Keep your voice down, especially when interpreting a fast or difficult speaker, it will also help you to remain calm. If there is a considerable difference in volume between your voice and that of your colleague, ask the sound engineer to adjust the output volume whenever you switch from one to the other. Try always to speak at an equal distance from the mike and do not turn away from it while interpreting. Do not rustle papers, pour out glasses of water, drum your fingers on the work surface, etc., in front of an open mike. Avoid noisy bangles in the booth.

If you have to switch off in the middle of interpreting, use the cough button and not the main switch which returns listeners to floor. If the cough button does not work, let the sound engineer know.

Check, when you enter the booth, that the mikes are not on.

There are some meetings where it may be appropriate to establish contact with your listeners, so that they can give you feedback on terminology, etc. This can be done by introducing yourself at the start of the meeting: “Good morning, this is…, in the x booth. We would appreciate it if you would always speak into a microphone, not read too fast and we would be grateful for comments on terminology. Thank you.“ It encourages delegates to seek out the interpreters if something is not quite right but do not introduce yourself in this way unless the team leader considers it appropriate. It is not always appreciated by the organisers.

When interpreting, convey an interest in your listeners’ subject. Try to communicate humour if the original does and show that you take an interest in what you are doing.

In a number of respects, interpreting is like acting. Do not let your audience slip from your grasp. Watch the delegates listening to you for their reactions and hold their attention by being convincing and accurate. Make them forget they are hearing the speaker through an interpreter. Be helpful. Always quote document references clearly, if possible twice. When documents are being distributed, if a speaker is not using a mike a reading too fast, ask your listeners for assistance if appropriated. Do not shout into the mike or bang on the window, calm measured requests for help, uttered over the mike, are more effective.

If you have a chronic cough, from smoking or a chest infection, try not to make a noise while a mike is switched on, either yours or your colleague’s: it is unpleasant for the delegates and my disturb the other interpreter’s concentration.

Do not make remarks about delegates. Mikes are sometimes left on by mistake.

V. CONTACT WITH DELEGATES
During the meeting, try to be an ambassador for the profession and the colleague who recruited you. Good communication with delegates and organisers make for good interpretation.

Coffee breaks, receptions, luncheons and dinners afford opportunities for improving the image of the profession. If you have a question for a delegate introduce yourself and put a question succinctly. Do not monopolise the delegate’s attention as meetings give participants a chance to make contacts and deal with business or professional matters. If the interpreters take up too much time, it may well be resented.

Always dress to fit in with the meeting, not for the effect. You may find yourself having to interpret in consecutive at a luncheon or because the equipment is out of order.

If a delegate compliments you, be loyal to your colleagues and include them in the tribute. Try to cover up for any shortcomings in the team and never criticise colleagues to others.

It is not considered ethical to distribute visiting cards and telephone numbers to participants.

If somebody mentions recruiting you for another meeting, there are two ways of handling the situation. If you have been recruited by a colleague, whether a member of the team or not, note down the person’s name and address and pass it on to the recruiting colleague. In return that colleague will almost certainly include you in the team if your language combination and domicile fit. If you were recruited directly by the organisation, there is nothing to prevent you organising a team if asked. When doing so, always refer to the appropriate AIIC publications regarding teams strengths, typical fees and per diems (available from the AIIC Secretariat). Acquaint yourself with the Code, its annexes and the guidelines for consultant interpreters. If you have any queries, consult either your Regional Secretary or an experienced recruiting colleague.

Remember that your team should convey as favourable an image of the profession as that held by the person who asked you to recruit. Do not use mediocre interpreters or make up a team of beginners just because these two groups are easier to get hold of.

It is always a good thing to include beginners in a team, they are the next generation of interpreters, but always obtain the agreement of the more experienced colleague in the team. Use beginners for meetings that they can prepare for extensively and in the right language combinations. Do not put them on the spot by offering them meetings which require quite a lot of experience. Do not mislead colleagues as to the subject of the meeting, pretending that it will be purely administrative when you know that it is in fact on organic chemistry.

VI. MEDIA INTERPRETATION
When interpreting for television or radio, an increasingly common occurrence, an interpreter faces a new set of challenges and is subject to additional constraints.

In addition to the usual requirements, when working for TV or radio, an interpreter’s style and delivery need to be particularly smooth and clear, regardless of the original. This is because TV and radio audiences are accustomed to the well trained voices of newsreaders and commentators and do not understand or appreciate the very different demands made of interpreters.
In addition, the media interpreter must be very quick, attacking an utterance without the usual delay (which is unsettling to listeners) and with as little overhang as possible once the speaker has finished. In a typical interview, the interviewer comes in all the time with fast snappy questions and the interpreter has to match the interviewer’s timing so as not to lessen the effect and take the punch out of the questions and answers. It is advisable to have as many interpreters as there are speakers, no matter how short the broadcast, to avoid problems of speaker identification for listeners or viewers and to ensure that the interpreter can cut in as soon as the speaker starts.
While the sound engineers are experts in their field, they may have little or no experience of the needs of interpreters. You may find, when you turn up at a studio for the first time, that you are expected to work from a little `out-of`-`the-way` cubby hole, with no direct view of the speaker (but a TV monitor instead); heavy stereo headsets and no volume control. It is essential to contact the broadcasting organisation well in advance, letting them have a list of basic technical requirements, perhaps in the form of a memo for the chief sound engineer.
Never attempt to interpret a scripted exchange without a copy of the scrip and make sure that you are given it sufficiently in advance to be able to prepare it.
Media interpreting can be very rewarding but it required cool nerves, very good technique and considerable skill. It is likely to be more in demand in the future and can do a lot to enhance our professional image generally.

VII. WORKING LANGUAGES
Professionals must be honest with themselves about their working languages. Experienced colleagues will know when they can safely work from a C into a B language, in either consecutive or simultaneous. They also know that they should not accept work into a C unless it is being upgrade into a B and the AIIC qualifying period for the change has not yet been completed.

Colleagues who recruit should be able to rely on the AIIC language classification but it is always safer to check that somebody will work into a B in either consecutive or simultaneous or that the interpreter agrees to act as a pivot out of a C language.

A reliable bilingual may prove more useful on a team than somebody with a long string of Cs. Sometimes an interpreter will downgrade a B to a C as languages can lose their cutting edge from disuse or prolonged absence from that language community. Rarely used Cs can also be dropped to avoid disasters.

If you do not live in a country where your A language is spoken, make every effort to keep abreast of linguistic, cultural political and social developments.

Listen carefully to how the language is used by native speakers from the countries other than yours and note their use of words and expressions.

Language is constantly changing and usage varies over time and over distance, so we can never relax our linguistic vigilance.

VIII. THE SPECIALIST VS THE GENERALIST
Article 3 of the AIIC Code of Professional Conduct states:

“Members of the Association shall not accept engagements for which they are not qualified.”

It is difficult to apply this provision scrupulously because it is not always possible to establish in advance the extent of the technical nature of the meeting. A medical conference may turn out to be about computerising statistics and a computer meeting may be about almost anything.

Our fees, prestige and reputation are based on our ability rapidly to master different forms of technical discourse and to acquire an adequate understanding of complex processes.

If you have training or experience in a particular field, let colleagues know; however, you are unlikely to be able ton confine yourself to that subject alone, as you may find there is not enough work.

Another reason why interpreters need to be generalists rather that specialists, is that organisers increasingly seek to recruit locally because the high cost of travel and per diems.

IX. KEEP IMPROVING
If you are a beginner, pay attention to how experienced colleagues tackle a particular difficulty or subject, especially those with your languages. Observe what they do, note their strengths and even their weaknesses. Decide what is worth emulating and what should be avoided.

Study the documents you have managed to get hold of. Read up the technical or professional procedures to be discussed and the theories underlying the subjects covered by the papers. Not only will this greatly improve your understanding of what is being said but will help you to cope with fast or difficult speakers and give you the feeling that you are on top of subject.

Nobody can be expected to own every dictionary or glossary published but they are tools of our trade and money invested in the latest versions of specialised dictionaries is a sound investment. Ask more experienced colleagues for advice on what to buy and be ready to let the others make use of your reference books.

Cassette recorders are also very useful. Use one (twin track so that you can compare your interpreted version to the original) to record yourself in the booth and then analyse it with a view to identifying both your strengths and your weaknesses. This is a useful exercise that should be undertaken at regular intervals throughout an interpreter’s career. It enables one to pinpoint irritating speech mannerisms, poor diction, choppy delivery and all the other defects that can urn good interpretation into bad and spoil a reputation. This exercise can be particularly useful if you are doing a difficult meeting because you will be more tense than usual and your shortcomings will be all the more marked. When you analyse your performance, pay attention to accuracy and faithfulness to the original and also to fluency and delivery, style and clarity of the message.

Do not, however, make recordings yourself without first clearing with the organiser. As interpreters we are bound to professional secrecy by our Code of Conduct and it would be unprofessional not to obtain the organiser’s prior consent.

If you do not like the sound of what you hear, do something about it. If you identify linguistic weaknesses, be prepared to spend some time in a country of that language or go on one of the increasing number of language enhancement curses being run by AIIC members. If the problem is one of content, make a sustained effort to fill in your knowledge of the areas in which you are weak. Check the AIIC Bulletin for special courses run by colleagues on such areas as Medical Terminology, Legal and Court Interpreting, etc.

Pay particular attention to your voice. Voice is probably the feature in an interpreter to which delegates attach the greatest importance. Time and time again a good interpreter has been poorly ranked by delegates because of an unpleasant voice or tiresome vocal mannerisms. Less able, less accurate colleagues have been preferred because of a pleasant voice and reassuring delivery. It is difficult to assess the quality of one’s own voice, so get a third party, who does not know you, to listen to a recording of your voice and comment on it. If the response is not entirely satisfactory take action. A lot can be done to improve the sound of one’s voice and as voice is as essential to an interpreter as to an actor, it is worth a special effort. If your delivery is uneven, practice different styles of delivery. If you are still not satisfied with your progress, be prepared to invest little money in sessions with a voice coach.

You can always ask a colleague with the right language combination or specialist of a particular subject, to listen to you during a meeting and to comment on both content and delivery. If somebody asks you to do the same, seek to be constructive in your comments. It can be a `two-way` process.

Technology, language, media are constantly developing and unless interpreters develop with them, the will not be able to keep up with the demands of the profession.

X. OTHER USEFUL HINTS
When working in consecutive, always insist on being seated at the table and within comfortable hearing distance of all speakers.

If slides or film are to be shown, ask the sound engineer to make sure the screen is placed where it is clearly visible to all booths. If necessary explain firmly but courteously that if you cannot see, you cannot do your job properly.

If a film is to be shown, do not attempt to interpret the soundtrack unless you have a direct feed to your headset and have had a chance to study the script in advance. Film and TV commentaries are spoken too fast to be interpreted correctly without a prepared script to hand.

If the interpretation is being recorded, ask for what purpose. If it is for subsequent sale or commercial exploitation, AIIC rules on copyright apply. Check with the Secretariat if necessary.

If you need glasses for reading or seeing slides on a screen, be sure not to forget them at home or in the hotel. If the screen is very far away, opera glasses may be useful.

Remember to keep careful accounts of income and professional expenditure so that you can easily prepare your income tax and, if applicable, VAT returns.

XI. AIIC MEMBERSHIP
As this booklet is an AIIC publication, you will not be surprised to find yourself enjoined to apply for membership of your professional association as soon as you start working as a conference interpreter.

The first step is to get three AIIC colleagues to sign the form registering you as a candidate. This confirms that indeed you are working as a professional. Once you have completed 200 days work you will need at least five signatures (the actual number depends on the number of language pairs to be covered) from AIIC colleagues of five years standing or more who have worked with you and are prepared to vouch for your professionalism and language combination. The rules on how the language combinations should be covered by sponsors are quite complicated but when the AIIC Secretariat sends you the forms, these will explain the procedure.

CACL (AIIC Committee on Admissions and Language Classification) will publish your name, language combination, address, domicile and sponsors in the AIIC Bulletin and if no objection is received within 120 days, you automatically become a full member and will appear in the next issue of the AIIC Yearbook. Whether you are a freelance or staff interpreter, this is an important stage in your career.

As a member you will have a chance to influence how the profession develops. Do not just pay your dues but be an active member, attend regional meetings, go to General Assemblies, join voluntary groups tackling issues in which you are interested. Adhere scrupulously to the provisions of the Code of Professional Conduct – it is the guarantee of our professional standard in the eyes of the world at large. If you want to amend something or change it, see if you can find `like-minded` colleagues and put proposals to your regional meeting and to the General Assembly in accordance with the procedure laid down for that purpose.

AIIC can only be what it is, i.e. a democratically run professional association, if all its members take an active interest in its affairs. This means reading its publications, first and foremost the Bulletin, and even contributing a letter or, why not, an article.

If you are asked to act as sponsor for a new member, read the CACL rules carefully and remember that in sponsoring the candidate you are implying that you would be prepared to recruit that person for the language combination you cover. Once you have agreed to be a sponsor, you must be prepared to defend your judgement if challenged and support the candidate. If you refuse to sponsor a candidate, give your reasons openly and fairly. A candidate may find less demanding sponsors but you will have reminded that person of the standards set by the profession.

CONCLUSIONS
We hope that these points will prove useful, as guidance to beginners and reminders to more experienced colleagues.

Inevitably a number of things have been omitted and doubtless others expressed less clearly then they might have been. The Guide is update regularly and suggestions for additions, changes etc. will be most welcome. Write to the Secretariat.

This booklet is the result of a joint effort, involving many people. Its sole purpose is to contribute to maintaining the quality image of our profession, which must be the aim of all of us, beginners and old timers alike.