Representing a sponsor at an event is usually a fairly straightforward procedure for the Synergy Communications team as all the hard work is done in advance. The public relations remit on site usually involves setting up interviews, making sure our brand appears in as many photos and articles as possible, mingling with the media and writing a few press releases. However, on one occasion last week I was happily towing the line on behalf of Ballantine’s Scotch whisky at the Barclays Scottish Open when a rather significant curve ball was hurled in my direction.

Approached by the Chief Press Officer for the European Tour, the request was made to sound fairly innocuous… “Angel Cabrera is about to come off the course and we really need someone who can speak Spanish to translate for the press conference.” Cue a quick scan of the room to see if there was someone more suitable around and a desperate search to find an excuse that would get me out of doing this. He was right that I speak some Spanish, but neither mastering golf vocabulary nor addressing a packed press conference is my forte in any language.

My blank expression obviously didn’t convey my inner anxiety successfully as the next thing I knew I was seated at the top table, next to one of the world’s top golfers, in front of the world’s golf press. Hoping for reassurance I looked out into the crowd, only to see my colleague Steph grinning and our snapper pointing his lens at me. No comfort there.

The press conference was soon underway and the questions were flying in my direction. With some help from Angel and the realisation that with no other Spanish speakers in the room no one would know if my translations weren’t spot on, it wasn’t quite as bad as I had feared.

Other than feeling very proud of myself for rising to the challenge, the best part was seeing myself quoted on the back page of the nationals. They might have been attributed to Angel, but I knew it was my choice of words and it’s certainly the closest I’ll be to appearing in print for a while.

On a final note, you’ll be pleased to know that I also learnt something from my translation experience. I now know the words for birdie, putter and tee… un birdie, un putter and un tee.

By Kelly Russell on July 23rd, 2008

Tags: Golf, Public relations, Sponsorship, Synergy

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