The more skillful and/or experienced a speaker, the more likely the content of his talk will be in his head rather than on his slide deck. Some speakers will stuff each of their slides with text and simply read them out to the audience, and if the interpreters are able to get hold of the PPT presentation beforehand, they just need to study the text and terminology carefully in … [Read more...]
Mobile Interpreting Technology
We all watched President Donald Trump being greeted in Spanish by the Argentinian President Mauricio Macri at the G20 Summit. Mr. Trump then tossing the mobile interpreting system on the floor while commenting that he understood him in Spanish better than when using the interpretation. Before commenting on this from the perspective of the interpreter, I would like to first … [Read more...]
Shooting the Messenger: The Case of the Interpreter in Conflict Zones
By Maha El-Metwally As conference interpreters, we know that the real start of simultaneous interpreting was at the Nuremberg trials in 1945. Until then, consecutive interpreting was the modus operandi. However, it became obvious soon after the Allies created the International Military Tribunal after World War II that consecutive interpreting was not going to be the suitable … [Read more...]
Interview with Mr Ian Newton, ILO Chief Interpreter – By Maha El-Metwally
Interview with Mr Ian Newton, ILO Chief Interpreter By Maha El-Metwally The position of chief interpreter was one of the oldest at Oriental courts. At the Sultan’s court in Constantinople the position of baştercüman (grand, chief, or court interpreter) was one of the most highly respected court and government offices.1 Nowadays, chief interpreters do not work for … [Read more...]
United Nations Interpreters: An insider’s view – Part 4
In the fourth and final part of Sheila’s bird’s eye view of what it’s like to be a UN interpreter, she addresses mastering sight translation of complex written speeches and practicing interpreting “densely drafted speech.” Just another technique UN interpreters develop in their training, which requires tons of practice. I hope you’ve enjoyed this series of articles about … [Read more...]