Ralph Olivier Pierre
English<>Spanish, Haitian Creole, French Translator and Interpreter
“Language justice means everyone has the ability to be heard in their own language and to fully understand what is being said to them in any type of conversation.”
Ralph Olivier Pierre is a medical school student, french teacher at the language institute of the University of Montemorelos, and also a translator for the language institute of the University of Montemorelos. He has a great passion for languages and everyday growth.
When asked what motivates him to be a part of Respond, and how has the work impacted your life, Ralph says, “Being part of Respond has helped me to perfect my translation skills, my ability to interact with other people, and also have a better understanding of different languages. Respond has helped me financially. As a student, having extra work to help provide for yourself is a plus. Since I started working for Respond, I have a better understanding of what is going on in different countries, and people’s situations. It helps me to translate for their particular situation. My translation skills have got better, my ability to teach has improved, my understanding of my language also has grown. Working for Respond also helped me financially. Many times I’ve been in a situation where I needed money, and Respond contacted me with a project, however small it is, it has helped me a lot.
Being able to translate a document in a brief period of time is a skill my work at Respond has helped me with. My ability to do ‘simultaneous interpretation’ has improved since I participate on many projects. I’ve learned more words, which helps me in my day to day conversations, and also in my job as a translator.”
Ralph tells us an interesting piece of information about Creole, “Most people think Haitian creole is a dialect—it is a well-constructed language, with its own grammar and vocabulary.”
The mental health of our team is very important. When asked about how he manages his while doing this work, Ralph said, “Mental health is the most important thing in someone’s life. Something I consider challenging is translating for the trauma victims. Being an interpreter means that we need to also translate the person’s feelings. You have to feel what they feel without letting it affect you personally.”
When asked a little known fact about himself, Ralph says, “ I am competitive. It helps me to be better at what I do, and care about people’s opinions on what I do. I use my competitive nature to better my skills.” Which leads into why Ralph’s favorite word is, ‘perfection.’ He says, “I believe that perfection is the best thing someone could be going after.”
Language justice and democracy are core beliefs at Respond. We asked Ralph to define language justice in his own words. His answer is very moving and meaningful, “Language justice would mean everyone would have the ability to be heard in their own language, and to be able to fully understand what is being said to them in any type of conversation.”
