Why simultaneous interpreting is not for the faint-hearted
Keystone
Think of interpreters and you might think of focused faces wearing headphones in glass booths at conferences. Or perhaps people whispering into the ears of presidents at international summits. But have you ever thought about the skills these unsung heroes have to master and the pressures they have to face?
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Born in London, Thomas was a journalist at The Independent before moving to Bern in 2005. He speaks all three official Swiss languages and enjoys travelling the country and practising them, above all in pubs, restaurants and gelaterias.
One of the Swiss parliament’s nine official interpreters explains the challenges of ensuring everyone can understand what’s going on in a country with three official languages.
The art of interpreting in Switzerland’s polyglot parliament
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Ensuring Swiss politicians can understand each other is challenging, stressful but rewarding, says one of parliament’s official interpreters.
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