The Interpreter

Lena is an interpreter. Her rule is simple: “I am a pane of glass. I say what people say. I do not add anything.” On Thursday, in a glass room in Rotterdam, the rule is hard.

Two companies talk about the sale of a family shipyard. Mrs Voss wants to buy it. Mr Janssen, the seller, is an old man. His hands shake a little. Lena translates every sentence.

At the coffee break, Lena hears Mr Janssen’s grandson in the corridor. “Opa, the roof is not good,” he says in Dutch. “If you say it is good, it is fraud.” “I need this sale,” the old man says quietly. Lena does not move.

Back at the table, Mrs Voss asks, “Is the roof in good condition?” Mr Janssen looks at his hands. “Het dak is in goede staat,” he says. It means: the roof is good. Everyone looks at Lena. She knows it is not true.

“Excuse me,” says Lena. “I cannot translate a false sentence, and I cannot say why. Please stop the meeting and ask an expert to look at the roof.”

Mrs Voss looks at her. Mr Janssen is grey, but then he looks relieved. In the corridor, he says, “Thank you.” Lena thinks nobody will call her again. But on the train, she feels like a person, not a pane of glass.