Author: jonathan

Dr. Kitana Ananda

Educational Narrative

My earliest memory of learning, would have to be roughly in the first grade. I remember learning different words and how sentences go together. The early introduction to making sentences/structures is what sparked my creativity for reading – but not only reading, I immersed myself in all educational topics, I discovered at an early age to appreciate what I read , despite of its content. I vividly remember travelling around New York in train and bus and seeing posters and ads and reading all of them. Even if they did not make sense.

My education was based in New York City – all public school. From kindergarten to senior year of high school, I have learned that public institutions, no matter how much people berate it, have significance and importance in so many people’s lives – including my own. Aside from having traditional public institution education (i.e., public elementary and HS as well as college), I have also gotten education in the military. I spent 5 years in the military, learning everyday new procedures and laws pertaining to what my career goal was. I have assisted in times of high stress, as a translator/linguist, during drug busts, migrant interdictions and search and rescue cases.

One particular instance of learning something outside the classroom is how to translate and interpret on the spot. Growing up, I never took any spanish classes, all the spanish I know I learned at home (Colombian mother)  and with friends (multi-latino). Having the opportunity of being exposed to these languages at an early age, gave me the upper hand when choosing what I wanted to do with myself in the military. During times of high stress, being an asset to case, one has to be specifically mindful of words and sentences employed. The translation has to seamlessly be integrated verbatim and there has to be mutual understanding between both sides of the translated conversation, in order to avoid confusion and to make sure there is clarity between both parties. In most cases, this goes well – in others, there are words that can’t really be changed to english, due to the nature of the spanish language.  

Certain things are “lost in translation”. I use this term because there are instances where finding the appropriate conduit for language can be particularly grueling, a seemingly impossible task, where words are stuck “on the tip of the tongue”, once you  add a drug bust scenario where there are men dumping kilos of cocaine over the side of the getaway vehicle as you chase them, you are at a loss for words momentarily, but you refocus your attention to the task at hand: conveying the message clearly.