E quando o assunto é etiqueta entre intérpretes?

Encontramos este artigo do Tony Rosado, que relata situações interessantes de como (não) devemos agir com nossos colegas!

The ten worst things an interpreter can do to another interpreter. Part 1*

The “ten worst” series is back again. This time I will talk about those actions, omissions, and attitudes of other interpreters that not only annoy us, which they do, but that also affect our professional performance and the image we project to the client and the professional community.  Obviously, and very sadly, a “ten worst”list is not enough to include all the things we see and hear out there when we are in the booth, the courtroom, the hospital, the battlefield, or anywhere else that interpreters are doing their job.  As always, I am writing this with a therapeutic perspective, trying to add some possible solutions to these problems while at the same time creating empathy and inviting a good healthy laugh when relating to these horror stories. Because of the length of this posting, I have decided to publish it in two parts. This is part one. Part two will be posted next week.

Here we go:

1. “Well, that’s what I charged because that is all they wanted to pay and I didn’t want to lose the client.”  Nothing really bothers me more than an interpreter that doesn’t know how to charge for his or her services.  This is a business where we provide a professional service and those in the field who don’t understand it and don’t want to understand it are not only working towards a life of misery for themselves and their loved ones; they are hurting us all.  The only reason why some of your clients are always trying to get you to work for less than you deserve is because of this group of interpreters who are willing to do anything for practically nothing. This practice influences your local market because there is a cheap alternative competing against you who is ready to take your client away even if they will make very little money. Let me be really clear, I am not saying that we should constantly overprice what we do, although there is nothing wrong with charging any amount a client is willing to pay: it is a contractual relationship, the meeting of the minds. A quick solution would be to sell your services better than those individuals who charge below the market so the client sees the added value you bring to the job.  Long term solution: Educate your market. Make sure all potential clients know the difference between a good interpreter and a person who will charge little and deliver even less. These paraprofessionals will always exist; in most instances just ignore them. They are not in your league. I don’t know about you all, but I am in the business of working little and making a lot of money. I am not interested in working for peanuts every single day. I can think of many other things I can do with my time.
2. To snatch the microphone away from you or not to let go of the microphone.  It is very annoying and very distracting to work with somebody who is just watching the clock and the moment the big hand gets to half past or to the top of the hour they grab the microphone or turn off your output on the console. Some of them even stick their wrist between your eyes so you can see that it is time for them to interpret totally disregarding the rendition. They just cannot wait until the natural pause happens and the switch can be seamless.  And then you have those in love with their voice and their rendition who never let go. They simply turn their head away or avoid your stare and continue talking.  Of course I know that I will get paid regardless of who did most of the work, but I am also aware of the fatigue factor and I do not want the audience to suffer through a diminished rendition just because of the ego of my colleague in the booth. In these two scenarios a quick, but many times useless, solution would be to wait for the next break and talk it over with your partner, or in the event that you already know that this will happen because you have worked together in the past, politely and professionally set the “rules of the game” even before you start interpreting.  The long term solution to these very disturbing working conditions would be to refuse to work with that colleague in the future and to explain to the client your reasons for the refusal.
3. To leave the booth as soon as you take the microphone.  To me it is very difficult to understand how some colleagues perceive team interpreting when they leave the booth or exit the courtroom as soon as they are not actively interpreting.  I understand bathroom breaks and important phone calls and e-mails; we are a team and I gladly stay alone when my partner needs to take care of one of these situations.  Is it because they do not know that the supporting interpreter is as important as the one actively interpreting? I have a hard time buying this justification when they have been around for some time and have experienced first-hand the benefits of having a second interpreter sitting next to them.  To me it is very simple: They erroneously understand team interpreting as “tag-team interpreting” which is what wrestlers do when they work in teams. I believe the short-term and long-term solutions I suggested for number 2 apply to this scenario as well. I have a word of caution for my new colleagues and friends who just started in this profession and may feel intimidated or uncomfortable when it is the veteran interpreter who abandons the station:  Treat them as equals. You are doing the assignment because somebody thought you were good at this. Even the “big ones” have to do their job as part of the team.
4. To cancel at the last minute.  This is another one of those practices that hurt you as a professional who has been scheduled to work with this individual, and also hurts the image of the profession.  Of course I am not talking about an emergency when a colleague has to cancel due to a health issue, a family crisis, or an accident.  I am not referring either to the interpreters who cancel because after accepting the assignments they realized that it was way over their head, unless they cancel the day before instead of two months ahead of time. I am talking about those who were offered another job on the eve of your event, and those who are simply irresponsible and unreliable.   This is a very serious problem that can be worse when you are also the organizer of the event or the interpreter coordinator.  A quick solution could be to talk to the interpreter and see why he or she is quitting at the last minute. Sometimes the reasons can be addressed and corrected (a hotel they dislike, a flight at an inconvenient time, etc.) occasionally a good pep talk can fix it (a last-minute panic attack because of the importance of the event or the fame of the speaker at the conference) and sometimes the cancelling interpreter may agree to start the event while you get a replacement.  A long term solution in this case is a no-brainer: Never work with this person again. Black-list this individual, and if necessary and if the contract allows it: sue him.   It is not wrong to cancel an assignment because you got a better offer to do another job. What is wrong is to cancel at the very last minute.
5. To refuse to help the new interpreters.  Our job is a personal service. I am hired to interpret because the client wants me to do it; not just anybody to do it. They want me.  I understand and value the fact that getting to the top takes a lot of work, many years of dedication, a devotion to what you do. I applaud those who got to the summit and use it as a marketing tool.  I also love to work with them. It is a pleasure.  Unfortunately, some of these great interpreters do not like to share their knowledge and experience with the new generation.  I have seen, and heard, of instances where the masters of the profession ignore and mistreat the newcomers. They keep the secrets of their trade close to their chest as if afraid that once known, they could be turned against them.  This very real situation creates a nightmare for those scheduling the interpreters for an event and could result on the loss of a client.  As a short-term solution you can talk to the veterans and explain that you need them for the quality of the rendition, and for the same reason, you need them to teach the new interpreters how to work like a superstar, and you need them to help the often nervous newcomers to feel at home in the booth or the courtroom so they can also learn and perform.  Because most veterans are wise and love the profession, the same strategy, at a larger scale, can be part of the long-term solution, together with a campaign to educate and empower the new interpreters so they feel that they also belong in the booth.

These are my first five. Next week I will post the other five. In the meantime, I invite you to share your stories, anecdotes and opinions regarding this part of our professional practice.

Tony Rosado

*Escrito por Tony Rosado no blog "The professional interpreter": http://rpstranslations.wordpress.com/2013/06/25/the-ten-worst-things-an-interpreter-can-do-to-another-interpreter-part-1/ 

"The Right Stuff?"

Is there such a thing as an ideal personality profile for interpreters?

If you want to become an astronaut, NASA will happily inform you of the ideal candidate profile. The same thing holds forair traffic controllers,stockbrokers, and a host of other professions. Now, I am by no means implying that conference interpreting is in any way comparable to these other professions (you’ll be surprised to hear what profession it does resemble – more on that in a moment). But I do think it is valid to ask whether there are certain character traits that will help you achieve the goal of becoming an interpreter.

To find an answer to this question, instead of just dusting off all the old clichés and half-truths going around about interpreters, I decided to start by taking the empirical approach: I looked around in the booth to see what sorts of personalities I found there.

At this point, I was reminded of a questionnaire I was asked to fill out recently for the kindergarten my daughter will be attending in September. On the form, I was asked to indicate whether my little interpreter-in-waiting (or not!) was:

• Sociable or withdrawn
• Chatty or taciturn
• Passive or assertive
• Adventurous or hesitant
• Fun-loving or serious

(I’ll spare you the rest of the descriptors on the list, since they mostly had to do with table manners and toilet training.)

What I did was think about all of the interpreters I have worked with over the years to see if I could find at least one who fits each of the above descriptions. And I can assure you that I had no trouble at all finding examples of each! Good news for the shrinking violets among us – and bad news for the empirical method.

Since I still needed an answer to my question, I then tried to determine the ideal interpreter personality profile by elimination, i.e. by trying to figure out everything an interpreter is NOT and then assuming that the opposite is what makes a good interpreter. I had considerably more luck when I applied this reverse method, because I did manage to determine that:

• I have no colleagues who seem uninterested in the world.
• I don’t know any interpreters who can’t handle stress.

Let’s just pause briefly to examine the two traits identified by the above process of elimination
.

Intellectual curiosity

All the interpreters I know really do appear to share an insatiable curiosity about the world. I’d argue that this is possibly the most important trait an interpreter can have.

Conference interpreting is not like some other careers, where you first dedicate an initial period to learning your business and then spend the rest of the time practicing it. As any practicing interpreter will know, interpreting entails a constant learning process – with every new client, conference, or meeting comes a new learning curve – and so anyone who doesn’t have the desire (whether inborn or acquired) to always learn more will probably not be able to handle the sheer breadth and depth of information that needs to be absorbed over the course of an interpreting career.

Learning about different languages and cultures at the level required for interpreting obviously takes a lot of time and commitment as well, and I would think that this is easier to muster in an enquiring mind.

Of course, in today’s world, one could argue that most professions require lifelong learning. If that is true, then at least interpreting is no exception to the rule.

Dealing with stress

Yes, the job is extremely stressful, as AIIC’s Workload Study confirms. Having said that, I would disagree with a claim I once heard many years ago that interpreters suffer the same stress levels as air traffic controllers – I may experience increased levels of cortisol in the booth or in the field, but I do not hold the lives of thousands of people in my hands when I work.

Now, I’m sure a lot of other professions are stressful as well, just as finding a job can be in today’s world! But I think it’s clear that if you want to become an interpreter, you should not be the type of person who deals poorly with stress.

Anyway, stress is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, without any at all to activate the release of adrenaline and the subsequent “fight or flight” response, humanity would probably still be several steps back in the evolutionary process. On that note, I think it’s safe to say that in the booth stress should probably more often lead to “fight” than to “flight”. It should be more likely to put your interpreting senses on edge and allow you to perform the necessary multi-tasking effectively than to send you shimmying up a tree.

The Right Stuff, indeed

To sum up, lifelong learning and stress management will always be part of an interpreter’s job, so those who have personalities that suit this profile will probably have an easier time of making it as interpreters.

Of course, that’s not all it’s about. AIIC has published a complete list of personal traits that it considers useful for interpreters, which I would encourage you to consult if you want to know more.

For those of you with a bit of free time and curious to know more about the research that has been done into the personality profiles of interpreters, read this academic paper on the subject, which debunks many of the existing myths in a most scholarly fashion (here comes the reply to the question raised at the beginning: one of the author’s conclusions is that interpreters share the same personality type with… librarians!).

So there you have some reflections on what might be considered “The Right Stuff” for interpreters. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say.

http://aiic.net/blog/post/6529/-the-right-stuff/2013/06/13/lang/1 

Link Abrates

Aqui está o link para ver as apresentações dos palestrantes do Congresso da Abrates:
http://www.slideshare.net/Abrates. É uma ótima oportunidade para quem não pôde ir. Enjoy!

Está aberta a temporada 2013 de congressos, seminários, simpósios e conferências sobre tradução e interpretação! O IV Congresso da ABRATES em BH (30/05, 1o e 2/06) abriu com chave de ouro a temporada 2013 de eventos de/para tradutores e intérpretes. Em cerca de 10 blocos de 1h cada e com 4 a 5 apresentações ocorrendo simultaneamente em diferentes salas, o evento cobriu as mais diversas frentes de atuação de tradutores e intérpretes no Brasil e no mundo. Os temas incluíram a atuação profissional no mundo globalizado, a formação de intérpretes no Brasil, a tradução jurídica e a tradução juramentada (que não são a mesma coisa!), as experiências pessoais de vários colegas tradutores e intérpretes, a tradução literária, as ferramentas de TI e os conhecimentos básicos para tradução e interpretação, o mercado de trabalho e a atuação das associações de tradutores e intérpretes (ABRATES, SINTRA, APIC, AIIC, ATA, ATP-MG, todas presentes!), entre outros. Organização impecável! E você, não conseguiu ir? Então, comece a se programar para os próximos eventos: V Conferência de Tradutores do ProZ (agosto), SIMBI – Primeiro Simpósio Brasileiro de Interpretação (setembro), XI Congresso Internacional da ABRAPT (setembro), ATA 54th Annual Conference novembro).

Mais um evento sobre interpretação, em um ano especialmente repleto deles: a V Conferência de Tradutores do ProZ este ano terá como keynote speaker Barry Olsen, professor de interpretação do Monterey Institute of International Studies e membro do Comitê de Formação da AIIC. O evento será em Recife, dias 24 e 25 de agosto.

V Conferência Brasileira de Tradutores do ProZ

Dois novos livros sobre interpretação, ambos para uso em sala de aula. Coisa rara em nossa área. Ainda não foram testados por aqui, mas vieram bem recomendados.

O Andrew Gillies, além de ser o chefe do Comitê de Formação da AIIC, é autor do excelente Note Taking for Consecutive Interpreting, um dos poucos manuais sobre o assunto que fazem sentido e podem ser usados por alunos e professores. Este promete ser tão bom quanto.

Técnicas de interpretación consecutiva: la toma de notas. Manual para el estudiante, Clara Bosch

http://intransbooks.com/book_story/8490450056

Conference Interpreting: A Students Practice Book, Andrew Gillies

http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415532365/

A PUC-Rio estará presente no XI Congresso Internacional da ABRAPT, a Associação Brasileira de Pesquisa em Tradução, que acontecerá em Florianópolis, de 23 a 26 de setembro de 2013.

Eu, Branca Vianna, vou coordenar um simpósio sobre interpretação, no dia 26 de setembro, junto com o Professor Reynaldo Pagura, da PUC-SP. Teremos três palestrantes do Rio: os professores Raffaella Quental e Christiano Sanches, da PUC-Rio, e Marcelle Castro, do curso de formação de intérpretes da Gama Filho.

Vejam abaixo o link com os nomes de todos os participantes. Há outros professores da PUC-SP, além de pesquisadores de São Paulo e de Santa Catarina, e do professor Jayme Pinto, diretor e professor da Associação Alumni.

Vejam abaixo os links para o site do congresso e para o nosso simpósio. Espero vê-los em Floripa.

XI CONGRESSO INTERNACIONAL DA ABRAPT E V CONGRESSO INTERNACIONAL DE TRADUTORES

UFSC, Florianópolis, de 23 a 26 de setembro de 2013

XI Congresso Internacional da ABRAPT e V Congresso Internacional de Tradutores

Simpósio Os estudos da tradução e suas múltiplas interfaces

Conheça nossa equipe

Sou André Luiz Bekenn e chefio o Curso de Intérpretes do Departamento de Letras há aproximadamente 40 anos, desde a criação da habilitação específica de interpretação de conferência. A minha história começa aos 16 anos quando viajei de coast to coast nos Estados Unidos, o que me abriu a cabeça para a língua e cultura americanas. O próximo passo foi ser chefe do Comitê Executivo do programa de intercâmbio Youth for Understanding no Rio de Janeiro. Em 1969 fui selecionado para ser intérprete da USAID, do Departamento de Estado, em Washington, onde fui treinado na prática por um dos intérpretes do presidente Nixon. De volta à PUC, onde estudava Engenharia Mecânica, fui eleito representante da turma de Alemão, quando vim saber que seria iniciada a habilitação tradutor-intérprete no Departamento de Letras. Fui então contratado como monitor de Letras, mesmo sendo aluno da Engenharia. Alguns anos depois, com a criação da habilitação específica em Interpretação, assumi a coordenação do curso, que mantenho até hoje. De monitor a professor pleno...

Sou Sílvia Becher e me formei na PUC em Tradução/Interpretação e Licenciatura em 1977. Sou Mestre em Linguística e Doutora em Administração pela PUC-Rio. Há 25 anos leciono no curso de Formação de Intérpretes de Conferência, tendo colaborado nas diversas atualizações curriculares já implantadas no curso, tendo também vínculo efetivo com o Departamento de Letras da PUC-Rio. Tenho orgulho de dizer que fui professora de praticamente todos os atuais professores do curso e de uma maioria significativa dos bons intérpretes do mercado carioca e de outros que migraram para outros mercados. Sou intérprete esporádica em eventos, com os idiomas português (A) e inglês (B), pois me dedico prioritariamente à docência.

Sou Raffaella de Filippis Quental e me formei em Tradução e Interpretação na PUC-Rio lá se vão mais de 20 anos. Tenho tido o prazer e o privilégio de contribuir para a formação das novas levas de intérpretes egressos da PUC desde 1996, e atuo no mercado com os idiomas português (A), inglês e italiano (B) e espanhol (C). Tenho Mestrado em Linguística Aplicada pela Unicamp e sou membro da AIIC, APIC, Abrates e SINTRA. Além de gostar de línguas, amo livros, viagens, natureza e bird-watching, não necessariamente nessa ordem...

Sou Fernanda Mathias Costa, formada em Tradução (1989) e em Interpretação (1992) pela PUC-Rio e com Especialização em Tradução Inglês-Português também pela PUC-Rio (1999). Sou professora substituta no Curso de Formação de Intérpretes de Conferência da PUC-Rio há mais de 10 anos e atuo no mercado de tradução e interpretação com os idiomas português (A), inglês (B) e espanhol (C). Fui aprovada no concurso da JUCERJA de 2009 como tradutora juramentada (Tradutora Pública e Intérprete Comercial Português-Inglês). Acredito na força das associações e sindicatos na dura tarefa de valorizar nossa profissão e por esse motivo sou membro da AIIC, APIC, Abrates, ATP-Rio e SINTRA. Quando não estou interpretando ou traduzindo, meu lema é “quem canta e/ou dança, seus males espanta”.

Sou Ruth Bompet, Fonoaudióloga clínica, formada pela UFRJ com Pós Graduação e Especialização em Voz e Comunicação Oral. Sou consultora em comunicação corporativa e preparadora vocal de atores, cantores e apresentadores de telejornal. Participo de Media Training como preparadora e consultora em técnicas de apresentação. Sou professora de Dicção e Impostação da Voz no Curso de Intérpretes de Conferência há 10 anos, trabalhando o instrumental dos alunos (a voz) quanto a qualidade, expressividade e resistência vocal. Tenho orgulho em fazer parte de uma equipe tão competente e comprometida com o saber e o aprendizado dos alunos do Curso.

Sou Branca Vianna, formada pela PUC-Rio há mais de duas décadas, intérprete de conferência também há mais de duas décadas, com a combinação português (A), inglês (B) e francês (C). Sou professora do Curso de Formação de Intérpretes de Conferência da PUC-Rio desde 2005. Tenho mestrado em Linguística pelo University College London e em Formação de Intérpretes pela Universidade de Genebra. Na PUC, tive o prazer e honra de ter sido aluna tanto da Silvia Becher quanto do André Bekenn. Sou membro da AIIC e da APIC. Gosto de livros e de cachorros, e quando não estou interpretando ou dando aulas, fico em Itacaré com meus cachorros, que às vezes comem meus livros.

Sou Alicia de Choch Asseo, tradutora científica e literária e graduada em Interpretação de Conferência pela Universidad del Salvador (Buenos Aires) em 1986. Moro no Brasil desde 1991. Venho lecionando no Curso de Formação de Intérpretes de Conferência da PUC-Rio desde 2011. Também sou responsável pelo curso de Prática de Interpretação de Espanhol, geralmente oferecido a cada dois anos. Trabalho com espanhol (A), inglês (B) e português (C). Sou membro da AIIC e da APIC.

Sou Denise de Vasconcelos Araujo, me formei aqui no Curso de Formação de Intérpretes de Conferência da PUC-Rio em 2008 e comecei a atuar no mercado em 2009, com os idiomas português (A) e inglês (B). Tive o privilégio de ser aluna de quase todos os professores do curso, para o qual venho contribuindo desde 2011. Sou membro da AIIC e da APIC. Gosto de conversar, viajar, conhecer novas culturas e costumes e cozinhar! Ultimamente quem tem ocupado todas as minhas horas livres (e as não livres também) é o meu filho Theodoro, de 1 ano.

Sou o Christiano Sanches, formado na PUC-Rio no Curso de Formação de Intérpretes de Conferência em 2005 e na Formação de Tradutores Inglês-Português em 2009. Trabalho como intérprete no mercado desde 2006, com os idiomas português (A), inglês (B) e francês (B). Tenho mestrado em Estudos da Linguagem também pela PUC-Rio e, em 2013, começo a lecionar a disciplina Atenção e Concentração. Sou filiado ao SINTRA e membro da AIIC. Estou animado para fazer parte dessa equipe dinâmica de professores-intérpretes. 

Somos os professores do Curso de Interpretação de Conferência da PUC-Rio.
Quer saber mais sobre o curso? Entre aqui no link do CCE para obter as informações:http://www.cce.puc-rio.br/sitecce/website/website.dll/folder?cOferec=6817
A partir dos próximos posts vamos contar um pouquinho mais sobre quem somos!