Interview with Mr Lee Seng Giap, an acclaimed veteran translator and interpreter by Rosie Wee

The Interview The stage was set for a manslaughter trial held in a juvenile court because of the age of the accused. The lawyer commissioned to defend him was none other than the esteemed criminal lawyer David Marshall, and the court interpreter was Mr Lee Seng Giap. Witness: I saw the accused took bowl from the hawker stall pail. [Spoken in Hokkien] Seng Giap: Do you mean bowl or bowls? [Spoken in Hokkien] Marshall: Objection. A court interpreter should not engage in a conversation with the witness. Seng Giap: Your honour, there is no singular or plural for nouns in Chinese. I have to clarify so that I can interpret accurately. A pregnant silence permeated the courtroom. Judge: Interpreter, please proceed. The above scenario was fleshed out during the interview with Mr Lee. It was a triumphant moment for him and one of the highlights of his career. The moral of the story – it takes courage, confidence and knowledge to stand by one’s conviction when challenged. “That was an open court dispute between the interpreter and criminal lawyer, David Marshall, top of the top, but I won,” he beams. 79- year-old Mr Lee Seng Giap, also known as “voice of Singapore leaders” retired for good in 2013 after holding an illustrious career that spans 30 years as translator and interpreter and another 23 as a freelance interpreter and book translator. Childhood Born in 1934 and the eldest son of an immigrant father from China, Mr Lee grew up in Singapore. “Being the eldest, I had to take on the responsibilities of looking after my siblings,” he says. Growing up in the Jalan Besar / Kampong Kapor area also added variety and spice to his childhood. “It was a very complicated environment – trishaw pullers, chup-jee- kee (gambling with numbers) players, people selling opium under the counter and occasional gang fights,” he reminisces. He studied in Chong Cheng (Chinese) Primary School. In the early days dialects were the lingua franca of the communities living around him. It offered fertile ground for him to pick up the languages and became conversant in them. “I learnt a lot of dialects as a child. I picked up Cantonese, Teochew, and Hokkien was my home language, this became useful when I started work as an interpreter,” he says. The added bonus for him was the mastery of both Mandarin and English which he learnt in the schools. He recalls with fondness a particular teacher of English, Mr Goh Chin Soon who impacted him and ignited his love for the language. “My classmates did not like to study English, so they didn’t pay much attention to it. I didn’t take that attitude, I gave equal attention to both languages. My Father passed on in my PSLE year. Despite his death, I topped the class,” he says. From Chong Cheng Primary School, he switched to the English stream in Balestier Primary and completed his secondary education in Beatty Secondary School. In Beatty, he was teased by classmates and called: Chinaman; but he proved them wrong by excelling in both languages. His excellent results won him a scholarship to study in the University of Malaya. Unfortunately the passing on of his parents compelled him to give up the scholarship to enter the workforce in order to support his siblings. On the job as translator and interpreter In 1957 he became a trainee teacher, but life was hard. “The school I taught was far from my home, I had to teach and do part-time training, travel all the way from the school to attend lectures in the then Teachers’ Training College, and I had to prepare lessons and teaching aids. The pay was also not attractive,” he says. The breakthrough came to him in 1958 when an ex classmate invited Mr Lee to join him as a court interpreter. There was no turning back for him. His career took off from then on. “He said to me, ‘hey, you are so good with languages, why don’t you join me,’ so I joined,” he quips. Uncertainty and conflict characterized the years before independence in 1965. It was marked by turbulence as people grappled with issues of social inequality and national identity. The Chinese educated students felt marginalized as better job opportunities were given to the English educated. In 1961, hundreds of Chinese school students boycotted the Secondary 4 exams in protest against the school system. 1962 was a significant year for Mr Lee. He was in the midst of history in the making when he was commissioned out of 20 others to interpret for a Commission of Inquiry investigating the 1961 incident. The climate in the courtroom was revolutionary, replete with idealism of youth. So what were his thoughts and feelings at that time? Did he feel for the students? Was his sympathy towards them, having come from the Chinese stream himself? “As an interpreter we had to take an oath to the effect that – ‘I shall interpret to the best of my ability without fear, favour or ill will,’ I took an absolutely neutral position. I had no interest in the case. That was my stand. I was the star of the day, because I was so good,” he beams. The demands of the job did take its toll on Mr Lee, at least in the initial stage. “After work, when I sleep, I get nightmares – being chased by monsters and ghosts; it’s the stress but after coping and getting used to the work, the nightmares diminish,” he smiles. But is this kind of job all stress and no play? Were there anecdotal accounts and yes, even quirky ones worth sharing? He recalls a time when the ministers and civil servants from Singapore met up with their counterparts from China. It was customary for the hosts to serve Maotai, (an intoxicating drink) to their guests at the banquet. “Our ministers and civil servants are non-drinkers, whereas I have an in-born tolerance level for alcohol. So when the time came, I happily obliged. I drank 6 Maotai straight and could still carry on with my job of interpreting,” he laughs. He saw this as an asset an interpreter should have. How did the delegates from Singapore know about his high level of alcohol tolerance? “Word spread around quickly. There was one occasion, in the early years, I went with the Singapore delegation to China; the leader was the director of EDB. We travelled in a train, crossing the Yellow River. From one bank of the river to the other, the director and I drank from a bottle of XO; by the time the train reached its destination we had drained the whole bottle!” He chuckles. “During an annual Citizens Consultative Committee dinner, I raised the issue of breath test as unfair, to the OC of Traffic Police, because different people have different tolerance level for alcohol,” he quips. In 1970, he played an instrumental role in the standardization of road names. He cautioned the tendency to translate street names based on its sound. He had to rectify the translation of Raffles Place. Based on the sound, Raffles Place translates to “Raffles impolite,” which is hilarious and absurd. The future of interpretation and translation So what makes a good interpreter and translator? Is proficiency in the two languages sufficient? “Languages are only tools, you must have good education, knowledge, quick wit, ability to withstand stress, be alert, and have presence of mind. You need to have a combination of these factors – when you interpret, you are not just using the language,” he emphasizes. So what are the changes he would like to see in interpreters new to the field? “A flair for languages and other factors. Interpreters must have interest, determination, work hard, passion, and a never-ending learning attitude. It’s difficult to find someone to fit this position because the job is so demanding. It’s difficult to find another Lee Seng Giap,” he adds. His children however, have not followed in his path, preferring to pursue other fields of interest. He laments that the occupation is not attracting enough talented people as they have better options. Young people are also unable to withstand hardship. Also, interpreters are not as well paid as some doctors and lawyers. It is his heart’s desire to see translators recognized as professionals. To this end, Mr Lee has the following suggestions: “Make it a profession that is attractive enough. English and Chinese should be taught at first language level in the schools,” he says. So what is the pull factor in a job of this kind to motivate interest in interpretation and translation? “The satisfaction is immense. As interpreters we are bridging the linguistic gap between people, and promoting understanding across barriers. It’s a great job despite the demands,” he says. After 53 years on the job, Mr Lee has finally called it a day. He thinks he deserves a well-earned rest. He spends his time with his family, surfing the net, travelling, reading and writing. He believes in active ageing, and knowledge of two languages is an asset which stalls dementia. When asked what he would like to be remembered as, Mr Lee says: “Remember me as an extraordinary ambilinguist.” This interview was documented by Rosie Wee, a Memory Corp of the Singapore Memory Project. Rosie Wee Singapore Memory Corps Volunteer