Jimmy, the Translator, Calls

Weather: -8 and cloudy

MONTREAL – Oh boy. Jimmy, the translator and guide from Cape Dorset, just called me.

Turns out he’s not going to be available for much of the time we’re in Dorset.

Kananginak Pootoogook, the artist, is having a solo show in Vancouver and Jimmy has to go with him to translate.

We’re supposed to arrive in Dorset on Friday, February 19th and leave on Thursday, February 25th. Jimmy was scheduled to work with us for much of that time.

But now he and Kananginak have to leave Dorset on Monday, February 22.

Jimmy said he’s happy to still work with us on the weekend before he leaves. And he’ll find another translator for the rest of our stay. I think he said her name is Liina and he says she’s also very good at translating for artists.

It may not seem like a big deal that Jimmy will be gone, but it is.

He’s the best Inuktitut – English translator I’ve ever heard. He’s Inuk, the former manager of Kinngait Studios, Cape Dorset’s world-famous print shop, and he’s completely bi-cultural. He doesn’t just translate the words, he translates the ideas behind them as well.

When it comes to interviews about art, feelings and emotions and the philosophical side of art, that’s the kind of translator you need.

And most importantly, he’s worked with, and translated for established Cape Dorset artists like Kananginak and Kenojuak Ashevak, for over 40 years.

The artists trust him.

I’m getting a little worried. We’ll see what happens when we get there.