--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Saving Lives and Protecting Rights in…" description: "\"“Saving Lives and Protecting Rights in Translation It is said that life and death are under the power of language. —Hélène Cixous, French author and ph..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/nataly-kelly-43694_books_saving-lives-and-protecting-rights-in-tr_1211165.jpg" --- # Saving Lives and Protecting Rights in Translation It is… ![“Saving Lives and Protecting Rights in Translation It is said that life and death are under the power of language. —Hélène Cixous, French author and philosopher Lifeline The phone rings, jolting me to attention. It’s almost midnight on a Friday night. I didn’t want to work the late shift, but the…” quote by Nataly Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/nataly-kelly-43694_books_saving-lives-and-protecting-rights-in-tr_1211165.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/nataly-kelly-43694_books_saving-lives-and-protecting-rights-in-tr_1211165.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/nataly-kelly-43694_books_saving-lives-and-protecting-rights-in-tr_1211165.jpg) > ““Saving Lives and Protecting Rights in Translation It is said that life and death are under the power of language. —Hélène Cixous, French author and philosopher Lifeline The phone rings, jolting me to attention. It’s almost midnight on a Friday night. I didn’t want to work the late shift, but the need for my work never sleeps. Most of the calls I get at this late hour are from emergency dispatchers for police, fire, and ambulance. They often consist of misdials, hang-ups, and other nonemergencies. I’ve been working since early this morning, and I’m just not in the mood tonight to hear someone complain about a neighbor’s television being turned up too loud. But someone has got to take the call. I pick up before it rings a second time. “Interpreter three nine four zero speaking, how may I help you?” The dispatcher wastes no time with pleasantries. “Find out what’s wrong,” he barks in English. He didn’t ask me to confirm the address, so I assume he must already have police officers headed to the scene. I ask the Spanish speaker how we can help. I wait for a response. Silence. I ask the question again. No answer, but I can hear that there’s someone on the line. We wait, but we don’t hear any response. It’s probably just another child playing with the phone, accidentally dialing 911. I imagine the little guy looking curiously at the phone and pressing the buttons, then staring at it as a voice comes out of the other end. This happens all the time. I turn up the volume on my headset, just in case it might help me pick up the scolding words of a parent in the background. Then suddenly, I hear a timid female voice speaking so quietly that I can barely make out the words. “Me va a matar,” she whispers. The tiny hairs on my arm stand up on end. I swiftly render her words into English: “He’s going to kill me.” Not missing a beat, the dispatcher asks, “Where is he now?” “Outside. I saw him through the window,” I state, after listening to the Spanish version. I’m trying to stay calm and focused, but the fear in the caller’s voice is not only contagious, but essential to the meaning I have to convey. For what seems like an eternity (but is probably just a few seconds), I hear only the beeps of the recorded line and the dispatcher clicking away at his keyboard. I feel impatient. He’s most likely looking to see how far the nearest police officer is from the scene. “Interpreter, find out where she is.”” [Nataly Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nataly-kelly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Language can decide life or death when translators convey urgent pleas. **In simple terms:** Words can save lives. Key Takeaway Translate accurately, act swiftly. Themes communication ethics emergency response language power responsibility Mood tense urgent reflective Type narrative cautionary inspirational When to use this quote - emergency dispatch - night shift - interpretation - crisis management Key Concepts translation risk assessment human rights critical listening Questions to Reflect On - How can translators verify authenticity? - What protocols ensure safety? A Different Perspective Miscommunication can endanger lives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Female voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female-voice/) [Friday night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friday-night/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life and death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-and-death/) [Police officer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police-officer/) [Police officers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police-officers/) [Power of language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-of-language/) [Saving Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving-lives/) [Stay calm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stay-calm/) ## Related quotes > [“Saving Lives and Protecting Rights in Translation It is said that life and death are under the power of language. —Hélène Cixous, French author…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nataly-kelly/saving-lives-and-protecting-rights-in-translation-it-is-said-that/) [Nataly Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nataly-kelly/) > [We must not allow our men and women in uniform to fall behind in technological advances when they have selflessly dedicated their lives to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-johnson/we-must-not-allow-our-men-and-women-in-uniform-to-fall-behind-in/) [Mike Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-johnson/) > [Most of us spend our lives protecting ourselves from losses that have already happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/most-of-us-spend-our-lives-protecting-ourselves-from-losses-that-have/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [“The others were trying to spare you from pain. The truth can be devastating. We spend much of our lives protecting ourselves from it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-mull/the-others-were-trying-to-spare-you-from-pain-the-truth-can-be/) [Brandon Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-mull/) > [Poetry is ordinary language raised to the Nth power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/poetry-is-ordinary-language-raised-to-the-nth-power/) [Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/) > [In prosperous times I have sometimes felt my fancy and powers of language flag, but adversity is to me at least a tonic and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/in-prosperous-times-i-have-sometimes-felt-my-fancy-and-powers-of/) [Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/) > [There's no doubt in my mind that 'Slam' is going to be huge. It's a film about the power of language. People are going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/there-s-no-doubt-in-my-mind-that-slam-is-going-to-be-huge-it-s-a-film/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) > [One must avoid ambition in order to write. Otherwise something else is the goal: some kind of power beyond the power of language. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/one-must-avoid-ambition-in-order-to-write-otherwise-something-else-is/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [I was really grateful to have a chance to have some really in-depth study about the power of language using a philosopher who taught…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/i-was-really-grateful-to-have-a-chance-to-have-some-really-in-depth/) [Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/) > [“Writing is a concentrated form of thinking. I don’t know what I think about certain subjects, even today, until I sit down and try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/writing-is-a-concentrated-form-of-thinking-i-don-t-know-what-i-think/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [...in song the words tend to lose their significance, do often lose it, while at the other extreme, in current prose it is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/in-song-the-words-tend-to-lose-their-significance-do-often-lose-it/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [“Striving to convey to this beloved audience of one what was going on around me during those five years, I learned the power of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-russell-sanders/striving-to-convey-to-this-beloved-audience-of-one-what-was-going-on/) [Scott Russell Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-russell-sanders/) > [Poetry is above all a concentration of the power of language, which is the power of our ultimate relationship to everything in the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/poetry-is-above-all-a-concentration-of-the-power-of-language-which-is/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“The power of language. Preserving the ephemeral; giving form to dreams, permanence to sparks of sunlight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/the-power-of-language-preserving-the-ephemeral-giving-form-to-dreams/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [One of the benefits of being a mature well-educated woman is that you're not afraid of expletives. And you have no fear to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/one-of-the-benefits-of-being-a-mature-well-educated-woman-is-that-you/) [Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/) ## More by Nataly Kelly > [“Saving Lives and Protecting Rights in Translation It is said that life and death are under the power of language. —Hélène Cixous, French author…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nataly-kelly/saving-lives-and-protecting-rights-in-translation-it-is-said-that/) [Nataly Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nataly-kelly/) > [“Not everyone who knows how to write can be a writer. Not everyone who knows two languages can be a translator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nataly-kelly/not-everyone-who-knows-how-to-write-can-be-a-writer-not-everyone-who/) [Nataly Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nataly-kelly/) > [“Of the 193 recognized countries in the world, only politically isolated North Korea is considered monolingual.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nataly-kelly/of-the-193-recognized-countries-in-the-world-only-politically/) [Nataly Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nataly-kelly/) > [“As long as human beings speak different languages, the need for translation will continue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nataly-kelly/as-long-as-human-beings-speak-different-languages-the-need-for/) [Nataly Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nataly-kelly/) > [“In Iraq, interpreters were ten times more likely to be killed than were U.S. troops.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nataly-kelly/in-iraq-interpreters-were-ten-times-more-likely-to-be-killed-than/) [Nataly Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nataly-kelly/) > [“To deny access to translation and interpreting services oppresses human rights and violates laws.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nataly-kelly/to-deny-access-to-translation-and-interpreting-services-oppresses/) [Nataly Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nataly-kelly/) > [“Poetry translation is like playing a piano sonata on a trombone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nataly-kelly/poetry-translation-is-like-playing-a-piano-sonata-on-a-trombone/) [Nataly Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nataly-kelly/) > [“Translation software is not making translators obsolete. Has medical diagnostic software made doctors obsolete?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nataly-kelly/translation-software-is-not-making-translators-obsolete-has-medical/) [Nataly Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nataly-kelly/) [Explore all 9 Nataly Kelly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nataly-kelly/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Saving Lives and Protecting Rights in Translation It is said that life and death are under the power of language. —Hélène Cixous, French author and philosopher Lifeline The phone rings, jolting me to attention. It’s almost midnight on a Friday night. I didn’t want to work the late shift, but the need for my work never sleeps. Most of the calls I get at this late hour are from emergency dispatchers for police, fire, and ambulance. They often consist of misdials, hang-ups, and other nonemergencies. I’ve been working since early this morning, and I’m just not in the mood tonight to hear someone complain about a neighbor’s television being turned up too loud. But someone has got to take the call. I pick up before it rings a second time. “Interpreter three nine four zero speaking, how may I help you?” The dispatcher wastes no time with pleasantries. “Find out what’s wrong,” he barks in English. He didn’t ask me to confirm the address, so I assume he must already have police officers headed to the scene. I ask the Spanish speaker how we can help. I wait for a response. Silence. I ask the question again. No answer, but I can hear that there’s someone on the line. We wait, but we don’t hear any response. It’s probably just another child playing with the phone, accidentally dialing 911. I imagine the little guy looking curiously at the phone and pressing the buttons, then staring at it as a voice comes out of the other end. This happens all the time. I turn up the volume on my headset, just in case it might help me pick up the scolding words of a parent in the background. Then suddenly, I hear a timid female voice speaking so quietly that I can barely make out the words. “Me va a matar,” she whispers. The tiny hairs on my arm stand up on end. I swiftly render her words into English: “He’s going to kill me.” Not missing a beat, the dispatcher asks, “Where is he now?” “Outside. I saw him through the window,” I state, after listening to the Spanish version. I’m trying to stay calm and focused, but the fear in the caller’s voice is not only contagious, but essential to the meaning I have to convey. For what seems like an eternity (but is probably just a few seconds), I hear only the beeps of the recorded line and the dispatcher clicking away at his keyboard. I feel impatient. He’s most likely looking to see how far the nearest police officer is from the scene. “Interpreter, find out where she is.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nataly Kelly" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nataly-kelly/saving-lives-and-protecting-rights-in-translation-it-is-said-that-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nataly-kelly/saving-lives-and-protecting-rights-in-translation-it-is-said-that-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/nataly-kelly-43694_books_saving-lives-and-protecting-rights-in-tr_1211165.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/nataly-kelly-43694_books_saving-lives-and-protecting-rights-in-tr_1211165.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/nataly-kelly-43694_books_saving-lives-and-protecting-rights-in-tr_1211165.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Saving Lives and Protecting Rights in Translation It is said that life and death are under the power of…” — Nataly Kelly", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nataly Kelly", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nataly-kelly/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Saving Lives and Protecting Rights in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nataly-kelly/saving-lives-and-protecting-rights-in-translation-it-is-said-that-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nataly-kelly/saving-lives-and-protecting-rights-in-translation-it-is-said-that-2/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```