this in a bit, I guess but I was kind of like the interpreter between the doctor and both my parents, since they didn't speak English. I started my role as a 15-year-old believe it or not and, other than just interpreting, I got the chance to conversate with my cousins, learn new things from them in terms of slang language that's used here in the US, learning new idioms and more sentences and new vocabulary that I wasn't aware of or didn't know before.
Speaker 1:Well, no, I definitely commend you in terms of taking it upon yourself to continue growing in that aspect, acknowledging that there was more to learn and then you taking that initiative to do whatever you needed in order to continue growing and developing that, because oftentimes, perhaps, many think that there's only one way to develop a language, which is perhaps in a formal setting and if, for whatever reason, that is not easily available, that might shy people away from pursuing something that they want, and you're a perfect example of the fact that it's not necessarily the case.
Speaker 1:While you did have a formal setting in the background, for instance, it sounds like you know, as you're growing up, elementary school, your primary years you felt like the actual true development came from elsewhere. So it could be a combination of things and, as I mentioned, I've had guests that have shared that they learned the language watching their favorite English speaking shows. So there is something there. Having heard a few stories like yours about learning the language via television shows or programs, I want to go back, ahmed, to your childhood again with regards to your specific condition. So bring us back to the moment that you can remember about how you started learning that something was happening with your vision that something was happening with your vision.
Speaker 2:I'd like to start when I first noticed that I did actually have something wrong with my eyes before more serious symptoms started to appear. I think it mainly started in school, where, for the whole year, I was always sitting on the desk that was in the center of the class and the front row, while my other classmates would switch their seats or their desks every month or every two weeks or so. Another thing is that, okay, yeah, I was in the front row in the center of the class and there was this wide grain chalkboard that was in front of me, but I couldn't see clearly a hundred percent of what was on that board unless I walked up to it or I carried my desk and put it like one or two or three feet away from it, and sometimes I'd ask the teacher to write in a bigger font or bigger handwriting so that I'd be able to see more clearly. And then there was the realization that I'm probably the only student at school with this kind of condition, that I'm probably the only student at school with this kind of condition. Then, when I was entering my teenage years I was about to turn 13.
Speaker 2:My vision took a huge downslide. I was actually wrestling with my cousin. We were big wrestling fans. He accidentally kicked my right eye and my retina detached. Afterwards I couldn't see clearly with that eye. I was having double vision to an extent and there was a lot of blurriness. So we had to do a surgery to put the retina back in its place. Unfortunately, the surgery wasn't successful and I lost vision in my right eye completely because the pressure just went to zero and my right eye started even deflating. It didn't look normal and fast forward.
Speaker 2:Four years after that I was doing okay with my left eye. Vision was good in. It hadn't changed. My main goal was to preserve it and make sure that it doesn't get any worse. But one night, just three days after my junior year in high school, I was just enjoying some PlayStation at night, having a lot of fun. Then I went to bed. Nothing was wrong. Next morning I wake up vision's too blurry, I could barely see, and day by day it started getting worse. So my mom and I came to California to see my ophthalmologist and my symptoms were even worse then when I arrived in California.
Speaker 1:About how old were you then, Ahmed?
Speaker 2:I was 17 when I had glaucoma. It was a very painful and traumatic experience. I lost vision significantly in that eye. The doctors had to perform actually three procedures or three surgeries in one go. They had to insert a drainage tube for glaucoma to stabilize the eye pressure. They had to put the retina back in its place because it had detached as a result of the high pressure and a lot of blood vessels had grown inside of my eye, blocking my vision.
Speaker 1:This was now the left eye correct.
Speaker 2:No, that was the left eye, the right eye. Honestly, there was nothing we can do for it and there was nothing else that could happen to it, given that it had lost all of its power and all of its pressure. Nothing else could happen to it by that point.
Speaker 1:Talk to me before we continue. As far as your experience was concerned, because these are all things that are occurring on the physical level, what was going through your mind at the age of 17, with the possibility of your eyesight being gone?
Speaker 2:A lot of things, a lot of things. It was definitely a life-changing incident. I started doubting how my life was going to continue. I had my senior year coming up and that was going to be my last year with all of my friends who I'd grown up with for the past 15 years. I seriously considered, with my parents, skipping that year, but ultimately I decided not to do that because it would have been heartbreaking for me. I started asking myself, like okay, even if I do get past high school, how am I going to continue college? What am I going to major in? Is there a job that I can excel in and that, at the same time, accommodate my new disability? Will I even get married later on because of this condition? How is it going to be for me socially? How am I going to live independently and be able to take care of myself? So there was a lot that was going on through my head.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and at such a young age too, you were already thinking about I mean future, future. I recognize that at that stage in your teenage life, particularly your last year of high school, it's sort of the thought of my real life quote unquote is about to begin, and then, in your particular case, you come across such a life-changing moment that you're having to think about all of these other things compared to, maybe, just the thought of finishing high school and what comes immediately after that. You're dealing with some pretty serious thoughts there.
Speaker 2:Exactly so. After the procedure I had the surgery I had at UCLA the doctor told me it was going to take at least a year for my vision to go back to what it was, because my eye had experienced so much trauma and it was a hard and long surgery. So he told me that he wanted to see me after seven months from the surgery date, so that was like during the middle of the school year. I went back there. My vision wasn't improving too much, it turned out. I had scar tissues that were blocking my vision in the eye. I had a surgery done.
Speaker 2:Uh, those scar tissues were removed and my vision significantly improved, but it didn't go back to how it was before glaucoma. There were still some limitations, there was still some blurriness, but it had significantly improved to a point where I could go back to reading with my magnifier and even writing. Those scar tissues would continue to resurface inside my eye and would make my vision worse. So we had to keep removing them until we got to a point where we realized this isn't a permanent solution and every time we do a surgery on the eye it might get worse and there's always the increased risk of the eye deciding to shut down after so much trauma and surgery. So right now my vision isn't at its peak or isn't living its glory days. It's okay right now I could still see. Thank God for that. But there's a lot of blurriness there.
Speaker 1:So you're in California, at UCLA, with an ophthalmologist team, or a team of ophthalmologists there that are working with you. What inspired you while you're there? Pre-recording you had mentioned, you know, there was a, there was sort of an inspiration for a potential profession while you were going through this series. So talk to us about those experiences and and even the experience of you as a teenage interpreter for your parents in that setting. What was that?
Speaker 2:like During my teenage years and when I was frequently visiting UCLA, I aspired to be an ophthalmologist just like the one I was seeing because he was so good at his job. And ever since I was young, I had a passion for medicine. I had a passion about learning about the human body. Trust me, when I was still in school, I would just love biology classes. I loved those a lot and I at the time had made up my mind like, okay, when I grow up, I'm going to be an ophthalmologist, just like my doctor.
Speaker 2:That was before glaucoma happened and even when I used to go there with my parents and I interpreted for both them and the doctor. It was also an amazing experience for me because I got to learn new medical terminology in both languages and at the same time I got to express myself in both languages. And every time I would visit a doctor not necessarily the same ophthalmologist I kept seeing, but I would see several doctors ophthalmologist I kept seeing, but I would see several doctors. And when my parents were with me and they would see me being able to conversate with them at a high level and not having even an accent and being able to interpret for my parents they were really impressed, considering I was only 15 at the time when that started, so it was something that I was proud of and something that motivated me.
Speaker 1:That's so excellent. Yeah, I mean I can only imagine, because obviously, when it comes to specialty areas in the healthcare setting, the terminology can get pretty complex. Yes, and so here you're talking about an appointment in which there is a specific condition involved and there are very specific procedures involved, so it sort of gives you a lens in terms of, like, you mentioned a topic that you really enjoyed, and enjoyed because you were really interested in that, and then another one that potentially you didn't know you enjoyed, or maybe you did, was language, and so it was like an overlap, it seems right, of these two things that really interested you, which is just an interesting way of seeing how sometimes things sort of work out in your favor without you even realizing that that's what's happening.
Speaker 2:Exactly. In hindsight I feel like I got the best of both worlds, even though at the time, interpreting wasn't even a thought in my head, even though I was doing it, but of course not at the professional level that we do it at now. I still didn't know like the codes of ethics or standards of practice and all of that, but I was doing a really good job.
Speaker 1:So at some point down the line you go through a specific program in which you meet a teacher that becomes pretty influential in a point of your life. Walk us through what occurred with this particular teacher.
Speaker 2:Walk us through what occurred with this particular teacher. So after a glaucoma and after graduating from high school, it was time to start thinking about university, but I hadn't decided what major I was going to pursue or what university I was going to go to. On rehabbing after glaucoma both from becoming independent and from a mental standpoint of me, just having to come to terms with this is how my vision is going to be for the foreseeable future, and I have to live with it and adapt to be as efficient as much as I can. So when I decided to just focus on rehab and my mental health, there was one of my uncles told me about a rehab center for blind and visually impaired individuals in the capital of Lebanon, beirut. We went there. I met with the president and it turned out that the vice president there was actually an English literature instructor at the Lebanese American University. That university is considered the second best in Lebanon and one of the best in all of the Middle East. She discussed with me my future goals. What do I aspire to be as a professional? She asked me that question and I didn't know how to answer. She gave me some time to think about it.
Speaker 2:I went back home. I was thinking about it. Then my mom all of a sudden said you know, you're pretty good with English and you're good with Arabic. Why don't you become a translator? I was surprised that it never crossed my mind and, like, translation as a career isn't as strong as it is here in the United States and other parts of the world, so I was reluctant to pursue it at the time. But then I was like, most probably I'm just going to continue my life in the United States anyway, considering I have a green card, so why not go for it? So I told the instructor that, the vice president, that this is my decision I'm going to pursue translation. She helped me by helping me apply for the English entrance exam that I needed to do and pass to get into that university, and I prepared for it.
Speaker 1:And I prepared for it.
Speaker 2:Thank God, I passed it and I was able to enroll in later stage a formal educational setting. What were some of those challenges that you're seeing now, older and with perhaps more difficult situation with regards to your vision? Something exciting for me and a bit scary at the same time Because, like you mentioned, I was entering a new setting, a new world. It was totally different from the concept of school, where I was going to meet a lot of people from different backgrounds and from across all the country potentially from across all the country potentially and I probably I was probably the only student at the time with a condition like the one I had. So it was going to be a challenge for me in terms of being able to navigate the campus on my own. By that I mean getting from class to class, building to building. Also, how was I gonna write down notes? Like I couldn't do what I was doing in school, where I would just take my friend's notebook and make photocopies of it, right, and how are my exams going to be like? So those things were sort of unprecedented before me, but there was a student who was completely blind and she also studied translation at that university and she set the standards a little and helped them establish new rules to accommodate people with a visual impairment or blindness.
Speaker 2:When I came and it was my turn, I built on what she had done and continued that, Like, for instance, at the beginning I asked the administration for permission if I could bring my personal driver with me onto campus so he could show me my classes, teach me how to get from point A to point B on campus, tell me, like, which spots to avoid on campus and which ones are safer for me to walk on.
Speaker 2:And there were also some challenges in class at the beginning, Like, for instance, the student who came before me. She would use her laptop to record every single thing that was being said in class and after that happened, she would go back home, listen to the recording again and write down notes. To be honest, I did do that at the beginning, but that was too exhausting and time-consuming, so I ultimately decided to just start writing notes down on the spot as I was in class, and that made things easier for me. But the other thing is I didn't have screen reading softwares like I do here in the US, so tests and exams were very hard for me in terms of reading, finishing on time and not being exhausted quickly. Screen reader would have helped me tremendously and I strongly believe would have helped me get a higher GPA, but that wasn't available at the time and nobody had experience with, or even knowledge of, screen readers.
Speaker 1:Ahmed, I want to take us now to the point where you complete your studies right, and I just want to highlight that this was translation studies in the program. At some point, you decide that you want to of defined your choice to also look into interpreting, and then what steps did you take in order to get started on that side of the profession?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I love that. When it comes to interpreting, actually, I didn't know the difference between interpreting and translating before I got into university. What made me decide to go for translation, or just like translation and interpretation in the first place was the oral aspect of interpreting in general, like I don't have to strain my eyes with reading, writing or looking at a computer screen to read something, but it was just mainly listening and speaking and interpreting. When I was in Lebanon, um, when I was in, when I was in lebanon, there was no university that I knew of that had an interpreting program. There was one, I think, but it, uh, it was very far from where I lived and, um, I didn't think it was a valuable option for me. So so I just settled for translation.
Speaker 2:Now, fast forward, after I graduated and came here to the States, I had to do vocational rehab. Of course, I wanted to learn how to live independently and take care of myself without any assistance. So while I was at the rehab center, we would have a career counselor where I would have a one-on-one session with her twice every week. So we talked about our goal, my goals, and I tried translation, and for me it felt a bit boring, honestly, just sitting looking at a piece of paper or a document for a good time and translating it into another language by writing or typing uh, it didn't just, you know, feel natural to me. Um, it didn't feel exciting interpreting. Interpreting, however, was the opposite. I got to interact with people the whole time. I got to speak. I get to go to places like hospitals and other facilities, so that was more adventurous and exciting for me.
Speaker 2:Before going to the rehab center, I looked up and did some research on the Internet, like what's it going to take for me to be an interpreter here in the United States? And it turns out I had to become nationally certified as a healthcare interpreter. I did mention that goal to the counselor and we started working on it. So after my rehab was over, I enrolled in two medical interpreting courses. One was for standard medical interpreting, the other was for an advanced level.
Speaker 2:I learned a lot from those courses in terms of the interpreting standards, the codes of ethics, a lot of new terminology in both languages, and afterwards I set my sights on becoming nationally certified by CCHI. So it was a journey. To get that certification, you know, we have to do like the core CCHI test, then the performance test where we have to actually interpret both consecutively, simultaneously, and then side translation. So that was the first step for me, and during that time I was also freelancing as an interpreter. I was going around hospitals in the Detroit metro area interpreting for providers and patients. It was super fun for me and even I did conference interpreting at a school at one point. That was at the beginning. That was quite the experience as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I actually want to sort of go back to the fact that you, at this point, how to advocate for yourself with these different organizations that you were having to work with, such as the online courses or CCHI, for someone that maybe is in a similar position such as yours. Walk us through how you advocated for yourself. Now, with a little bit more experience working with individuals that didn't know how to appropriately offer accommodations for a diagnosis, such as yours, walk us through that experience.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. When I was at the rehab center, we had sessions where we learned how to advocate for ourselves as blind and visually impaired people, not just on the street or in a store, but also in our workplace or even in an educational setting. For me, when I enrolled in those courses, they were online courses and so there wasn't too much to be worried about had the finals, since we were taking medical interpreting. We also had to take anatomy and physiology classes, but the challenge for me was they wanted us to memorize the body parts, memorize how they look, their locations, because during the finals they were going to bring us diagrams and photos of those body parts and we had to label them so they could see if we did actually memorize them and know them. That was very hard for me and almost impossible.
Speaker 2:I spoke with the coordinator. I explained my situation to her and, to her credit, she was very thoughtful and accommodating. She told me you know what? Just skip those questions in the exam and you'll do a role play test with one of our instructors and we'll consider it. You know, grading you on that basis instead of just labeling pictures.
Speaker 1:So that was a great workaround in terms of being able to find some sort of accommodation for your specific, different ability right. So that's great, because what's demonstrated is the advocacy piece right being able to actually say something and it's so great to hear that in this particular program they gave you those tools to be able to advocate for yourself. It sort of reminds me of training for interpreters, when we're basically teaching interpreters how to advocate for their roles for themselves as well, Just giving them those tools to be able to do so when the situation arises. So you end up doing your CCHI and at some point you decide what with regards to the profession, Fast forward to now. Where are you currently with regards to interpreting and the profession?
Speaker 2:Right now I'm doing two things I have a full-time job as an over-the-phone interpreter and also I recently started my own business, and it's a translation business and I'm working on improving it and making it go global.
Speaker 2:I have those aspirations and ambitions and I'm taking it step by step. I named the business or company A-plus Translations, where the name, I think, speaks for itself that we provide high quality and excellent quality translations. Just by looking at the A+, so looking at the landscape, when I was making the decision to start this, I saw that in the translation and interpretation field it's a bit different from other professions where you have to mostly rely on freelance work and attracting a huge client base to have a reliable source of income in the long run. Having full-time jobs or employment opportunities on a full-time basis for interpreters and translators is just, I think, starting to develop at the moment. But in the grand scheme of things, I think it's, all in all, a freelance kind of job and you have to build yourself from the ground up if you want to be successful and at the top of the industry.
Speaker 1:I find your story, ahmed, very inspirational the fact that at a very young age, you came across some pretty serious challenges that perhaps for many individuals, it would have been a challenge that ultimately decided their fate in terms of just aspirations and being to be able to overcome challenges. Or even if we don't overcome challenges, we learn to navigate around them, and you're a great example of someone that not only navigated around their challenges, but you also basically added more just aspiration. You were thinking ahead. It wasn't like you just said as long as I get here, I'm done and I'm okay. That's it. I'm just going to get this far.
Speaker 1:You continued creating more things, more opportunities for yourself and simply learning to navigate that, and I think that's such an inspirational story for anyone, regardless of whether they share the same experience as you or simply come across some specific challenge. It's a great demonstration, I think, your story of resilience, of being able to pursue as long as you're clear in what it is you're pursuing, being able to pursue despite of what's in front of you. We close, having taken all of these experiences now through your life's journey and where you are currently, what would be something that you would like to share with our audience as far as a takeaway that you want them to remember.
Speaker 2:I would say this nothing is impossible for those who believe and focus on the word believe, because you have to start by believing in yourself, believing that, despite what's happening in your life, you can do what you want to do. You just have to believe in yourself, believe in the process, believe in the vision or goals that you set for yourself. Don't let anything hold you back. At the end of the day, nobody said life was going to be easy. And those people who you see are successful out there, most of them had to go through a lot of struggles and hardships to get to where they are. Like the old saying goes, nothing beats hard work. But on top of hard work you have to add resilience and inner strength to continue to navigate through whatever challenges that come your way. And I think, and inadvertently, I've always had that belief, that mindset, ever since I was little, because, even as a child, my childhood wasn't easy, never mind my vision and the difficulties or challenges I faced academically. But also let's take into account the social aspects of things. I want to briefly tell the story of myself when I was in first grade, of myself. When I was in first grade, we had a GE or sports class and usually us boys would play soccer or football. Almost every time I was probably the last person the other kids would pick on their team. There was one time that nobody picked me me and I was upset about it, even though I was a good soccer or football player. I asked them you know, why didn't you pick me? Why didn't anyone pick me? They said we're worried that you won't be able to see the ball or won't have enough reaction time if we pass it to you, because you can't see it, even though I could see everything clearly to a certain degree. But they just didn't understand my vision and that really hurt me. I ran away from everyone, I cried on my own and I thought that life was going to be very tough for me and I wasn't going to make it.
Speaker 2:But then, being a young, cheerful me who was crazy, I looked up at the sun. I saw its bright light and I thought that there's always light in the darkness and I choose to be a light. So I raised my fist towards the sun and I told myself that someday, you know, I want to become a legend and I'll show everybody at school I'm the strongest ever. That way, everybody will stop disrespecting me and show me the respect I deserve. I'll show everybody that they've got a hero. Fast forward to our graduation. I was the first student in our school's history to receive the Student of the Year Award and I got a standing ovation not just from my friends or classmates, but also from my teachers and the parents attending. And those classmates and friends most of them were the ones who doubted me when I was young and I earned. They appreciated me and they respected me. At the end of the day, Powerful story.
Speaker 1:Offman, thank you so much for sharing that.
Speaker 1:I absolutely believe that that gave everyone that's listening goosebumps and that absolutely believes that that had been the case and you were so young then.
Speaker 1:Again, a great demonstration of just resilience and what we can do to change our own minds sometimes because sometimes it is our own minds that is trying to work against us and how we're able to make that change mentally in order to do things differently so that we could have our own better results.
Speaker 1:So thank you so much for having shared that powerful story of resilience and the ability for one to be able to change the way that we are encountering the world maybe, or maybe the way we think we're encountering the world. Just making that change is so important the mental aspect of it. So thank you for sharing that. If you could give individuals that have a similar condition to yours if not the same, if not the same words of advice when it comes to being able to either advocate for themselves, or maybe let's concentrate on individuals that are also considering becoming a language professional in the industry with a similar condition what would you recommend to them specifically? And then my other question is what would you recommend to individuals, such as myself that can do something to create a more inclusive environment for people with visually impaired conditions.
Speaker 2:Those are very good questions to begin answering for people who have a similar condition to me and trying to get into the language industry to become interpreters and translators. I would tell them that if you want to do it, then go ahead and do it. You have to believe in yourself and believe in the process and the journey you're about to embark on. If it's something that you like, something that you're passionate about, do it. And you have to, of course, advocate in yourself, because this journey isn't going to be all flowers and roses. It's important that, yeah, you do advocate for yourself in every aspect, whether it's at your workplace, whether it's in class, if you're taking interpreting courses similar to what I did with the coordinator of the program I was in when I was learning medical interpreting. I was in when I was learning medical interpreting and just in general, like if you do get into the profession and you have an on-site assignment, you know it's going to be an unfamiliar territory for you, so you have to learn how to ask for help when you need it, if you want to, if you need assistance navigating around the facility or the school you're in, and in terms of what professionals such as yourself in the field can do in general.
Speaker 2:I think all of us together need to just start considering and acknowledging that, yes, there are interpreters and translators who have a visual disability.
Speaker 2:We have to start by acknowledging that and then we need to think and start understanding how can we make the playing field more equal, how can we provide these interpreters and translators with tools that can put them on the same competitive level as their counterparts, like, for instance, when it comes to translation?
Speaker 2:I think we are at a disadvantage, considering that almost all the CAT tools that we know are inaccessible for translators in terms of their incompatibility with screen readers like VoiceOver, jaws, which is job accessibility with speech and other screen readers. So it makes it hard for us to work inside those programs or those tools and it makes the translation process for us much slower and it puts us at a disadvantage, especially if we have a big translation projects where we have to translate at least 5,000 words. So the client in this case is gonna prefer someone who does have access to those tools and knows how to use them. So that puts us at a disadvantage and, in terms of interpreting, I would mainly say that the focus should be more on on-job assignments in terms of like, let's say, at hospitals or schools. I would say maybe putting Braille signs or Bluetooth devices that we can utilize to know where we're going to or where we should go to. That would make us more independent and rely less on people who are at the setting.
Speaker 1:Excellent, Excellent advice. Thank you so much, Ahmed, once again for the opportunity to share your story on the Brand the Interpreter podcast. I very much hope that anyone listening has enjoyed Ahmed's story and, of course, if you would like to connect with Ahmed, I'll have all of his information in the episode notes. Ahmed, are you anywhere online social media? Do you have a website that you would like to share with this audience if they'd like to connect with you?
Speaker 2:Yes, if anyone would like to reach me, I'm available on LinkedIn. You can also contact me personally. Maria, I'll give you permission to also provide that detail in the notes. I'm also on Instagram, but in terms of a website, I'm still working on developing the website for my business at the moment.
Speaker 1:Very well. Well then, you've heard it here. Folks, I'll make sure to include all the links to be able to connect with Ahmed and if there's anything further that you would like to ask, please feel free to connect with him directly. Thank you so much, Ahmed, for the opportunity once again.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Maria. Thank you for having me. It was really a pleasure and an honor. I really enjoyed it.
