The interpreter is too kind, but I nod politely. After all, Tani is a teacher of foreign languages and literature at Marquette with a doctorate from Indiana University.
Diplomatic skills are doubtless a requirement for an interpreter skilled in several languages.
Japanese-English interpreters have become a staple in major league baseball, what with Japanese and American reporters intermixing at press conferences covering the exploits of Japanese pitchers in this country. Tani assured Greenberg that yes, she speaks fluent baseball, too. A lifelong Yomiuri Giants fan, Tani grew up in Tokyo but moved to New York City in the 1960s. Ask Ms. Atsuko Tani if she knows baseball and you'll likely get a quick recitation of the starting lineups for both teams in the 1969 World Series. Since's Nomo's debut with the Dodgers back in 1995, Japanese reporters have become a regular sight across the United States.