Ikrom Alajoulin

Polyglot Interpreter/Translator

Hello! My name is Ikrom and I am a fourth year Sociology and Criminology student at the University of Florida. I was born and raised in Florida but my family is originally from the Middle East. During my college experience, I have studied abroad twice, each in order to expand my language skills. The first was in Santiago, Dominican Republic and the second in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I was able to pursue internship opportunities focusing on community empowerment and development in both cities I studied abroad in. My internships have not only fueled my career interests of advocacy and justice, but also allowed me to expand my language skills and cultural awareness. Additionally, I am a native speaker of Arabic in the Palestinian/ Jordanian dialect and study the formal dialect at UF. After graduation, I plan on entering the interpretation/translation industry, with a preference for fields such as criminal justice, community organizing, social services and medical services.

There is No Language Without Culture

Achieving bilingualism and/or polyglotism can only be done through an understanding of the cultural context in which language exists. These contexts are presented in many forms such as music, dance, vernacular, traditions, etc. I have found that focusing on a particular country as the context grants the most efficiency. For example, it was unrealistic to research each Spanish-speaking country. Therefore, I began with the Dominican Republic because of friends. Then, with Portuguese, I focused my energy on Brazil. And finally, I re-visited my Palestinian roots to study Arabic. Without such intimate relationships with those countries' cultures, both abroad and in the U.S., I wouldn't have engaged with the language as profoundly and joyously.

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