The moment my translator failed during a government appointment in Montreal

I was at the immigration office in Montreal last November for my work permit renewal. The translator they provided kept mixing up my answers and saying things I never said. One time she told the officer I worked at a restaurant when I actually work at a hotel. I stopped her and spoke directly to the officer in broken French instead. It was messy but the officer actually appreciated me trying. Got the permit approved two weeks later. Has anyone else had a translator or interpreter mess up something important for them?

2 comments

2 Comments

emerycarr4d ago

Happened to me at a clinic in Ottawa last year. My French is bad but at least I'm saying what I mean.

gray_schmidt84d ago

Yeah that translator story is rough. I had something similar happen at the hospital a few years back. The interpreter kept saying I was there for a checkup when I was actually having bad chest pains. I finally just pointed at my chest and said "heart hurts" in my broken Spanish. The doctor understood me right away and got me in for tests. It was awkward but I learned to just trust my own simple words over a translator who is messing things up. Your French try sounds like it worked because the officer saw you were being real and honest, even if it wasn't perfect.