My Role in Interpretation: Nature and the Environment
For me, as a developing nature interpreter and a growing human, there are a lot of values and ideals that are important to stay true to when I’m out there in the world, observing and interpreting. I’ve discussed and reflected throughout this course about who I am as an interpreter, so it’s only fitting to share that as I sign off for my final blog.
I remember mentioning in my first blog post how I felt this field of conservation and interpretation is where I was meant to end up. I wanted to talk more to that and why I chose to pursue this type of work.
First off, I was an anxious kid when I was younger, not that that changed very much. I remember learning about climate change in science class, and it blew my mind when I found out this isn’t how it’s always been. There was a time when people didn’t worry about their emissions, or fret over a hole in the ozone layer, or talk about tipping points and irreversible damage and the ocean levels swallowing us whole.
Not every generation was told they were the last hope.
I had originally wanted to become a vet. I always say I changed majors from Animal Biology to Wildlife Biology and Conservation because I didn’t want to be doing the same spays and neuters for the rest of my life. The truth is, when I first heard about WBC, I was drawn in and it felt like I had this “aha moment” where I realized my purpose and where I would excel. Since then, I’ve learned just how to fulfill this purpose. I’ve heard over and over that it’s hard to make a career out of animal/environmental care and conservation. But that’s not why people rally to make these big movements for conservation, raise awareness, and advocate through their interpretation. So what drives us, what drives me?
I’m not in it for the money. I know I’m selfless and honest and respectful and empathetic. But these aren’t the values I want to describe just me, I want these ideals to be associated and intertwined with my interpretation, to guide and direct it.
Selfless
Selflessness means putting others before yourself. When I say I think it’s important to be selfless as an interpreter, what I mean is that you constantly have to be thinking about the audience you are providing your interpretation to. Interpreters aren’t doing this service just to hear themselves talk or just to cash a cheque. I became an interpreter because I cared about getting important messages out to people that want to listen. You can’t disregard your audience because they are the reason we interpret, and they are how our interpretation will spread.
Honest
As an interpreter, I never lie to an audience, and I will always stick by this. I won’t make an issue bigger than it is, but I also won’t sugarcoat it to lessen the sting of reality. People are seeking interpretation and its services because they want to learn. I want my interpretation to be meaningful and relevant. We discussed in Unit 6 the importance of integrity, mostly in regard to historical interpretation, but this ideal is applicable to interpretation as a whole. It’s my job to make my message entertaining by itself, not add useless, half-true, or distracting filler for the sake of entertainment. An interpreter’s role is to lay out the facts, and move people to make them care about the message.
Respectful
I feel this one is pretty self-explanatory, but the idea behind this is that people copy what they see. Of course, we want to practice respect all the time, but sometimes people forget that applies beyond human-human interactions. I think it’s not only important to be respectful of the people I talk with, but also of the animals I may handle to demonstrate messages, or the plants I pass on a nature hike, or just the way I talk about my appreciation for the environment around me. I think it’s especially important to verbalize to an audience the respect I am showing when demonstrating appreciation for something because it encourages mutual respect between them and me, and also them and their environment.
Empathetic
I want to be mindful of other people and how my interpretation may be further perceived based on different privileges. I think this was an important topic we reflected on in the course earlier, and moving forward something I will be (and already have been) conscious of when designing my approaches for interpretation. I think being empathetic can make me a better and more effective interpreter this way since I am constantly thinking about how to be more inclusive by changing my message, delivery, target audience, etc.
I aim to inspire people with my passion and enthusiasm for wildlife and environmental conservation. Sometimes I want to inspire action and change, other times I just want to make someone care. Not all of us interpreters will be reaching the same audience, so it’s important to work together so that we can rally everyone together for a common goal, a positive experience that can one day lead to positive change.
Art, science, technology, and teaching are the approaches I tend to gravitate toward as an interpreter, and I think are best suited to me as an individual. I like to use these four in combination because they can have different effects on how your message is presented and interpreted. Teaching is personable and unique, but so is art. Art doesn’t require much talking sometimes and can lead to deep reflection. Science is cool and fascinating, and also empowering for audiences. Technology is becoming more accessible and can elevate interpretation.
I didn’t leave myself very many words to summarize my post, but I hope some people out there relate to some things I’ve said and have more to add themselves. I definitely could go on, so if we meet on the other side of this screen, let’s chat about nature interpretation! You can tell me what you learned and I will share what I have too. Cheers to a good semester, best of luck.
Teagan :)
Hey there Teagan!
I thought your focus on personal ethics in this blog post was inspired. I like how you listed put and explained the things you value in a concise manner, whilst also relating them to the course. I do have to say I share a few of these values with you.
In my blog post, I also mentioned empathy. I think our 3rd blog post really hammered this one down for me. Talking about privilege whilst also recognizing our own invisible backpacks allows us to apply nuance to the ways we interpret. Not everyone has the same background, and it is important to recognize that as it allows us to apply our interpretation on a wider, more inclusive scale.
Your section on selflessness was something I really had not thought of before. Or at least thought about it in that way. I too agree, that keeping the audience in mind is the most important thing. I just really never thought of it as selflessness, but I think that is a great way of characterizing it. I think that was one of the challenges I faced when beginning this class. Finding ways of not only expressing my experiences but also making that applicable to other people reading. I think its in the nature of interpretation to make something appeal to you, but it is important to recognize that at the end of the day, the media is for other people to read through.
"An educational activity which aims to reveal meanings and relationships through the use of original objects, by firsthand experience, and by illustrative media, rather than simply to communicate factual information"
~Freeman Tilden
At the end of the day, these are firsthand experiences so it's easy to forget their purpose is for others. Its when we can recognize this nuance as interpreters to be able to apply our own experiences and apply them to a wide range of readers.
Anyways, enough rambling... great post Teagan!
Cheers,
Colin
References
Beck, L., Cable, T. T., Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage for a Better World. Sagamore Venture. Tilden, F. Chapter 1. What is Interpretation? (pp. 5).
















