Three (3) Other Lecturers

Father Christmas is around. He was notorious for being unfastened  in his marking. The co-lecturer of TRA 605 was spotted walking speedily to class. During my term of office in ASTI, I never saw him walk slowly. He was always in a hurry, sweat oozing out of his pores and chalk spotted all over his attire. He hails from BAFUT and has some complex character traits. He is mid-way between short and tall, very dark in complexion, has an improved version of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air haircut and he always put on yesteryears dark suits, and some complex shoes (Pointinini). The self-proclaimed Grand Chancellor of Translation Orders brought with him a one-page article which pertained to conflict management. Gossips had it that after his M.A. in Translation he furthered his studies in Political Science. He even dubbed his office the Grand Chancellery. We both had something in common, we had a phobia for ENAM (graduates). He was the most liberal translation lecturer I came across. Every proposal was acceptable, and he never translated, students did. The only day I heard him reject a proposal was when a student translated “Vu la Constitution” as “In view of the Constitution” and he screamed, SCANDAL! This girl, who I was informed, had a problem upstairs, hence she never behaved normally. She came to class depending on her menstrual cycle and sometimes surfaced just to write CAs. “Had she been in class, she would not have given such a translation”, yelled the Grand Chancellor. He was also identified with the expression “Abeukeu” and also for using the “Smirnoff” example during his translation classes.  He was a nice man and his teaching method gave everyone the chance to express him/herself.

 

                         The German! Unfortunately or maybe fortunately, I was never taught by the German, but the rumours about him on campus can be the subject of an M.A. dissertation. He taught Translation into German and sometimes other translation courses. He is metis in complexion, slim, cow-boy looking, always casually dressed and always wore sleepers to school. He had a brown velour jeans, coupled with a Sangoku-like jacket and a brown shirt. He wore a suit only the day he was installed as Head of Division. He had a Manu Dibango-like bald-head which had attained completion point. Ironically, his bald had some spots of life-less hair and he always smiled, even when he was killing you softly. His office was detached from the ASTI power-house but he had his ear on the ground. In brief, all I know of this man I know personally to be nice was come from I hearsay.

 

                      Kaschinsky as she was tagged was a Russian-born! She was rugged. She was a surprise package ASTI administration offered us. She came from nowhere, and she became somebody.  She was the only woman able and capable to teach translation in ASTI. She brought a notorious and translation-threatening text during her first exams titled “Oil Conundrums”; she escaped lynching after that paper by a lynch-mob (I was a member). She was tall, dark and eye-glassed. She was not the stylish kind of lecturer, but she wore just what was necessary. Her mentor was Father Small Finger. She was intransigent and stingy with marks. I guess her Russian/Bamiléké origins account for that. She hated theories and was more practical in her translation approach. During her first class, she forced me to become her Class Delegate, for reasons I don’t know to date…Maybe one day, someone will tell me.

Cheers!