The role of a conference interpreter

The conference interpreter sits between the speaker and their foreign audience to become their voice in another language. Events organisers hire a pair of interpreters for each language, depending on where their delegates are coming from.

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A simultaneous interpreter is not only fluent in two languages. They have learnt and practiced the skill of simultaneously listening, understanding, translating and talking all at once. It is a cognitively heavy task which requires intense concentration, which is why conference interpreters work in pairs so they can relay each other every 20-30 minutes.

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Conference interpreting tools and technologies

Conference interpreters normally sit in a small, sound-proof cabin called a booth, and wear a headset so they can hear the speaker and translate into a microphone connected to the participants earpieces. The delay (commonly referred to as the "decalage", a word borrowed from French) between the speaker and the interpretation is kept fairly short.

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A portable version of an interpreter's booth, called a "bidule", may also be used for events outside of a conference room or auditorium, such as site visits.

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Conventions around interpreters' language combination

Interpreters normally work between their native language (their "A" language), and one or several others. They may have one or more "B" languages, which they would also be happy talking/interpreting into, and one or more "C" languages, or passive language, which they understand and interpret from, but don't tend to interpret into. I'm a double-A (also known as biactive) English-French interpreter, with Spanish as my C language.

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Conference interpreting for live events

I have been working as a french interpreter for live events for over 6 years. I am confortable with the technology, I know how to prepare the terminology and I have the confidence to whisper into the ear of hundreds of listerners. Many years of experience have also taught me how to convey other parts of a message, such as tone of voice, humour and emotions.

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Remote simultaneous interpreting

Since video conferencing tools have become a common part of daily business, so has conference interpreting online. I have worked with many organisations to bring their online webinars, workshops and training sessions to their french audience, using Zoom interpretation, MS Teams with interpretation, or mose specialist tools such as Kudo or Interprefy.

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AIIC conference interpreters, the CIOL and the ITI

If you are unsure about where to find your interpreters, check for credentials such as a MA in interpreting or conference interpreting, and membership to accrediting bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL), the AIIC or the ITI. Click here to view my profile on the CIOL's linguists directory or with the French embassy in London.

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About specialisations

Conference interpreters are trained to prepare for each events. This involves reading any material shared with them ahead of the event, but also looking up any concepts and terminology they may not be familiar with and creating glossaries. Obviously, it helps if you can hire interpreters who are already familiar with the topic but it's not always possible so don't worry if you can't.

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I have worked as either an interpreter or a translator for clients in the following sectors:

- Social, medical and life science

- Climate change, sustainability and conservation

- NGOs, government policies, advocacy and high-level meetings

- Corporate conferences, business workshops around marketing and product design and team-building events

- Legal consultations

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If you're looking to put together a team for your conference, I can also recommend colleagues working in the same language combination as mine.

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Send me an email to find out about my availability and book your french interpreter. Or feel free to give me a call to discuss your event and requirements.