Skip to main content

Annette Zak

Annette Zak

Annette Zak

Knox College

Participant in the 2010 ACM Student Symposium on Off-Campus Study

  • Program: Knox College Program in Buenos Aires, Argentina - Fall 2009
  • Graduation: June 2011
  • Majors: Creative Writing and Spanish

 

The Journalist, Lost in Translation

My time spent in Buenos Aires was without a doubt one of the best parts of my life thus far. Besides being immersed in a language that means so much to me, living with a host family that came to mean the world to me, and the best female role models I have ever had, I was able to test out my journalistic abilities from abroad.

   
 

At left: Video of Annette Zak's presentation at the Symposium.

 

See also:

 I wrote narrative pieces about hiking on glaciers, but also hard news stories about protests in the heart of the city to legalize abortion. I will never forget when I walked up to a man at the protest and asked him in Spanish why he was protesting and understood his answer perfectly. I will also never forget another man at that same protest who, when he saw the look of confusion on my face after he answered my question, said "Want me to say it in English?"

Annette with members of her host family.

But what does it really mean to be lost in translation? I found the most difficult thing about reporting from abroad was finding a way to truly communicate my experiences to those who had never been to Buenos Aires, Argentina, Latin America, or anywhere that even spoke Spanish. Let's examine just how fundamental the actual SOUNDS of a language are to understanding the PLACE where that language is spoken. How does one communicate things into another language when the language is so essential? Does a chant at an Argentine futbol (soccer) game really carry the same passion if you turn it into English? These were the questions I grappled with while writing, and ultimately I found myself asking, how do I tell the rest of the world?

 

Photos and materials on this page are courtesy of the presenter.

Photos and the contents and materials in this presentation may not be reproduced or used in any way without the express, written consent of the presenter.

News & events