The Translator and the Word for Heifer
A visiting buyer's translator got stuck on the word heifer, and a ten minute meeting turned into an afternoon of pantomime on my Dumas dairy.
A buying team came out to my dairy one October to see where their cheese was made. There were four of them, along with a young translator named Mei who spoke better English than I do, which is a low bar. We started the tour in the barn and everything went well until I said the word heifer.
Mei paused. She told me she had never heard it. I explained it was a young female cow that has not had a calf. She said she would try, and she said something in her language to the four visitors. They all looked at me, then at the cows, then at each other, with the great politeness of people who have not understood and are trying to be helpful.
So I tried to act it out. I pointed to a heifer, then I pointed to a cow, then I used my hands to show a calf. I put my hand at my waist for young, and then I raised an eyebrow for not yet a mother. I am not proud of the eyebrow. One of the men started to laugh. Another took a picture of me. Mei put her hand over her mouth.
After about twenty minutes the oldest man, whose name was Mr. Lin, held up a finger and said something very serious. Mei turned to me. "He says you are describing a teenager," she said. I said that was exactly right. The whole group burst into laughter, and from that moment on the meeting was the friendliest I have ever held in a barn.
We signed the order that afternoon. I still say the word heifer slower around visitors now. I read about trade help at the federal trade office, and I put a small glossary on my wall with six words and a drawing of a teenager. The story is on farm.FM, and Mr. Lin sent me a card at the holidays, signed Heifer.
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