BREAKING BARRIERS
The PVL Reinforced Conference has brought imports from different parts of the world to crank up the level of competition among the local teams.
While most of the PVL teams tapped English-speaking imports for the conference, the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles went another route with Japanese import Asaka Tamaru.
For the Thunderbelles, their growing relationship with the PVL Invitational Conference 2023 Best Outside Spiker proved that language is no barrier when it comes to volleyball.
ZUS Coffee team captain Cloanne Mondoñedo said that translation applications made it easier for them to communicate with Tamaru.
“It’s not that hard [to talk with her] because we can understand it through Google Translate,” Mondoñedo said, adding that during on-court practices they use volleyball keywords coupled with gestures to get their point across to Tamaru.
There are many ways to understand each other and if there is a willingness to know that person and to learn from that person, then it would not be a problem
CLOANNE MONDOÑEDO, ZUS Coffee
Light environment
The 23-year-old setter said the team was just surprised that one day, they were already able to trade jokes with the former Kurashiki Ablaze champion.
“During practices, the team tries to have a light environment where everyone can enjoy and I think through that [enjoyment] every player can understand each other,” Mondoñedo added.
Tamaru said there were difficulties when communicating with translation devices, but she is grateful for the effort of her teammates.
“Everyone is very energetic and gets along well even though we don’t speak the same language, so they are great teammates,” the 25-year-old outside hitter said in an interview with Inquirer using Google Translate.
She also appreciated the popularity of Japanese volleyball in the Philippines.
“I was really moved by the cheers from the crowd when I played in the Philippines for the first time last year,” Tamaru said, reminiscing when guest team Kurashiki Ablaze won the PVL Invitational Conference in 2023 at PhilSports Arena in front of a booming crowd of 8,223 people.
“These cheers are very powerful for the players, so it’s my favorite environment to play volleyball,” Tamaru added.
Love of volleyballFor the Thunderbelles and even Filipino fans, a difference in language does not stop them from their love of volleyball and its players.
“There are many ways to understand each other and if there is a willingness to know that person and to learn from that person, then it would not be a problem,” Mondoñedo said. INQ
