“Without translation, we would be living in provinces bordering on silence.”

EIGHTEEN-year-old Port Douglas resident John Steward, who recently returned from the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, where he served as a translator for the French National Olympic team, will clearly relate to the above quote by Francis Steiner, a French-born American literary critic, essayist, philosopher, novelist and educator.

Blessed with the mastery of languages, the Seoul-born Steward, who is fluent in Korean, English, French and Mandarin, has used his skills to eliminate the silence Steiner refers to.

During his time at the Olympics, he played a pivotal role translating French into Korean and Korean into French, ensuring the lines of communication were never complicated for the 120-strong French team and a host of staff.

It was his brief schooling in Paris from the ages of 12-15 that paved the way for him to join the French team in Seoul. “A family friend, who was the Deputy Chef de Mission, suggested that I could be invaluable to the French team with my language skills and this is how I landed the volunteer job,” said Steward.

After this unique experience, he will be seeking opportunities to capitalise on his language skills at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan; the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China and the Summer Olympics in Paris, France in 2024.

“I am certainly looking for more opportunities and it would be a huge bonus if I can be involved in any of the next three Olympics. I have my foot in the door which puts me in a solid position,” he said.

“I am planning ahead and currently studying Japanese and as I am already fluent in Korean and Mandarin, I don’t believe it will be that difficult to master Japanese,” said Steward, who also plays off a four handicap and is a regular at the Palmer Reef golf course.

The Olympics were not dominated by translating and Steward witnessed a number of disciplines on the ice and mountain events.

At his young age and the world his oyster, Steward is already looking to the future despite a few years of study at ANU ahead of him where he’ll undergo a double degree in International Relations and International Security.

As for career aspirations, organisations such as the Olympic movement and the United Nations are on his radar. “I have rare skills which I am confident will play a role in the direction I pursue.”

As a South Korean, he said it was “really special” to see how the North and South got together. “To see the two countries come together after so many years was truly something I’ll long remember.”

Steward said although the dialect is different, the South and North Koreans understand each other. “In some instances, though, they use different words. For example, they don’t refer to TVs, but instead call it a ‘magic box’”.

For now, he is doing some online tutoring, playing golf and enjoying his gap year.  

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