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.
