Summary
Highlights
Interpreting is described as an exciting job that offers glimpses into diverse worlds and allows interpreters to facilitate understanding. The privilege of being privy to high-level discussions, such as those between heads of state, is emphasized, with a reminder that this access is due to the role, not personal status, requiring humility from interpreters.
Interpreters act as mediators between different languages, playing a 'primordial role' in bridging cultural and civilizational divides.
Both the European Parliament and the United Nations face a shortage of interpreters, even for common languages like English, French, and Russian. This issue is a global problem, indicating that the market no longer provides sufficient supply.
The UN operates with six official languages (English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic), resulting in 30 language combinations. In contrast, the European Parliament, with 23 (soon to be 24) official languages, handles 506 language combinations, highlighting a significant difference in scale while maintaining similar core functions.
Both institutions prioritize quality and harmonization of work standards. This is crucial, especially in contexts like criminal tribunals where accurate interpretation is vital to prevent miscarriages of justice. There are quality monitoring schemes to ensure confidence in the interpretations provided.
The European Parliament and the UN have an exchange program where staff interpreters from the European Parliament work at the UN General Assembly, and UN interpreters similarly serve at the European Parliament during plenary and committee meetings. This fosters cooperation and allows interpreters to gain experience in both environments.
General Assembly week is described as the busiest and most sensitive, with nearly all world leaders converging. Interpreters face over 100 meetings, constant program changes, and last-minute reassignments, requiring extreme agility and flexibility.
The European Parliament has around 380 staff interpreters, with an additional 1,000 freelance interpreters during plenary weeks. There's a strong desire to expand cooperation in interpreter training, particularly in regions like Africa, to address the shortage and reduce reliance on European or American interpreters.
Multilingualism is presented as essential for democratic institutions, upholding identity, heritage, cultural background, and allowing elected representatives to speak in their native languages. This enables citizens to follow and assess their actions, reinforcing democratic accountability within both the European Parliament and the UN.