Say What, Say How

Perhaps the most underappreciated job in major-league baseball right now is that of the interpreter; you can’t go international without one.  The success of Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese players can depend on what their interpreter says, and how it’s said.  Latin players oftentimes rely on a bilingual teammate to translate for them, but I wonder.  Midwesterners who’ve gone to NYC or Boston at some point feel like they’re in another country with all the extra t’s and r’s and “ah’s” that come out of people’s mouths.  Spanish has to be the same way as it’s spoken in the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Venezuela, among other places.  And what do they speak on Curacao?

Baseball is a game of nuance both as it’s played and learned.  Pitchers have to understand grips and arm angles while batters are forever experimenting with their stances.  Clare would have coaches talk to her about her “load,” and she’d have to explain to me what they meant (a batter at the ready position as the pitch is thrown, I think).  Now, imagine a hitting coach talking “load” or hips or shoulders to a player who wants help.  It’s one thing to speak Korean, Japanese or Chinese, and quite another to apply it to the game of baseball.  I would think the best interpreters are ex-jocks rather than expats.

Players and organizations have to decide on some happy medium when it comes to language; the onus to learn English seems to fall heaviest on Latin players.  The White Sox look to be doing something a little different in that regard.  Not only do they have a team interpreter, the interpreter helps players do postgame TV interviews.  This strikes me as a smart thing, signaling to players their “take” on the game matters more than the language it’s given in.  It also shows respect in this age of Trump.

Who knows, once a player expresses himself in his own language, he may be willing to learn another.