Helping with media coverage is all in a day’s work for baseball interpreters.

English is a second language for a number of major league baseball players. So naturally, interpreters have come to play an important role in helping players with limited English skills carry out their athletic duties.

A recent article published by MLB.com emphasizes the diversity of tasks performed by baseball translators. Of course, they need to understand the national pastime in order to help their clients during practice and games. But their work isn’t over after the 9^th inning – media relations are also a major part of the job.

One of the high pressure tasks these interpreters perform is dealing with post-game media coverage. If an LEP (Limited English Proficiency) client for has a big game, the interpreter will be the player’s voice at press conferences with scores of reporters. It’s no time to translate on the fly – the interpreter needs to have followed the game closely and understand all of the key plays in order to render his client’s comments in a

“Suzuki [interpreter for Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro] serves as the PR contact for the sizable Japanese media contingent that follows the club,” writes Sunil Joshi. “He's also been known to throw batting practice.”

A baseball interpreter may be hired primarily for language and personal skills, but the profession can lead to a greater interest in the game – and other career possibilities. Suzuki, for example, is hoping to wind up in the front office.

Betty Carlson

See Also

• Language Translation, Inc.
  A leading language translation and interpretation service provider for more than 20 years.