Certainly not 'Lost in Translation'

This time in 2006, we had moved to Tsuruoka in Japan. We left the humidity and heat of Singapore, and landed in Tsuruoka in late March, and we're welcomed by piles of  snow cleared from the roads on the sidewalks.

Everything was new to us. The place, the people, the language.. everything.

Before we left Singapore we bought a copy of a Japanese-English and English-Japanese dictionary. It was a small one. Just about the size of a paperback. With 10 days of a crash course in Japanese and that tiny dictionary we set off on a journey to a new land with a toddler in hand.

When we landed in Tokyo, there were English signs in most places, and I thought we were worrying too much and that we would be fine. When we reached Tsuruoka, it was a different story. Hardly any signs in English. We put all our faith in our dictionary and marched on to meet life.

Oh the translation issues we've had were legendary. Imagine going to a hospital and having no language in common with any doctor there. Imagine using sign language and drawings (I actually drew something that was supposed to be a human body, but looked more like a homicide scene outline) to communicate with a doctor. Imagine having to use amateur volunteer translators and sincerely hoping that the doctor understands you have an earache and are not asking for a frontal lobotomy.

I really don't know how I coped in those days. If it happened today, I might just have a meltdown.

Thanks to Google and Google translate life is so much easier now. When someone starts talking point the phone at them and Google gives live speech to text translations that are rather accurate. It is to incredibly stress free. 

Even signs. Point Google lens at signs for instant translations.

I remember a time in Japan when I asked someone to get a rolling pin and got an earbud instead. Or the time when a nurse insisted that my doctor was a buckwheat noodle. That's a story that needs a lot of time and a lot of wine. Or even vodka.

I remember asking for vegetarian food and was served slivers of raw meat and seafood. Now I just say it into Google translate and there's absolutely nothing lost in translation.

Things have changed so much over the last 20 years.

Life has become so much easier now, hasn't it??