Cactus Language Blog

Languages on the Job: Tips from photographer & author Steve Watkins

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Learning a language

Steve Watkins, photographer and author of the best-selling BBC ‘Unforgettable’ series, tells us about his experiences with language learning…

1. Tell us a bit about what you do…

I’m a professional travel photographer and author. I’ve been working as a freelancer for the past 13 years and I am fortunate that I get to travel extensively around the world, getting to shoot images of trips and places that I’ve always dreamt of visiting.

2. How many countries have you been to?

Good question! It was 64 but it would have gone up during my last project for BBC Books…it must be about 70 countries now.

3. What languages do you speak?

I speak a few languages with varying degrees of success. By far my best language is Spanish which I speak around intermediate level. I also speak conversational French, a few words of Italian and Arabic and ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ in several other languages.

4. Has there ever been an occasion in your job where speaking a language has gained you access to somewhere or something you may not have reached otherwise?

Perhaps the most memorable was at the Copán ruins in northern Honduras. I was there doing a feature on La Ruta Maya for the AA Adventure Travellers Guide to Central America. I had arranged special permission to enter the ruins at dawn, before the official opening time, to shoot the sunrise. After explaining, in Spanish, my assignment to the security guard, he insisted that I meet Copan’s Director of Archaeology. An intense and rather technical conversation ensued, where the director explained about the history of the ruins and current projects. At the end of it, he invited me to be one of the first outsiders to get to see the recently discovered Rosalila Temple – a beautiful and still intact structure that was overbuilt with another temple. I was one of the first to see it in over a thousand years. You could still see the original red and blue paint on the giant jaguar mask reliefs guarding the entrance.

5. Have you ever been anywhere where you’d really wished you’d known the language?

There have been lots of places where knowing the language would have made things a lot easier. The place that really stands out is China: I had absolutely no knowledge of the language and the written language was impossible to decipher. There was one time when I was walking the Great Wall of China, for Unforgettable Things To Do Before You Die, and an annoying, persistent postcard seller followed me for several kilometres. In the end I got really angry with him but that could have easily been avoided if I’d known even some basic Mandarin.

6. Is there a language that you’d like to learn? And if so, how would you choose to learn it?

I would really like to speak Italian. I’ve travelled there many times now with my job, and although I love seeing the beautiful landscapes and indulging in their wonderful culture and food, I don’t feel like I can really unlock my interest in the country without improving my Italian. I’m a big believer in self-learning so I would probably look at getting some Italian learning software such as a CD and book to start off with - but I know my Spanish really benefited from spending a month at a language school in Baños, Ecuador, so once I felt that my grasp of Italian basics was good enough I would then look to immerse myself in-country.

7. Do you find that your job of travel writing and photography enables you to get an insight into the culture that other people may not get?

Yes, without a doubt. The assignments, especially the ones with the BBC, do open doors that are closed to most. Also the imperative to come back with the best possible pictures forces me to engage with the people and culture more deeply that perhaps I would as a regular traveller.

8. What is your most funny or memorable experience of learning/speaking a language?

I first learnt Spanish during a 9-month long cycling trip with three friends from New York to Chile – the trip that sparked my interest in becoming a professional travel photographer. We were trying to learn Spanish during the weeks travelling down through the USA, in preparation for our arrival in Mexico, but we were a bit lax. We soon encountered the phrase ‘todo plano’ – ‘completely flat’ – from the local Mexicans whenever we asked directions. After struggling over several mountains during these so-called ‘todo plano’ sections, we realised we needed to get our Spanish up to speed quickly to get more accurate information from the locals!

9. Do you actively learn any of the language before visiting a new place?

It varies – it depends on how much time I’ve got. For Unforgettable Walks I did 20 trips in just 8 months, which covered about 14 countries, so it was impossible to learn bits of each of the languages. I usually try to learn something on the plane on the way over but the schedule was so hectic that I usually ended up just sleeping!

10. What advice would you give someone thinking of starting a career that involves a lot of travel like you?

It always pays to learn the local language before and during your travels. If you can’t speak the language, you are merely an observer and can only float over the surface of the culture and its people. If you can simply say the basics it is amazing how opportunities to engage with the local people and their lives can open up for you.

11. What 3 things do you never leave home without?

As a professional photographer, the only things that matter are my camera, memory cards and the battery charger. I could probably just about survive without anything else. I have also become very partial to my noise-reducing headphones for shutting myself off from the world and crying babies on long haul flights.

12. You’ve just had your third book in the BBC Unforgettable series published…what is one unforgettable thing that you want to do before you die?

Despite spending the last four years working on this book series, there are still plenty of things I would love to do before my time is done on the planet. Right up there would be to go ski mountaineering across the Greenland ice cap. I love wild places and the challenges that they bring and Greenland is one of the least explored parts of the world.

Steve’s lastest book, Unforgettable Walks to take before you die, is available in bookshops and through Amazon.

Other books in the BBC Series include ‘Unforgettable Journeys to take before you die’, and ‘Unforgettable Things to do before you die’.

Tags:career, Italian, language course, language learning, photography, Spanish, travel writing, unforgettable