The Interpreter at the Clinic

On Tuesdays, Ahmet volunteered as an interpreter at the community clinic, wearing a lanyard that was a size too big for him. Most weeks the work was simple: allergies, forms, a child's cough.

Setiap hari Selasa, Ahmet menjadi juru bahasa sukarela di klinik komunitas, dengan tali kartu pengenal yang ukurannya terlalu besar untuknya. Kebanyakan minggu, pekerjaannya sederhana: alergi, formulir, batuk seorang anak.

That afternoon, however, the doctor had warned him in advance. The patient was an elderly man who had worked as a tailor for fifty years. His hip needed an operation, and afterward there would be months of rehabilitation.

Sore itu, namun, sang dokter sudah memperingatkannya lebih dulu. Pasiennya seorang pria lanjut usia yang selama lima puluh tahun bekerja sebagai penjahit. Pinggulnya perlu dioperasi, dan setelah itu akan ada berbulan-bulan rehabilitasi.

Ahmet was reading the notes in the corridor when the man's daughter, Hanne, stopped him. Her eyes were red. "Could you make it sound smaller?" she asked. "Please. Tell him it's a minor repair. He has been worrying about everything lately."

Ahmet sedang membaca catatan di koridor ketika putri pria itu, Hanne, menghentikannya. Matanya merah. "Bisakah Anda membuatnya terdengar lebih ringan?" tanyanya. "Tolong. Katakan saja ini perbaikan kecil. Belakangan ini ayah saya mengkhawatirkan segala hal."

Family members were not allowed to interpret at the clinic, because they tended to protect the patient. Ahmet understood the rule better now than he had that morning.

Anggota keluarga tidak diizinkan menjadi juru bahasa di klinik itu, karena mereka cenderung melindungi si pasien. Ahmet kini memahami aturan itu lebih baik daripada tadi pagi.

"I know why you're asking," he said gently. "But if I made it sound smaller, he would plan the next year around something untrue. Then you would be the one to explain."

"Saya mengerti kenapa Anda meminta itu," katanya lembut. "Tapi kalau saya membuatnya terdengar lebih ringan, beliau akan merencanakan setahun ke depan berdasarkan sesuatu yang tidak benar. Lalu Anda yang harus menjelaskannya."

Hanne looked at the floor for a while. Then she nodded.

Hanne menatap lantai cukup lama. Lalu ia mengangguk.

In the consulting room, the doctor spoke in short sentences, and Ahmet passed each one on at the speed the old man could follow. "He says the hip is badly worn and you need an operation. It is a serious one, but the surgeons do it every week."

Di ruang konsultasi, sang dokter berbicara dengan kalimat-kalimat pendek, dan Ahmet menyampaikan masing-masing dengan kecepatan yang bisa diikuti pria tua itu. "Beliau mengatakan pinggul Bapak sudah sangat aus dan Bapak perlu dioperasi. Operasinya serius, tapi para dokter bedah melakukannya setiap minggu."

The man listened with a flask of tea held between his knees. Then he held up his palms a few inches apart, the way a tailor shows the width of a hem. "How long until I can stand at my cutting table?"

Pria itu mendengarkan sambil memegang termos teh di antara kedua lututnya. Lalu ia mengangkat telapak tangannya dengan jarak beberapa senti, seperti cara seorang penjahit menunjukkan lebar sebuah kelim. "Berapa lama sampai saya bisa berdiri di meja potong saya?"

Ahmet translated the question. The doctor explained that walking with a frame would begin within days, but standing for hours would take about four months.

Ahmet menerjemahkan pertanyaan itu. Sang dokter menjelaskan bahwa berjalan dengan alat bantu akan dimulai dalam beberapa hari, tetapi berdiri selama berjam-jam butuh sekitar empat bulan.

Ahmet repeated it in exactly those words, "four months," and then he stopped talking. He had learned that a pause could be part of the translation.

Ahmet mengulanginya persis dengan kata-kata itu, "empat bulan", lalu ia berhenti bicara. Ia telah belajar bahwa sebuah jeda bisa menjadi bagian dari terjemahan.

The old man looked at his daughter, then at the window. He spoke quietly, and Ahmet waited until he was sure the sentence was finished.

Pria tua itu memandang putrinya, lalu jendela. Ia berbicara pelan, dan Ahmet menunggu sampai yakin kalimatnya sudah selesai.

"He says four months is longer than he hoped," Ahmet told the doctor, "but shorter than he feared."

"Beliau mengatakan empat bulan lebih lama dari yang beliau harapkan," kata Ahmet kepada sang dokter, "tetapi lebih singkat dari yang beliau takutkan."

Beside him, Hanne let out a breath she had been holding since the corridor. Ahmet wondered whether he should have warned her more gently, but she did not look angry.

Di sampingnya, Hanne mengembuskan napas yang ia tahan sejak di koridor. Ahmet bertanya-tanya apakah seharusnya ia memperingatkannya dengan lebih lembut, tetapi Hanne tidak tampak marah.

Before they left, the man spoke once more. "He asks whether the doctor could write the dates down," Ahmet said. "He wants to count the days."

Sebelum mereka pergi, pria itu berbicara sekali lagi. "Beliau bertanya apakah dokter bisa menuliskan tanggal-tanggalnya," kata Ahmet. "Beliau ingin menghitung harinya."

The doctor pushed a pen and a blank form across the desk. The old man took them both and turned the form over. Then he began to draw a calendar, with the long, steady lines of a man who had spent his life cutting straight.

Sang dokter menyodorkan sebuah pena dan formulir kosong ke seberang meja. Pria tua itu mengambil keduanya dan membalik formulir itu. Lalu ia mulai menggambar sebuah kalender, dengan garis-garis panjang yang mantap milik seseorang yang seumur hidupnya memotong dengan lurus.