Words often come back to haunt them
Spanish-speaking players often are reluctant to speak to the media, fearful that their limited English skills will make them look foolish.
10:55 AM EDT on Wednesday, August 27, 2003
BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer
When Sammy Sosa was caught using a corked bat earlier this season, he
was immediately besieged by the media.
The generally accommodating Cubs star answered their questions. But
English is a second language for Sosa, a native of the Dominican
Republic, and some of his answers weren't worded correctly. He mixed a
few tenses and misused a word or two, not unusual for someone not
speaking their native tongue.
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AP photo
A MISUNDERSTANDING: The Cubs' Sammy Sosa, at the plate against Tampa Bay, was beseiged by the media after using a corked bat earlier this season. The Associated Press quoted Sosa verbatim, and in print his comments looked unintelligent.
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Most times, print reporters will "clean up" quotes if there are glaring
grammatical mistakes, a common practice that doesn't alter the meaning
of what is said. The Associated Press, however, quoted Sosa verbatim,
and in print his comments looked unintelligent. Most newspapers in the
country, which depend on the wire services for national stories, ran the
AP account.
Pedro Martinez, and many other Latins, were incensed. He was so mad that
he prevailed upon the Players Association to put pressure on Major
League Baseball to have interpreters at the ready for all Latin players.
Ultimately, the wire service issued a formal, written apology to Sosa,
and the Players' Association dropped its push for interpreters. But
Sandy Alderson, MLB's executive vice president for baseball operations,
said the incident, and Martinez's reaction to it, brought to the
forefront a valid issue.
"I was at the National Hispanic Journalists Conference (in late June),
and there was a discussion of Spanish-speaking players being quoted
literally in English, which accounted for a different impression of
Sammy Sosa," said Alderson. "Sometimes the quotes will be cleaned up by
a reporter. It's happened to me, where the reporter will clean up what I
say.
"In this case, I don't know whether (Sosa) was viewed as a Spanish
person who was speaking English, or was it a question of the reporter
feeling ethically bound to report the quote word for word rather than to
rephrase it. It's an interesting question," said Alderson.
It's an issue in every clubhouse. Spanish-speaking players often are
reluctant to speak to the media, fearful that their relatively limited
English skills will make them look foolish. They're afraid of being
laughed at by reporters, fans, even their American teammates.
"It's very difficult if you're not able to express in a clear sentence
what you want to say," said Martinez, a native of the Dominican Republic
who speaks English as if he's lived in the United States all his life.
"Sometimes, knowing as much as I know and understanding as much as I
understand, with as much experience as I have, I am afraid of the
media," added Martinez. "It's not a coincidence that they call the media
the fourth power of the world.
"The media can make you look the way they want unless you really know
what you are talking about. Sammy (Sosa) is a good example. They can
make it look worse than it really is to sell papers, to make it look
more dramatic for people."
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AP photo
PITCHMAN FOR FAIRNESS: Red Sox' Pedro Martinez, working against Seattle this month, urged Major League Baseball to have interpreters for Latin players after Sammy Sosa was made to look unintelligent.
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And, says Martinez, Latins can be easy pickings.
"Latins are shy. We're sensitive and very different," said Martinez.
"Some have never been interviewed until maybe winter ball. Nobody
actually teaches you how to deal with the media. I was lucky, because my
brother, Ramon, played for the Dodgers. He went through it and told me
what it was like."
Nowadays, organizations have academies where they teach English to
young, Spanish-speaking players. They also try to teach them how to deal
with the media. By the time most Latin players reach the majors now,
they've already had some experience with English and the press.
Even so, dealing with a group of reporters seeking quick, spontaneous,
well-thought-out answers can be a difficult experience if you're not
used to it.
"Sometimes we still make mistakes and sometimes we'll say something we
don't mean to say, and people think we mean it," said Red Sox first
baseman David Ortiz, who also is from the Dominican Republic. "That's
why we might not talk
"The thing is, you hear the question in English, you have to translate
it in your mind to Spanish, think of an answer in Spanish, and then
translate that to English. It may take a few minutes to put an answer
together, but everyone wants the answer right now. It's tough sometimes."
