Where Everybody Knows Your Name

by ANN Correspondent Annette Kurman

Okay, they don’t really know everyone's name... but for the many hundreds of international visitors to the world's largest general aviation bash, the International Visitor's Tent at Wittman Field in many ways does feel like the bar at "Cheers," where folks from lands near and far can ask for information and assistance, "hang out" far from the maddening crowd, post notes for friends on the bulletin board, and network/socialize with their fellow countrymen (and women) and other individuals of global ilk.

Closing in on 30 years, the International Visitor's Center has become a mainstay — and a haven — for the visitors who travel to Oshkosh from nearly 60 countries. Its mission, in addition to translation and interpretation, is to provide any type of assistance the volunteers can, be it finding lodging, a lost friend, medical assistance, or helping guests make phone calls home. International guests come both as groups and individuals; last year 1,600 registered at the tent and more than half arrived as individuals.

Located just south of the FAA Control Tower, visitors from every continent save Antarctica (what's up with that, Antarctica?!) bring with them an international reflection and feel to AirVenture, particularly on Friday, July 28 at noon, when registered visitors are grouped (alphabetically) by country and proudly walk with their nation's flags (as you can see by the picture, sort-of a mini-Olympic opening ceremony) to the air show announcer's area, where they are welcomed to AirVenture by EAA officials.

Michel McDermott has chairing this important component of AirVenture for three years and has been a volunteer for almost 14. In many ways, she's almost a "newbie," with some of the translators having 26, 28, and 31 years of International Visitor's Tent experience.

During AirVenture we'll get to meet 80+ year-old Sylvia from Maryland, who not only speaks seven (count 'em!) languages, but has been is a 30-year international visitor's tent veteran.

Many of the volunteers, said McDermott, are native speakers -- having come from Chile, Panama, or Germany. Others are just fluent in their second —- or third, or fourth, or fifth —- language, live locally (or not), and come for the fun of it, often staying with friends or at the EAA campgrounds if they don't live nearby.

Is there a volunteer who knows every language? No, laughed McDermott, but volunteers can usually solve any problem with hand gestures, drawings, and a sense of humor.

Most of the 30 volunteer interpreters who man the tent have one thing in common — they don't know a whole lot about aviation. But they do know how to communicate with people, particularly people who don't speak English. McDermott estimates that there are 35 languages spoken on the grounds at AirVenture. The top five international countries in terms of representation? Taking into account those who register at the tent (and some international visitors do not), the number one country is Canada, followed by Australia, South Africa, Germany and Brazil.

"Nothing could possibly convey the feeling of AirVenture than the international tent," said McDermott. "All cultural and political differences completely disappear."

FMI: www.airventure.org