100 Years Of Conference Interpreting

When Woodrow Wilson, David Lloyd George, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando and Georges Clemenceau met in Versailles in January 1919, they ushered in the modern era of multilateral diplomacy and—perhaps inadvertently—laid the foundation for a new profession. Indeed, communication among these statesmen was only possible thanks to the first conference interpreters. For the following 100 years, these interpreters would become a permanent fixture at all international multilateral conferences. As we celebrate one century of conference interpreting, this volume takes stock of some of the most important milestones throughout the history of this exceptional profession and looks at its future at a time when the global COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the world of international meetings. Thanks to its refreshingly interactive format, this volume gives a voice to different stakeholders in the world of conference interpreting today, including practitioners, managers, researchers and trainers. The result is a surprisingly candid and critical discussion of some of the most hotly debated topics in the world of conference interpreting.

When Woodrow Wilson, David Lloyd George, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando and Georges Clemenceau met in Versailles in January 1919, they ushered in the modern era of multilateral diplomacy andâ "perhaps inadvertentlyâ "laid the foundation for a new profession. Indeed, communication among these statesmen was only possible thanks to the first conference interpreters. For the following 100 years, these interpreters would become a permanent fixture at all international multilateral conferences. As we celebrate one century of conference interpreting, this volume takes stock of some of the most important milestones throughout the history of this exceptional profession and looks at its future at a time when the global COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the world of international meetings. Thanks to its refreshingly interactive format, this volume gives a voice to different stakeholders in the world of conference interpreting today, including practitioners, managers, researchers and trainers. The result is a surprisingly candid and critical discussion of some of the most hotly debated topics in the world of conference interpreting.

This book condenses the important lessons learned at key points during the author’s 30-year career as an intergovernmental conference interpreter and trainer, seeking to define what constitutes good interpreting and how to develop the skills and abilities that are conducive to it, as well as fostering practices and technologies that help to maintain high professional standards. The book places interpreting in its historical context as a time-honoured discipline and discusses the effect of modern technology on translating and interpreting, identifying areas where it is most useful (electronic communications media, broadcasting) while stressing that professional education and training of linguists are more important than reliance on technological shortcuts. The book is an invaluable resource to all those working or training in conference interpreting, as well as being a stimulating read for those engaged in the wider work of interpreting.

Conference Interpreting: A Student’s Practice Book brings together a comprehensive compilation of tried and tested practical exercises which hone the sub-skills that make up successful conference interpreting Unique in its exclusively practical focus, Conference Interpreting: A Student’s Practice Book, serves as a reference for students and teachers seeking to solve specific interpreting-related difficulties. By breaking down the necessary skills and linking these to the most relevant and effective exercises students can target their areas of weakness and work more efficiently towards greater interpreting competence. Split into four parts, this Practice Book includes a detailed introduction offering general principles for effective practice drawn from the author’s own extensive experience as an interpreter and interpreter-trainer. The second ‘language’ section covers language enhancement at this very high level, an area that standard language courses and textbooks are unable to deal with. The last two sections cover the key sub-skills needed to effectively handle the two components of conference interpreting; simultaneous and consecutive interpreting. Conference Interpreting: A Student’s Practice Book is non language-specific and as such is an essential resource for all interpreting students regardless of their language combination.

This book is now in its Third Edition having recently been revised and updated. It is also available as an e-Book (Kindle). It has been described by Sherrill J. Bell, Executive Director of NAATI at the time of its first publication, as "one of the most significant contributions to the field of interpreting and translating in Australia in the past decade. It represents the only major publication in Australia on this specific aspect of interpreting in recent years. As such, it provides an all-encompassing reference work for prospective conference interpreters, for conference organisers, for interpreting and translation educators and for individuals generally interested in the profession." "The book is written in a very free style that clearly reflects the enthusiasm and vibrancy of the author. Its content is informative and practical, often based on scientific principles, while at the same time interspersed with humour and fascinating anecdotes. The book has the remarkable quality of conveying serious and important concepts in a format that is user-friendly and enjoyable to read. In summary, Conference Interpreting is a most significant contribution to the field of interpreting in Australia and internationally. It should be required reading for all those involved with the profession. It begins with the history of interpreting in Europe and Australia, then looks at how it is done today, and what lies ahead. The different modes of interpretation are explained; there are tips for beginners such as how to overcome stage fright, what to do if you miss something, booth behaviour and microphone manners, how to become a graceful scapegoat, economise your voice and make delegates laugh as well as how to deal with Australianisms. A chapter is devoted to conference organisers, another to protocol and etiquette, after-dinner speeches and press conferences, as well as the duties, responsibilities and ethics of the profession, how to improve your performance, working for radio and television and the special requirements, gravity and complexity of court interpreting. The bodies that make up UN and EU are detailed and the languages used. Finally a comprehensive bibliography is given with suggestions for further reading. This book is intended to help language students, would-be interpreters, conference organizers and delegates as well as those who have studied interpretation techniques but lack booth experience and are reluctant to launch themselves into this challenging but satisfying, stimulating, even exhilarating, profession. It is not about the theory of interpretation but rather a 'hands-on' manuel explaining how simultaneous interpretation works, how it is done, the pitfalls to avoid, which languages are most in demand and where.

'Conference Interpreting: What do we know and how?' is the title of a round-table conference (Turku 1994) organised to assess the state of the art in conference interpreting research. The result is collected in this volume with fully coordinated reports on the round tables. The book presents an exciting coverage of the field, touching on methodology, communication, discourse, culture, neurolinguistic and cognitive aspects, quality assessment, training and developing skills.

Conference interpreting is a relatively young profession. Born at the dawn of the 20th century, it hastened the end of the era when diplomatic relations were dominated by a single language, and it played a critical role in the birth of a new multilingual model of diplomacy that continues to this day. In this seminal work on the genesis of conference interpreting, Jesús Baigorri-Jalón provides the profession with a pedigree based on painstaking research and supported by first-hand accounts as well as copious references to original documentation. The author traces the profession’s roots back to the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, through its development at the League of Nations and the International Labor Organization, its use by the Allied and Axis powers as they decided the fate of nations in the years prior to and during World War II, and finally its debut on the world stage in 1945, at the Nuremberg Trials. Available for the first time in English, this account will be of interest not only to scholars and students of interpreting but also to any reader interested in the linguistic, social, diplomatic, and political history of the 20th century.