Back in the day when I wore a diplomatic suit

Representing the USG overseas.

When I was in Thailand serving my country.

One day I was given

The greatest linguistic challenge

I ever faced.

I spoke Korean and passable Thai

After being trained to speak Thai.

We had gotten a call from our police contacts

They had in custody a Korean woman.

Who they wanted to question

Regarding the death of her American boyfriend

Under mysterious circumstances.

But the Thai police did not speak Korean

Nor much English, could we assist?

My boss who knew I spoke Korean

Volunteered my services

And off to the police station, I went.

I told the grieving woman

Who I was and the limit

Of my involvement including

I was not her attorney,

And we did the interview.

Going back and forth

Between Korean, Thai

And broken mangled English.

Korean, Thai, and English

Are three languages

That perhaps are as far apart

As any language could be.

Needless to say

It was quite a linguistic feat

And this was in 1994.

Decades before the invention

Google translation programs

On one’s phone to help out.

We finally got the sordid tale sorted out

Her boyfriend had taken heroin

At Cheap Charlies and passed out.

She was not charged and released.

She thanked me for my translation services

And I went back and wrote the death cable.