I firmly believe that learning comes from doing. Academic studies are a great foundation and I’ve invested in a well-rounded education. But make no mistake, my knowledge has been tested over time in real life application! Care to take a guided tour of my academic landscape? WARNING: we’re taking the scenic route 😉
Fun fact: I have a choice of reading the bible in English, French, Spanish and Kreyol!
Incidentally, this is one of the most widely translated books in history. Ever wondered why?
I guess I could say my love for languages started from childhood. My parents listened to Julio Iglesias and Sergio Mendes at home and in the car. I remember dancing with my uncles to Venezuelan parranda and joropo at Christmas time. Foreign sounds filled my ears even before I could make sense of it all.
My foundational years were spent at the Chaguanas Government Primary school surrounded by sugarcane fields. After the dreaded Common Entrance exam I advanced to St. Augustine Girls’ High School where I studied English Language, English Literature, French, Geography, History, Mathematics, Principles of Accounting and Spanish. There I wrote more exams and I received a full CXC Certificate: all 1’s in eight subjects. Subsequently, I obtained A’Level certificates in French, Spanish, Principles of Accounting and General Paper.
Fresh out of high school, with nothing more than an A’Level certificate in hand, I was offered the opportunity to work as a Trainee Journalist at AVM Television Channel 4 under the distinguished leadership of Dale Kolasingh and Ed Fung. This private TV station was an incubator for numerous great Caribbean journalists. I seized the opportunity without a second thought for furthering my studies. While there I had an AHA moment when I was assigned to cover a Trade Mission from the Martinique Chamber of Commerce that was visiting Trinidad. I greeted the visitors in French and interviewed them for my story. They were so happy to meet someone who spoke their language that they invited me to stay in contact with them for future opportunities.
After two years of rigorous on-the-job training, having been exposed to research and writing for current affairs, features and documentaries, I felt it was time to consolidate my real-life learning with a formal degree. The rewarding AVM experience and my encounter with the Martinican business delegation comforted me in pursuing foreign languages as a complement to journalism. I had another eureka moment when I thought I could become a multilingual journalist travelling the world, covering news in foreign lands thanks to my language skills! This eventually came to pass when RFO Martinique hired me years later to contribute to the TV programme “Caraïbes” produced and directed by Marie-Claude Céleste. The Frenchies wanted to know what was happening in neighbouring English-speaking islands. I was the bridge between these two worlds. I also hosted an English-language tourism programme on the radio while writing for Hello Caribbean, a bilingual news magazine produced in Martinique.
With my love of languages and dreams of being a globetrotting journalist I signed up for French, Spanish and some Management elective courses at the University of the West Indies in St. Augustine in 1996. I got a part-time job at the Tourism and Industrial Development Company (TIDCO) as a Visitor Information Officer at the Piarco airport. Those were rewarding experiences, studying by day and greeting tourists by night. Along the way, in 1998, I had the opportunity to study at the Université des Antilles-Guyane in Martinique thanks to an exchange programme sponsored by the French Government through its Embassy in Port-of-Spain. Subsequently, upon completing my Bachelor of Arts in French (with Spanish and Management in tow), I returned to Martinique in 1999 as an English Language Assistant. If I’m not mistaken, I was the only UWI student who specifically requested to go to Martinique… everyone else wanted to go to metropolitan France. Paris, Lyon, Montpelier and Rouen were in high demand back then but I ‘fraid de cold’ so it was French West Indies for me s’il vous plaît!
I spent three years teaching English to students in high school, primary school and doing refresher conversation courses for English teachers. During this time I became intentional about getting a deeper understanding of the local Creole language and culture. By the time I left Martinique, even Immigration Officials had trouble believing that I was Trinidadian when I presented my passport! I looked and sounded like a Martinican! That’s among the greatest compliments I’ve had to date!
Life took a surprising turn which led me to Guadeloupe where I spent three years working as a multilingual Communications Assistant. Simultaneously, I pursued a Master’s degree in Communications (Communications des Organisations Publiques, Privées et Politiques) with l’Université de Versailles St. Quentin-en-Yvelines through a private local institution I2M Sup de Co. I graduated in 2005 and had the distinction of being the only English native speaker pursuing the programme that year. This solidified in my mind that language opens doors. Had I not mastered French, I would not have been accepted into the programme which was being delivered in French language. French was my bridge from a BA to an MA degree!
Another life change led me back to my native land, Trinidad and Tobago where I had the chance to pursue a Postgraduate Diploma in Interpreting at the UWI in 2005/2006. Another AHA moment came toward the end of the course when we, ambitious students, were given the opportunity to work alongside seasoned interpreters for the CARICOM Meeting of Agriculture Ministers in Port-of-Spain in June 2006. This was no simulation or practice run. This was the REAL DEAL! At the end we were congratulated for our services. The Ministers didn’t know there were students in the interpreting booth! I came full circle when my CXC French Examiner, Eric Maîtrejean, became one of my Interpreting lecturers and then my booth buddy! This experience felt like my true calling! Why be a multilingual journalist when I could be an Interpreter? I started dreaming of interpreting from one of those classy, glass booths at the United Nations Palais des Nations in Geneva! Just like Nicole Kidman in the 2005 film “The Interpreter”!
Life evolved in T&T and far beyond. I’ve had many opportunities to pursue my passion for foreign languages through various jobs and consultancies with organisations including: the Institute of Marine Affairs (2006), the Association of Caribbean States (2007), Caribbean New Media Group (2007), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (2008-2015), the International Labour Organization (2017) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS-2019). Every experience confirmed that I was meant to be exactly where I am today!
My academic journey along this scenic route was not without hurdles but every time I stumbled and fell, I picked myself up, dusted off my knees and kept going. I came close to turning away from my purpose at times but that inner voice kept cheering me on! Go Gen! Today I am relieved and super proud to have received notification that I will be graduating with distinction from the University of Malta and Diplofoundation having pursued a Master’s degree in Contemporary Diplomacy in 2019/2020. Hopefully border restrictions will be lifted so I can attend graduation and meet up with my cohort buddies in Malta in 2022.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malta,
In the meantime, I’m enjoying my new entrepreneurial status as CEO of Interpreting Your Needs through which I assist individuals and companies with language barriers to comprehend, connect and collaborate!
Connect with me to chat about the quicksand you’re in and allow me to guide you into the promise land you’re seeking!
Gennike Mayers
interpretingyourneeds@gmail.com