No Title 2237
Supplement to “The Horse Course State”
When equestrian athletes arrive in Kentucky for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG), linguists from the state’s colleges and universities will be on hand to ensure that no aspect of the competition is lost in translation.
Slated to take place from September 24-October 10, the Games are considered the most prestigious equestrian competitions in the world. The 16-day event will draw athletes and spectators from around the globe to the Kentucky Horse Park, the first-ever American venue to host the games.
Volunteer interpreters fluent in 12 languages will help bridge linguistic gaps for non-English-speaking athletes, medical personnel, and others attending the games. Some of those volunteers will be members of the foreign language faculty at Georgetown College.
“I and five of my colleagues will provide French, Spanish, and Japanese interpretations,” says Jana Brill, Ph.D., chairman of the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department at Georgetown.
Other linguists will be drawn from a pool of a variety of backgrounds screened by faculty from Georgetown, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Louisville.
“We have specific standards to determine volunteers’ foreign language proficiency,” says Brill. “We at Georgetown are testing for French and Spanish. Faculty from UK and U of L are screening for other languages such as Portuguese and Japanese.”
All linguistic volunteers will receive special training to acquaint them with equine-specific terminology, including medical service and competition terms used at the Games.
Brill agrees, “We’re going to need some training with the equine-specific terms, but I’m so excited to take part in this event. It’s a magnificent international opportunity for the whole community.”
WEG spokesperson Amy Walker adds that volunteers in general, beyond just language services, are still needed for the Games. You can sign up now on their Web site at www.alltechfeigames.com/volunteer.
To read the Kentucky Living February 2010 feature that goes along with this supplement, go to The Horse Course State.
