As part of an international performing arts company that tours dozens of countries each year, one of the biggest challenges for a Shen Yun performer is the language barrier. Based in New York, most of us are ethnic Chinese who grew up in English-speaking countries. As such, almost all of us are fluent in both Chinese and English. Sounds fantastic, right? These are two of the world's most spoken languages; that must be pretty useful. It really is, to be honest. Except when we go to Europe.

Our first stop was Frankfurt, and I didn't speak a word of German. Second stop, Florence. The only Italian I knew was from Super Mario. For most of the company, not speaking the local language is no big deal. With our insanely busy schedule, our only real communication with the local population is through dance and music. For me, however, it's a major handicap.

In addition to being a musician, I'm also part of the “Audio Team,” a small group of orchestra members who volunteer to help with the production process. Basically, our job is to enter the theater hours before most of the company, set up the orchestra pit to our desired specifications, and hook up all our audio equipment to the theater's sound system. This is a job that requires a lot of communication and cooperation with the local theater staff. You can see why not speaking the local language might be an issue.

Frankfurt was not that big a problem, as most of the theater staff spoke very good English. Florence was a whole other story. The entire theater staff featured only one English speaker, and he was so busy with work on stage that I was basically on my own. Italians’ work habits seem to be very different from Americans. They are much more laid back and leisurely, it's part of the culture, I’ve been told. I enjoyed the atmosphere there, it was a good, relaxing vibe. But when it came to work, I would have to take the initiative if I wanted anything to get done. I found the theater staff standing around in a circle, chatting and laughing. Not knowing how to interject, I walked around awkwardly trying to get their attention. Finally, one of them noticed me and nodded with a smile. Aha! I smiled back, and he… returned to his conversation.

Frustrated, I sat down in a front row seat and decided to wait for the next translator that came along. No one came. After another ten minutes of waiting, I became impatient. At this point, I was ready to get a piece of paper and draw if that's what it took. I knew I had a sketchpad app on my iPod (Note to potential sponsors: I could just the same be writing about a Blackberry, Droid, Palm, or any other device…), and then, suddenly, I saw the light. Yes, I had a sketchpad app....but I also had a Google Translator app! Literally tearing the iPod out of my pocket, I set the translator for “English-to-Italian,” and typed a question regarding the orchestra pit. I had no idea how to pronounce Italian, and didn't want to sound like an idiot trying, so I took the lazy man’s method. Tapping a theater staff on the shoulder, I showed him the screen. Suddenly, his face lit up with a loud, “Ah! Si!” The group of theater staff sprang into action. Excited, I continued typing, translating, and showing them the screen. Before long, everything was smoothly in motion. The theater staff was quite fascinated with my communication method. One of the older men pointed to my iPod and said: “Mama mia! It’s beautiful.”

Now, while we all had an amusing time, and Google Translator got the job done, I felt like a total slacker being relegated to showing people my iPod screen. How lame, right? So I made myself a promise. When we go to France, I am so speaking French. I immediately began learning basic phrases, specific technical terms, and all the questions I needed to ask regarding the orchestra pit. We have a couple of native French speakers in our company, so I spared no effort seeking pronunciation help. While it might have been annoying to those around me on the bus, the result was definitely worth it. At our next stop, Clermont-Ferrand, I put my French to good use. Although I understood less than five percent of what was spoken back to me, I was able to make clear requests for what we needed. It made the whole process a lot more efficient as I didn't need to pull over a translator for something like: “I need five more chairs please.”  Through this experience, I relearned that while there is often an easy way out, hard work is much more satisfying.

I also discovered that I really like the French language, and would like to learn more of it beyond “theater talk.” Right now I know how to say things like “I need a taller podium,” “Is it possible to lower the orchestra pit?” and “Do you have extensions for the light stands?” but when a lady at a crepe stand gave me the price of the Nutella crepe I bought, I stood there stupefied until another customer in line behind me politely whispered to me the price in English. The other day at a bakery in Lyon, I asked for a box of 60 mini macaroons when I really meant to say 16. The lady behind the counter raised a brow at me before pointing to the menu, which maxed out at a box of 32. I pointed at the 16 option while repeating: “I want a box of 60.” She laughed, leaving me confused for a moment before realizing what I've done and joining her in laughter. Yeah, my French is really dysfunctional at the moment. I'm working on it though.

And so, the moral of this blog entry is: Learn more languages. Even if it's just a simple phrase or a couple words, you never know when it might come in handy. People really appreciate it when the effort is made, and you won’t end up with 44 extra macaroons.

March 23, 2011