Intermediates

Language, to some, is a wall. It is barrier that separates those with opportunities and those who are crippled by lack of knowledge. To others however, it is an area of advantage where, in the case of Things Fall Apart, one can make a profit. In novel, when the villagers are asked for a fee to release the village leaders from jail, the request the translators make increases by a 25% so that they can take some sort of advantage of the situation in hand. When one is using a translator or intermediate so much can be lost and misinterpreted. In the story, the intermediates play a big role and I was very wise of the author to keep them making appearances throughout the end of the novel, especially the part in which Mr. Brown is replaced by Reverend Smith. The intermediated keep coming up in a way that helps us remember the times this story is set; they remind us that this is no ordinary 21st century conflict where English is most likely to do the taking. No, this is set in 1890s and the lack of communication caused many misinterpretations and complications along the way for any gesture the translator made even if it was a simple matter of word choice, the main stream of the idea being translated could be completely lost. The translators could also be interpreted as a weakness and a sign of vulnerability because of the lack of clarity in communication.