Interpreting for Yoga Workshops and Teacher Training Courses

Workshop by Duncan Wong, Tokyo, June 19, 2011 (Minako is on Duncan's right)

Article by Minako Suzuki
English translation by Dylan Robertson

One evening in the latter half of April, thanks to one of my yoga instructors, I set out for Tokyo Midtown with the inventor of Yogic Arts, Duncan Wong. He teaches a moon viewing yoga class through park yoga, so I went along as his interpreter. Despite being warm during the day though mainly cloudy, when the sun went down the wind gained strength, and it became cold. When we arrived at the meeting place in this environment, everyone was already there warming up on mats on the lawn.

First, his Yogic Arts began with words of light philosophy. “Let’s send the energy created by the action of asana to everyone in the disaster area! Let\’s love Mother Earth as well.\” They rode the pop music, arm balancing and dancing in sun worship. After that, genuine, sword-waving martial arts moves appeared too. I was very cold just interpreting so I jumped on the bandwagon, but even that was cold. It seems everybody was enjoying themselves trying their hardest to move around to stay warm. There were even people mimicking Duncan-sensei and trying handstands. There were also children among the participants. Parents and children seemed to be having a good time together. Ah, if that was the case, my enduring the cold to interpret was worthwhile.

I started to interpret for Duncan-sensei this way in May 2010. His workshop at Ohanasmile Studio in Meguro in Tokyo was my full-blown yoga interpretation debut. I had this chance thanks to attending his Yogic Arts 100 hour teacher training at the end of 2009.

2009 was a year when my yoga life reached a turning point. I was introduced to the very first Tibetan Heart Yoga 300 hour teacher training, at Sun and Moon Yoga Studio in Meguro, which I started to attend in the spring of 2007. The training was split into two modules, so I went to Arizona in America twice to receive my diploma. During the same period, I was affected by a personnel reduction at the American insurance company where I was working. Frankly, I was very surprised by virtue of the timing. Not worrying about living expenses for a while thanks to the severance pay, I was able to immerse myself in practicing and studying yoga!

So, I registered to volunteer at Yoga Generation, which has an office near my home. I got the things I learned in Arizona published on their blog. Then, at the end of the year I found out about Duncan-sensei\’s 100 hour teacher training at a ballet studio near my home. In spite of having attended his workshop only once, I filed my registration as if somehow guided.

Workshop by Duncan Wong, Tokyo, June 19, 2011 (Minako is behind Duncan)

When I was in the lower grades of elementary school, I lived near Yokota Air Base in Fussa City in Tokyo. I had the opportunity to play with the American kids after school, and naturally picked up real English. Since becoming a working adult, I\’ve taken advantage of this English to work as a freelance translator/interpreter, conference interpreter for foreign companies, and bilingual secretary. During my time as a conference interpreter, I mainly specialized in simultaneous interpretation of Japanese into English. It consumed considerable physical strength, and strained my physical condition so much that, when I switched to become a bilingual secretary, I thought I would never do interpreting again.

Because of that, when Duncan-sensei asked me to be his interpreter, as backup for Padmini-sensei who’s his interpreter in the Kanto region, I was frankly quite hesitant. While I had interpreting experience, because the core of yoga interpretation is English to Japanese consecutive interpretation, it’s the exact opposite style of the interpretation I did previously.

The first few times, capturing the tempo of the interpretation was fairly difficult. Striking a pose while moving your body as a student, and just converting the language of the instructions to Japanese for other students, are completely different things. Then, I remembered when I studied stage plays in the past, and attempted to interpret playing the part of Duncan-sensei. By doing so, I became able naturally to sense what he wanted to say, and the words would come forth.

Since May in last year, apart from Yogic Arts, I have had the privilege to interpret for teachers of many styles, from Anusara, restorative, yin yoga, maternity yoga, mantra yoga and kids yoga to Pilates. In order to prepare for interpreting, I study beforehand by gathering information on the style and poring over textbooks. Thanks to this, I have been able to obtain a wide knowledge of yoga. In addition, I have been translating yoga workshop and instructor training manuals and other yoga related materials.

By doing so, the knowledge I’ve gained through my interpretation and translation work will not only become my background knowledge for new interpretation and translation work, but will also be extremely useful for when teaching yoga myself, and writing articles on the Yoga Generation site’s blog. Every day, I am truly grateful that my way of thinking and outlook are broadening, and my life is advancing.

While continuing with this work, what I want to go on to work on is teaching English through yoga. From my own experience learning English, I believe not “studying” English by learning English textbooks by heart, but experiencing it while moving your body, is a shortcut to language acquisition. I hated sitting at a desk and studying, but became able to use English naturally just by playing, which became useful as my bread and butter. I would like the children who will carry the future on their shoulders to broaden their outlooks by becoming accustomed to English, and to be active, not just in Japan but overseas as well, by preparing body and mind through yoga.

Of course, I will keep doing my best at my yoga interpretation work. Being able to act as an intermediary between all the yogi/yogini of Japan, regardless of age or gender, and the foreign teachers is truly an honor.

Namaste,
Minako

For more information, please see Minako Suzuki’s Yoga Teacher Profile.