Unless you live under a rock, I’m sure you’ve heard the shocking news about Shohei Ohtani’s now-former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.
The Dodgers and Ohtani fired him following allegations that he committed a “massive theft” of the Japanese star’s money, which has caused international media chaos. He allegedly placed millions of dollars in bets with an illegal bookmaker who is currently subject to a federal investigation.
Mizuhara’s actions have impacted several characters, including Ohtani, the Dodgers franchise, the news media and the often-overlooked interpreter community. This controversy brought the role of league interpreters into the limelight, but not for good reasons.
However, this does not mean all interpreters are mischievous people! There are plenty of kind and helpful interpreters in the league who shine in their roles, but before we get into that, let’s break down the basics.
There were over 200 internationally-born players who competed in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The majority were from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, but many also hail from Japan and South Korea.
Translators are effectively a part of the team. They put in the same amount of hours, attend team meetings and address the press alongside players. Their role is vital to the success of any team as many international players rely on their interpreters to communicate with their coaches and teammates, and vice versa.
As of 2016, all MLB teams have been required to have at least two full-time Spanish language interpreters who are paid by the team and normally do not have a prior relationship with the player(s) they work with. This requirement ensures that all native Spanish-speaking players can freely and accurately express themselves to the media, as well as simplify the communication between players and their teams.
But interpreters’ duties don’t end there. In an interview with The Athletic, the now-outcasted Mizuhara explained that in addition to translating, they can also be responsible for finding in-season housing, procuring food, managing visits from family members and friends and translating baseball data into digestible pieces of information.
It’s a demanding job with no set hours and undefined responsibilities that only a few brave souls take on. Translators play a vital role in the MLB and rightfully deserve their flowers.
Shingo Horie — New York Yankees
Horie worked alongside pitcher Masahiro Tanaka during his six-year stint with the Yankees from 2014 to 2020 before Tanaka returned to play in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League.
In an interview with ESPN, Horie said that translators work for everybody on the team and that while working with the Yankees, Tanaka’s “teammates [would] come to [him] and ask how to say things in Japanese.” Interpreters build a bridge between non-English speaking players and those around them to help solidify the team dynamic.
Manny Navarro — Tampa Bay Rays
Navarro has been one of the Rays’ Spanish interpreters for the past seven years since 2017, working alongside Dominican outfielder Jose Siri and Cuban-born third baseman Yandy Díaz. Navarro was initially paying a friend a favor by helping out at the Rays’ batting practice and eventually landed a full-time position with the club. His role has transformed over the years, now including throwing in batting practice and assisting Spanish-speaking infielders during warm-ups.
“There’s always that comfort and trust that they have toward us. My job is to make them comfortable,” Navarro said in an interview with Fox 13, a Tampa Bay affiliate.
Translation is not simply Spanish to English and vice versa, interpreters also have to pick up on the slang terms, accents and speech from various Hispanic-speaking countries, to communicate as effectively as possible.
“Baseball is the universal language,” said Navarro. “It doesn’t matter what language you speak. Baseball is one language.”
Jaime Jarrín — Los Angeles Dodgers
Famously known for being the Spanish voice of the Dodgers, Jarrín began working with the team in the 1959 season primarily as a broadcaster. He immigrated to the U.S. when he was 20 years old and landed his first job with the only Spanish radio station in Los Angeles in 1955. The legend, who hails from Ecuador, quickly earned the support and admiration of Dodgers fans, especially those who speak Spanish.
Jarrín most prominently worked as an interpreter in the 1980s for six-time All-Star pitcher Fernando “El Toro” Valenzuela, a Mexican lefty and 1981 World Series champion. Valenzuela’s fame was so massive that the team’s executive vice president, Fred Claire, asked Jarrín to translate to not burden another player or coach with the weighty responsibility.
“Up to that day, I was very well-known only in Southern California. But then when I had to travel with Fernando and be with him in front of the media, they knew about who Jaime Jarrin was in Chicago and St. Louis and other cities,” Jarrín said in an interview with NPR.
This role boosted Jarrín’s already extensive credibility, likability and fan base — even boosting his profile with English-speaking fans due to all his media appearances with fan-favorite “El Toro.”
In the wake of the Mizuhara incident, one shouldn’t forget that MLB interpreters are valuable and crucial to a team’s success both on and off the field. They eliminate barriers between a player and his coaches, teammates and the media, ensuring the player is accommodated in all aspects of their life.