Episode 8: El secuestro (1) Episode 8: Die Entführung (1) Episode 8: The kidnapping (1) Épisode 8 : L'enlèvement (1)

**Martina Castro:** Welcome to the last episode of our first season of the Duolingo Spanish podcast. Today we bring you a story from someone you might recognize. Here's a hint: A clip from one of his TED talks —

**Luis von Ahn:** So what we've been working on for the last year and a half is a new website — it's called Duolingo — where the basic idea is people learn a new language for free while simultaneously translating the web. And so basically, they're learning by doing.

**Martina Castro:** That's Luis von Ahn, cofounder and CEO of Duolingo back in 2011. There's a path that led Luis to this stage that starts before he launched Duolingo or became a Computer Science professor at Carnegie Mellon University. It starts back when he was a regular kid growing up in la ciudad de Guatemala. He has fond memories of that time — of visits to his family's candy factory, and of how obsessed he was with math and science. But there's one memory from the year he graduated high school that Luis wishes he could erase — even though it's what eventually led him to leave Guatemala for the United States.

**Luis von Ahn:** En el año 1996, mi tía fue secuestrada. Luis von Ahn: In 1996, my aunt was kidnapped.

**Martina Castro:** “Secuestrada”… as in, she was kidnapped. It happened often during those final years of the civil war in Guatemala. By the mid-90s, when the war between the country's military and communist guerrilla fighters was over, more than 200,000 indigenous people had been killed. As a child, Luis was mostly unaware of the war because it was fought in the rural areas of the country. Until the day his family got that fateful call –

**Luis von Ahn:** Solo dijeron que tenían a mi tía, que estaba viva, y que iban a llamar después con más información. Luis von Ahn: They only said that they had my aunt, that she was alive, and that they would call later with more information.

**Martina Castro:** Again, welcome to the Duolingo Spanish Podcast, where we bring you true bilingual stories of travels with unexpected turns, plans unraveled, and destinations unknown. Мартина Кастро: Добро пожаловать в испанский подкаст Duolingo, где мы рассказываем вам настоящие двуязычные истории о путешествиях с неожиданными поворотами, неразгаданными планами и неизвестными пунктами назначения. The Spanish in this story is for intermediate level learners, but if you get lost, don't worry, we'll be chiming in throughout the story. Испанский в этой истории предназначен для учащихся среднего уровня, но если вы заблудитесь, не волнуйтесь, мы будем вмешиваться на протяжении всей истории.

**Martina Castro:** Luis' aunt, whom we will call Marta, was the matriarch of the family. Мартина Кастро: Тетя Луиса, которую мы будем называть Мартой, была матриархом семьи. She was married to a colonel in the army who retired early, and never got another job.

**Luis von Ahn:** Después de tener seis hijos juntos, mi tía y el coronel se divorciaron. Luis von Ahn: After having six children together, my aunt and the colonel divorced. Después del divorcio, mi tía estaba sola y necesitaba pagar los costos de la comida y educación de sus hijos. After the divorce, my aunt was alone and needed to pay for her children's food and education costs.

**Martina Castro:** In order to support her family, Marta started a food business, and she became very successful. By 1996, Luis' aunt had become a wealthy woman with kids and grandkids.

**Luis von Ahn:** Yo tenía 17 años y vivía con mi mamá a poca distancia de la tía Marta. Luis von Ahn: I was 17 years old and lived with my mother a short distance from Aunt Marta. Yo iba a su casa todos los días, y la tía Marta era como una segunda madre para mí. I went to her house every day, and Aunt Marta was like a second mother to me.

**Martina Castro:** One afternoon, Marta's oldest son, Luis' cousin, called Luis. He said his mother had gone missing. He said his mother had gone missing. In Guatemala, kidnappings were common, so they feared that this is what had happened to her. His voice trembled; that's how Luis knew this was not a joke.

**Luis von Ahn:** Corrí a la casa de mi tía. Luis von Ahn: I ran to my aunt's house. Ahí estaban sus otros hijos y algunos de sus nietos. There were his other children and some of his grandchildren. No teníamos mucha información. We did not have much information.

**Martina Castro:** That day, Marta had gone to pick up her ex-husband.

**Luis von Ahn:** Mi tía y el coronel estaban divorciados, pero todavía eran amigos. Luis von Ahn: My aunt and the colonel were divorced, but they were still friends.

**Martina Castro:** She was supposed to bring him over to the house.

**Luis von Ahn:** Pero nunca regresó. Luis von Ahn: But he never came back.

**Martina Castro:** But she never came back. Within a few hours, they received two calls.

**Luis von Ahn:** La primera llamada fue de una persona que no conocíamos. Luis von Ahn: The first call was from a person we did not know. Dijo que el coche de mi tía estaba abandonado, sin nadie adentro. He said my aunt's car was abandoned, with no one inside.

**Martina Castro:** The second call was from the kidnappers.

**Luis von Ahn:** Dijeron que tenían a mi tía Marta, que estaba viva, y que iban a llamar después con más información. Luis von Ahn: They said they had my aunt Marta, who was alive, and that they would call later with more information.

**Martina Castro:** By that time there must have been 15 people in the house already, and everyone was asking questions over one another… Why was she driving alone? Who had found the car? How much money did they want? Would they have enough to rescue her?

**Luis von Ahn:** Fueron horas de peleas, gritos, y lágrimas. Luis von Ahn: There were hours of fighting, shouting, and tears. Después tomamos una decisión: pedirle ayuda a los amigos militares de mi tío, el coronel. Then we made a decision: to ask my uncle's military friends, the colonel, for help.

**Martina Castro:** After making a few calls, Luis' family ended up talking to his uncle's friend — someone at the anti kidnapping unit with the government.

**Luis von Ahn:** Ellos preferían no hablar por teléfono, así que decidimos encontrarnos en una calle en el centro de la ciudad. Luis von Ahn: They preferred not to talk on the phone, so we decided to meet on a street in the center of the city. Fuimos en uno de los coches de la familia, una minivan con ventanas muy oscuras. We went in one of the family cars, a minivan with very dark windows.

**Martina Castro:** The men they picked up were dressed in plain clothes and never shared their full names, but Luis remembers his family was instructed to call the boss “El Capitán” or “The Captain”.

**Luis von Ahn:** El Capitán era un hombre alto y musculoso de como 40 años. Luis von Ahn: The Captain was a tall, muscular man in his 40s. No dijo mucho en el viaje de regreso a la casa de mi tía, pero nosotros le contamos lo que había pasado. He didn't say much on the ride back to my aunt's house, but we told him what had happened. Cuando regresamos a la casa, nos reunimos todos en la sala. When we got back to the house, we all gathered in the living room.

**Martina Castro:** First, the captain assured them that Luis' aunt would return alive. Kidnapping was a business, he said, and it's bad business to kill your victim.

**Luis von Ahn:** Dijo que los secuestradores iban a llamar otra vez para pedirnos dinero. Luis von Ahn: He said that the kidnappers were going to call again to ask us for money.

**Martina Castro:** And he warned them that they would have to go against their instincts. No matter what amount of money the kidnappers demand, he said, you must say it's too much and that you can't pay it.

**Luis von Ahn:** Nos dijo: “Si dicen que sí, y pagan muy rápido, los secuestradores van a pensar que pueden pagar más. Luis von Ahn: He told us: "If they say yes, and pay very quickly, the kidnappers will think they can pay more. Así, van a pedir más dinero y el proceso va a tardar más tiempo”. Thus, they are going to ask for more money and the process is going to take longer.”

**Martina Castro:** The Captain said the most important thing was to choose one person who could negotiate with the kidnappers on behalf of the family. Ideally it would be someone who wasn't too close to Marta, because the kidnappers would try to manipulate them. So they chose the husband of one of Luis' female cousins, whom we will call Juan.

**Luis von Ahn:** Juan iba a tener que pedir pruebas de que nuestra tía Marta estaba viva. Luis von Ahn: Juan was going to have to ask for proof that our aunt Marta was alive. Tenía que decir que no teníamos suficiente dinero para pagar lo que pedían, pero que estábamos haciendo todo lo posible para obtener el dinero. I had to say that we didn't have enough money to pay what they were asking for, but we were doing everything we could to get the money.

**Martina Castro:** The captain was clear — the kidnappers will say on the call that they will kill Marta if the family doesn't pay the ransom quickly. They will hang up in the middle of the call and then not call back for many days, to make the family believe that Marta was dead.

**Luis von Ahn:** Pero necesitábamos mantenernos fuertes, nos decía el capitán. Luis von Ahn: But we needed to stay strong, the captain told us. Yo no sabía qué pensar. I did not know what to think. No conocíamos bien a este hombre. We didn't know this man well.

**Martina Castro:** Not only had they just met this man, but Luis and his cousin picked him up with these other tough looking dudes in the middle of a parking lot and not one of them was in uniform. Luis couldn't help but wonder — could the family really trust them?

**Luis von Ahn:** El capitán dijo que el proceso iba a tardar entre 7 y 15 días. Luis von Ahn: The captain said that the process would take between 7 and 15 days. Si seguíamos sus instrucciones, ella volvería viva. If we followed her instructions, she would come back alive. También explicó que no era como en las películas. He also explained that it was not like in the movies.

**Martina Castro:** First, the family had to actually pay the ransom. There would be no SWAT team rescue. Second, the captain explained that the exchange wouldn't be in the moment. The kidnappers would say where to leave the money, and then Marta would be returned to the family several hours or perhaps even days later.

**Luis von Ahn:** Ahora sí teníamos miedo. Luis von Ahn: Now we were afraid. ¿Íbamos a darle todo el dinero a los secuestradores antes de ver a mi tía? Were we going to give all the money to the kidnappers before seeing my aunt? No tenía sentido. It did not make sense. Pero no teníamos otra opción. But we had no other choice. Teníamos que creer en el capitán. We had to believe in the captain.

**Martina Castro:** That same night the kidnappers called back. By then, Juan, the designated negotiator, was anxiously waiting by the phone. The person on the line said he was calling about Marta. Juan said they had been expecting his call and that he would negotiate on behalf of the family.

**Luis von Ahn:** Juan le preguntó a la persona cómo se llamaba. Luis von Ahn: Juan asked the person what his name was. “Me podés llamar Tío Sam”, dijo él. "You can call me Uncle Sam," he said. Después dijo cuánto dinero quería a cambio de mi tía y que si no lo pagábamos, mi tía iba a morir. Then he said how much money he wanted for my aunt and that if we didn't pay it, my aunt was going to die. Como lo habíamos planeado, Juan dijo que eso era demasiado dinero. As we had planned, Juan said that was too much money.

**Luis von Ahn:** El Tío Sam, or Uncle Sam, said the family better find a way to get all of the money…Otherwise, Marta would die.

**Martina Castro:** Then he hung up.

**Luis von Ahn:** La cantidad de dinero que querían era alta pero no era imposible de pagar, entonces algunos en la familia insistieron en pagarla toda. Luis von Ahn: The amount of money they wanted was high but not impossible to pay, so some in the family insisted on paying it all.

**Martina Castro:** At that point, many family members had set up camp at Marta's house to keep her family company. So they discussed the best course of action as a group, until they came to a consensus — they would follow the captain's instructions and wait.

**Luis von Ahn:** Cuando el Tío Sam llamó al día siguiente, preguntó si ya teníamos el dinero. Luis von Ahn: When Uncle Sam called the next day, he asked if we already had the money. Juan dijo que era demasiado, pero que estaba tratando de conseguir todo lo que podía. Juan said it was too much, but he was trying to get as much as he could. También pidió pruebas de vida antes de seguir hablando. He also asked for proof of life before speaking further.

**Martina Castro:** Prueba de vida, or proof of life, was essential, said the captain. Each time the kidnappers called, Juan needed to ask for evidence that Marta was still alive. El Tío Sam insisted on the original sum of money they had requested, but agreed to give them proof of life.

**Luis von Ahn:** Juan le dijo al Tío Sam que le preguntara a Marta algo que solo ella podía responder. Luis von Ahn: Juan told Uncle Sam to ask Marta something that only she could answer. La pregunta era sobre una conversación entre ella y su hijo que ocurrió un día antes del secuestro. The question was about a conversation between her and her son that occurred a day before the kidnapping.

**Martina Castro:** At that point, el Tío Sam hung up. The following day, he called back, and gave Juan the correct answer to his question. Marta was still alive.

**Luis von Ahn:** El Tío Sam preguntó si ya teníamos el dinero. Luis von Ahn: Uncle Sam asked if we already had the money. Juan le dijo que solo teníamos US$10,000. Juan told him that we only had US$10,000. Preguntó si era suficiente. He asked if it was enough.

**Martina Castro:** Ten thousand dollars was about a tenth of what the kidnappers had originally requested. Luis and various other members of the family thought this was too little, that they should give something closer to the original amount, even if it was high. But after much debate, the family settled on this figure. They had heard that kidnapping negotiations started very far from the original asking price, similar to haggling in a street market. Tío Sam was not happy to hear this counter offer.

**Luis von Ahn:** El Tío Sam empezó a gritar, diciendo que sabía que podíamos pagar más. Luis von Ahn: Uncle Sam started yelling, saying he knew we could pay more.

**Martina Castro:** And he hung up. They didn't hear back from Tio Sam until the next evening. He was agitated and said his bosses were losing their patience with them.

**Luis von Ahn:** Dijo que entendía que la cantidad original era muy alta, pero quizás podíamos pagar $80,000. Luis von Ahn: He said that he understood that the original amount was very high, but maybe we could pay $80,000.

**Martina Castro:** And just like that, they were back to the bargaining table. Following the Captain's advice, Juan went up from the original amount, but still offered less than what Tío Sam requested.

**Luis von Ahn:** Juan le dijo que tenía buenas noticias: que habíamos encontrado más dinero y podíamos pagar US$30,000. Luis von Ahn: Juan told him that he had good news: that we had found more money and could pay US$30,000.

**Martina Castro:** Tío Sam said no, that they needed to come up with more money immediately.

**Luis von Ahn:** Juan fue firme y dijo que eso iba a ser imposible. Luis von Ahn: Juan was firm and said that this was going to be impossible. El Tío Sam dijo “lo siento mucho” y terminó la llamada. Uncle Sam said "I'm so sorry" and ended the call.

**Martina Castro:** The following day, Tío Sam didn't call back. Nor the next. Even though the captain had said this would happen, everyone started to worry they had made a mistake. What if they had pushed too hard? Or offered too little? What if they didn't get another chance to negotiate for Marta's release? What if she had already been killed?