KRISTY RAMNARINE
Kristy.ramnarine@cnc3.co.tt
Student, writer and interpreter Bilquees Mohammed is 22. She is one of the four co-authors of the just-published Juanita and the proud cat mom of Helen, her calico baby girl.
This year, she will complete a Postgraduate Diploma in General Interpreting at York University, where she focuses on Spanish-English and French-English interpreting. “I graduated from the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and French and attained First Class Honours,” she said.
“I’m currently pursuing postgraduate training in interpreting at York University in Toronto, and I freelance as an interpreter on the side (performing remote and on-site interpretations). I was also recently shortlisted as one of ten Rhodes Finalists for the 2024 Commonwealth Caribbean Rhodes Scholarship to gain funding to study at the University of Oxford.”
Mohammed said it was on the very first day of Spanish class in Form 1 she decided to do languages.
“I remember coming home that first week of secondary school and telling my mom I thought being able to speak many languages was the coolest thing ever. I’ve always been infatuated with the concept of multilingualism, often seeking out films and series in Spanish and French.
“Throughout secondary school, I intermittently considered other options, such as law or economics, but I could never let go of my love for languages, so I took the leap to double-major in languages at the UWI in 2020.”
For her, it was second nature to pick Spanish at every point of her academic journey. “Spanish is our first foreign language in Trinidad and Tobago,” she said. “We are surrounded by an array of hispanophone Latin American countries, and our national and cultural history was also shaped in part by the Spanish.
“Spanish is a beautiful language as much as it is a useful language for Caribbean people, especially when it comes to diplomacy, business, and art, and so choosing Spanish for CSEC, CAPE, and UWI was an automatic decision.”
Mohammed, along with her co-authors, were the project coordinators for the UWI Student Volunteer Initiative, which was a pilot project allowing UWI students to mentor Venezuelan migrant children, giving them academic support, and helping them learn English.
“We started off by creating worksheets for the UWI students to use with the migrant children to do weekly activities, and our colleague Rayne suddenly said one day, ‘Guys, why don’t we just write a book?’ The three of us immediately jumped on board with the idea and started pooling ideas and drafting outlines,” she said.
“We divided the writing and translating processes according to our individual skills and passions, so there was no reason for us to ‘clash’ as we all had different focuses and responsibilities when crafting Juanita.
“When it came to the important questions of diversity, representation, and the fundamental goals behind the project, we were on the same page from the get-go. I’m really grateful to work with Rayne, Talia, and Jesse. It’s a gift to be able to create something meaningful like Juanita with friends.”
Mohammed said people have been genuinely perplexed about how she ended up in such a field.
“Outside of Rayne, Talia, and Jesse, most of my friends are pursuing Law or Medicine, so I think a lot of people assume I’m in one of those fields as well until I explain that I interpret and translate,” she said. “ Likewise, when I meet Hispanic migrants, they are typically surprised to meet a woman who is visibly Muslim, as many of them are not so familiar with Trinidadian demographics. But I love what I do, and I hope West Indian society will increasingly see the value in pursuing humanities subjects.”
As fasting for Ramadan is coming to an end to make way for the celebration of Eid, Mohammed continues to balance her studies. “I stay up after Fajr (pre-dawn) prayer and do work when the coffee I drank for suhoor is fuelling me,” she said.
“I do schoolwork and read the Qu’ran during that time, and I try to make up for lost sleep with a nap during the day. I think learning to wisely use my energy when I do have it has been key to getting the most out of Ramadan.
“I also think learning to divide tasks and not do everything at once and become exhausted is an important skill to master during Ramadan, one I’m still working on myself.”
She is very proud of having accomplished the launch of Juanita during Ramadan, although the dates were not planned.