On Thursday, November 2, 2017, Ms. Straus, our teacher of Translation and Interpretation and her class, went to The Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. On the bus, excited chatter filled the air. After around an hour and a half, they arrived at the Middlebury Institute, its country flags from around the world, representing the international student body, flowed in the air. The thrilled students hurriedly dismounted from the bus and were greeted by two tour guides, that for the first 5 minutes, let everyone stretch and get comfortable.

Soon after, the tour guides introduced themselves and discussed what Middlebury Institute is all about. They talked about how many students apply, but only a certain percentage are accepted to this Institute, and how this school is a key to success in possible careers as a translator or interpreter. The tour highlighted alumni like Lefteris Kafatos from Greece, who went to Middlebury, and soon was amazed at how he found himself interpreting for our past President, Barack Obama, during his historic visit to Japan in May 2016.

Lincoln translation and interpretation students toured campus and were impressed to see that they had a peace garden. This is a place Middlebury students could go and plant certain herbs, fruits, or any other type of plant. Our tour guide had informed us that this was actually a major stress-relief zone.

After lunch, students were also given the chance to translate for the people in an auditorium below what was being said in English through a tiny radio headset that allowed you to hear the translator if necessary by turning on the volume and switching to your channel / your language of choice. Many students were thrilled with this experience and left in clumped groups all abuzz about how this is the place they all wanted to go to.

After spending the day touring the campus, Lincoln students reentered the school bus impressed, thinking of all the new, sunny possibilities they would never have known to be possible if it wasn’t for the tour of this stunning campus. If you want to be a language translator, this is the place for you!