The International Interview

Sara is discovering the nuances and complexities of getting the story when you don't know the language. She is a tireless pursuer of freelance success and we appreciate her insight into the process.

For those new to Travel Writing at Suite 101, Sara is currently in Spain immersed in learning the language and finding the story behind the faces she meets...

Postcards from Spain II

The International Interview
By Sara B. Miller

One thing I didn't consider, before embarking on a career as a travel writer, is the language barrier. I quickly found out in Spain how the already difficult interview process is heightened without a common tongue.

The week-long festival Feria de Abril in Sevilla breaks from the solemnity of the Easter season, and I´m currently writing a feature on how a virtual city is born within Sevilla each year. On a designated spot southwest of the city center, over 1000 tents-turn-temporary-homes pop up, throughout which sevillana is danced, sherry is drunk, flamenco dresses are donned.

One always must do homework before an interview: in books, previous articles, the Internet. This part of the preparation process took much longer than usual, as I spent the majority of my time on a virtual hunt for English words. But eventually I found (mostly at tourist bureaus) the background information I needed.

When it came down to the meat of the article (only obtained by talking to the people who are part of a story), the difficulty level increased at least two-fold. With only five weeks of Spanish to my name, I can barely get by on a ¨hello, I did this yesterday¨ basis, let alone discuss the intricacies of the historical and social impact of Feria.

In addition to tapping into all the patience within you, it is also essential to find a subject willing to give you a lot of time. The interview will nearly double in length in order to search for words in a dictionary or just ask one more time the significance of a local phrase. My subject, Antonio, was also willing to write down all that was said between us. While a nuisance for him, the written word is essential to avoid fact errors.

In the end, certainly my quotes are limited to quick sound-bitey type phrases and opinions, but it is worth the struggle to talk with insiders and see the story through their experienced eyes. I hope the obstacles of my first foreign interview will lessen as the verbal barrier disappears, but I suspect that learning how to interview in another language is a valuable tool for any journalist, especially one with eyes on the rest of the world.

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