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Don’t Think – The Vicissitudes of the Life of a
Conference Interpreter
Don’t Think – The Vicissitudes of the Life of a
Conference Interpreter

I chanced upon an interesting article by Frauke Schäfer published in Die Zeit as part
of my translation studies several years ago. A candid account of an interpreter’s
troubles in her profession, the writer expresses the challenges and exciting prospects
that this line of work offers.
[Die Zeit, 6th June 1986. https://www.zeit.de/]

The author evinces how her friends found it exciting that she travelled to and
explored different destinations several times a week for her work, which from her
perspective is a tiring ordeal. She, however, acknowledges the range of subjects that
she gets to listen to and talk about, which she finds to be an intellectually stimulating
activity. She also points out the level of responsibility borne by an interpreter, and
how communication could break down without her, if she were unable to perform on
any given occasion.

Perhaps the most discouraging aspect of her profession, she says, is when she asks
the speakers to give her a manuscript in advance to prepare, and how the speakers
claim to have none, only to produce it out of thin air on the day of the conference. At
the time of the event, they seem to have well prepared tomes, from which they rattle
off tonnes of words of knowledge. Imagine, she bemoans, if the interpreter were to
avenge such treatment, give up or fail in her abilities to deliver!

She also laments the almost inhuman and insensitive attitude that some employers
have, and how they treat interpreters like machines. She narrates the incident
involving an American speaker, who once asked her and her colleague, not to think
but to simply say what he said! Strange of course, that he did not seem to realise that
one needs to understand before translating.

The author goes on to narrate other interesting learnings and observations about
different nations and cultures, of how the Americans and Englishmen like to begin
with short anecdotes, while the Germans are usually serious, and want to sound
erudite, almost as if they do not want themselves to be understood by the audience
without effort.

Along with the challenges, there are also many perks, she says. Apart from the travel
and the learning opportunities, she enjoys the adulation of her friends and audience.
Since work is irregular, she gets adequate time to rest. At the same time, the
profession provides wider horizons. One gets to hear and learn about things that one
would not ordinarily have the opportunity to. One such topic, she mentions (back in
the 1980s) is environmental conservation. Although not much was written and
spoken about it those days, she says, at least it was being thought about!

Towards the end of the article, Schäfer draws an interesting analogy with tight-rope
walking. She says, it is sometimes awe inspiring to think what she does, but thinking
is not a luxury she is allowed after all! Just like in tight-rope walking – one may not
look down, nor think – all one can do is move forward. Fascinating isn’t it?

The author has led the reader to effortlessly meander through the various aspects of
her profession. From highlighting the rewards to exploring the downsides, enabling
the reader to vicariously ride the rollercoaster of her career. The reader gains
insights into the cultural, intellectual and touristic experiences of the author. Schäfer
interweaves her experiences and comments seamlessly in an anecdotal style. Her
grievances are veiled by humour and nonchalance, and make for an interesting read.

https://www.zeit.de/

Image Credit: Man vector created by storyset – www.freepik.com

WordPar International is a leading translation agency in India, providing interpretation

services for conference interpretation, trainings and meetings. We offer both
simultaneous interpretation as well as consecutive interpretation services.
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