Reflections on 2020  

Interview with AIIC’s Executive Committee

Distance interpreting

During 2020 many interpreters had to quickly adapt to a new environment in which distance interpreting suddenly became a reality. What has this meant for the interpreter community? How has AIIC responded?

Paco:

Distance interpreting has been around for quite some time. Some of our colleagues had already worked “in remote” and it was present, in some markets more than others. But many of us probably felt steamrolled when all of a sudden it became the only mode in which we were able to deliver our services, and this led to quite some uncertainty, anxiety even. Colleagues looked to AIIC for guidance and we have been working hard in order to help and give orientation. 

Though it was an issue of immense controversy at the time, AIIC had the foresight some years back to create the Taskforce on Distance Interpreting (TFDI) which, together with the Technical and Health Committee (THC), AIIC’s Private Market Sector (PRIMS), the and other groups and committees, has published a set of guidelines, recommendations and studies. This guidance aims to help members, and the interpreting community at large, navigate these largely uncharted waters and to better equip interpreters and their clients for this mode of work. You can find these texts on AIIC’s newly refurbished website aiic.org. 

AIIC’s Regional Bureaux and the AIIC Agreement Sectors have also striven to offer answers and assistance and I feel that the sudden widespread recourse to remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI) has created a new wave of solidarity among colleagues, with a desire to share information and to help each other out.

Assembly

AIIC’s 2021 Istanbul Assembly was cancelled as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. At what point did you realise that ExCo was going to have to make this decision? Did you consider any alternatives, like a virtual assembly? What does this mean for the Association? Do you know when and where the next Assembly will be held? 

Jenny:

From the moment it first became clear back in early March that Covid was not going away quickly, we were aware that we would potentially face problems with holding an Assembly in January 2021. Even if members were able to travel by then, the fact of having been effectively unemployed (read: unpaid) for several months would no doubt act as a deterrent for many. Having closely monitored the rapidly evolving situation over several months and in close consultation with the Basic Texts Group and AIIC’s legal advisers, we finally decided in June not to convene the Assembly in Istanbul in 2021. Several alternatives were considered, including the holding of a virtual Assembly, but at the end of the day we felt that an in-person Assembly with its many add-ons and meeting opportunities still remains the best option. We now have our sights firmly set on January 2022, where we will be hoping for a strong turnout with Covid well and truly behind us. 

In the meantime, and again following legal advice, our governing bodies and the groups answering to them will remain in office unless they choose otherwise, and AIIC will operate for the intervening year under a provisional budget and dues.

Support and solidarity

As so many other professionals, interpreters have seen their employment activities seriously curtailed by the pandemic. From one day to the next, meetings were cancelled, flights grounded, and freelance interpreters basically left with no prospects of income. In many cases, their situation is further exacerbated by the fact that their ‘international’ status disqualifies them from assistance provided by national governments.

At our first meeting in Valencia, right after we were elected, this ExCo placed RSI at the very top of its agenda. The groundwork put in between then and now meant that we were able to move very quickly to provide colleagues with guidance and support as RSI suddenly became the acronym on everyone’s lips, a potential avenue for employment. Several major organisations also turned to us for advice as they struggled to adapt to the new reality.

On the financial front, we immediately ensured that the Solidarity Fund was well equipped to cope with an expected increase in requests, establishing a three-person Management Committee and advertising the existence of the Fund for both beneficiaries and potential donors alike.

AIIC.org 

In the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, AIIC has launched its new IT platform and website. Was this project impacted by the crisis and, if so, how? What does the new system and website mean for AIIC members? Can you tell us about some of the new features?

Lara:

Let me begin by saying we couldn’t have done it without the army of volunteers who helped us honour the R500 mandate given to us by Assembly. All the pages you see on AIIC.org had to be written from scratch, revised, edited and translated. The new modular platform represents huge savings for AIIC. It has an intuitive menu structure, we’ve cleaned up the content, archiving old material, and the ‘My Portal’ is an extremely useful dashboard. We’ll have a general search function soon and an interactive organigram. 

AIIC.org is work in progress and Covid-19 slowed down some of the ongoing improvements. The final furlong wasn’t easy because of the lockdown – in-person meetings with the provider had to be cancelled – but we succeeded, and on schedule! Can we improve further? Yes, of course! Watch this space!

Finances

Many interpreters have been hit hard in the pocketbook by the crisis, and AIIC has responded by offering some relief from dues. Has this affected AIIC’s capacity to operate? Are there plans to make up for lost income? How does AIIC’s financial situation look in late 2020?

Micky:

The crisis certainly has hit many interpreters very hard. Many have not worked at all since the Christmas holidays! This is why the unprecedented decision to halve the 2020 dues for all full members, Associate members, Candidates and Pre-candidates was taken. Of course, this has in turn halved the Association’s income. 

Has this affected our capacity to operate? Not so far. We have reduced our expenditure wherever possible without cutting funds for the few activities that are being carried out this year because, yes, many of the budgeted activities have not taken place since they entailed travel and physical presence. An example of this are the many initiatives planned by Vega, which had scheduled quite a number of events aimed at new/young interpreters. On the other hand, our delegations, the Staff Committee, the Technical and Health Committee, the Task Force on Distance Interpreting and the Executive Committee have been working overtime, BUT, through remote meetings and videoconferences, without travelling, and this has cut costs considerably. Of course, our overheads remain put and cannot be cut. Will this affect AIIC’s capacity to operate next year? I hope not. Our Association has reserves that we can dig into if needs be, as has been done in the past, for the famous FTC case (1996) for example. This will depend almost entirely on how the end of this year and especially next year pan out from the point of view of Covid 19, which is something beyond our control and that we cannot foresee.

AIIC is a non-profit association, it has no income, only dues, therefore there is no way we can “make up for lost income”. The dues paid by our members must cover the cost of our overheads and our activities together. If this is not the case, we have to delve into our reserves and then slowly build up the reserves again the following years. At the moment we are in mid-2020 and AIIC’s financial situation is not a cause for concern. Dues, in fact, are still trickling in, slowly but regularly.

Remote meetings

During 2020 remote meetings became the new normal, and ExCo, the AB, PRIMS have all held meetings. New types of virtual meetings have emerged – like the Town Hall and PRIMS Donuts. Do you think these meetings are an effective / economical alternative way of meeting? Will AIIC continue to hold them? 

Youssef:

That’s a difficult question to answer. Everyone everywhere is grappling with the same doubts. We all had to adapt quickly. We recognise that there are some advantages, like being able to democratically go about business ‘as usual.’ But is it as effective? I think not. Remote meetings require shorter, leaner formats. Human relationships are harder to build. Actually being able to mingle and speak to each other before and after work is extremely important. 

Virtual meetings have had to be held so that we stay connected and get some important work done but I think we all realise that, although they are cheaper to hold, they are not as effective as regular meetings. However, I admit that mobiles and social media made a lot of people accept the “virtual world” effortlessly. That said, after the pandemic is over and we have a fuller picture of its impact on AIIC, membership will have to weigh up whether we can and should continue to hold some remote meetings.

Future of the profession 

As we look towards the end of the Covid-19 crisis, do you think there will be a return to normal for the profession? Will the world of meetings, conferences and interpreters be significantly different? Does AIIC intend to re-examine its role in a post-covid world? 

Emmanuel:

The Covid-19 pandemic thrust the world into uncharted waters, with an unprecedented surge in virtual meetings. The impact on the profession cannot be overemphasized, as AIIC promptly stepped up to the plate to help its members, partners and the interpreting community to embrace this brave new world without sacrificing quality, health or safety. While some clients view remote meetings as stopgaps, others have welcomed them as cost saving. The technological challenges, security, health and safety concerns, loss of human interaction, virtual meeting fatigue and growing nostalgia of the good old days are among the strong headwinds to sustain remote meetings after the pandemic wanes. The exponential growth of online meeting and interpreting platforms that arguably fetch huge cost savings and less logistics suggest a significantly different ecosystem. The full costs and implications of remote interpreting will require in-depth studies. Be that as it may, the interpreting landscape will change significantly.

To lead this change and reposition itself strategically, AIIC will need to rethink its basic texts to reflect this new reality, continue to engage its members and partners, attract new members, demonstrate innovation and creativity, conduct research and develop evidence-based guidance to maintain its leadership role as well as provide the highest standards of interpreting services. This role will not depart from the core principles of quality, ethics and health and safety.

The year ahead for AIIC

What is ExCo’s vision for the end of 2020 and 2021? What can members look forward to? How can members participate more in realising this vision for AIIC?

Uroš:

No need to repeat, over six months down the road, that the pandemic has been a complete and total game-changer for our profession. It is painfully clear to all of us. Nonetheless, I remain optimistic.

We interpreters pride ourselves on being, by virtue of the very essence of our profession, extremely adaptable, inventive, resourceful individuals with a pronounced ability to improvise. We advertise ourselves as highly skilled and versed in rapid analysis, quick recognition of structure and content, as well as able to clearly separate the wheat from the chaff. In a manner of speaking we are extremely entrepreneurial in a market where languages are the foreign currency and our skills are the exchange rates.

But are we all of that out in the “real” world as well? Are we capable of taking all that skill and talent outside the booth, out of the hitherto safely familiar and controlled working environment? 

I think that we certainly are. However, we will need to overcome the number one problem plaguing the interpreter (or most any other human out there): sheer individualism. Let’s be very honest, each and every one of us looks at the current situation from her or his own individual perspective. We are thinking about ways of managing this crisis from our own personal angle. Our individual willingness and motivation for change is conditioned almost entirely by our individual situation. 

All of that is entirely natural. As is our human desire to coalesce with our peers. That is what we need more of.

It will take courage and hard work to overcome the situation we are in as a profession. As an association we need to free ourselves of the shackles of “that’s how things were always done” and start thinking way more out of the box. We all intimately hope that things will return to “normal” sooner rather than later. But no-one out there has a crystal ball to predict when that might be and to what extent. So let’s free ourselves of some of the blinders preventing us from having an untainted perspective on things and let’s have the audacity to take this crisis head on, pioneering the way forward as we have through past crises and challenges.

During these past months I have often heard and read people saying “AIIC should do something about this,” or “AIIC really has to lead the way.” Usually this comes from people who never volunteer, who never sacrifice a little bit of their time and effort to our common cause that is AIIC. The same people who almost certainly aren’t even reading this. So to those of you who ARE reading this, to those of you volunteering your time and talent, to those of you who believe that it is worthwhile having an argument with colleagues to pave the way to a better future for our profession, I say thank you. In advance. There is a lot on our collective plate and I sincerely urge all of us to remain patient and kind with one another as we tackle the issues.

RSI, professional standards, social media and communication, AIIC virtual meetings and votes/elections, training, membership fees, professional address/domicile, Assembly. These are the topics ahead of our association for what is left of 2020 and for 2021. I cannot promise easy solutions. But I am convinced that if we dare to be a little bit bolder than usual we can truly grow this association to a new AIIC that isn’t afraid of the future, an AIIC that doesn’t shy away from reality but actually defines it.

What Covid meant for us

Jenny:

The Covid crisis brought home to me the importance of never taking anything for granted. Our entire world can be turned upside-down in an instant. Literally.

For me it has been an opportunity to recentre; to get back in shape mentally and physically; to enjoy the home I rarely see because I’m so often travelling; to forge a close community with neighbours, balcony to balcony and to figure out the truly important things and people in my life. In short, I decided to take it as an opportunity and went the silver lining route. 

Lara:

There’s this quote I love, no idea who wrote it: ‘(An unmatched left parenthesis creates an unresolved tension that can stay with you all day.’ That’s how it has been. Months of tension. Unknowns. Three people I loved dearly passed away. Less interpreting. People in need. I had to find that right parenthesis. I go for long walks in the forest around my house, letting it absorb the negative static that so often drowns out our own deepest thoughts, and reflect on what matters most. Simple choices, really. Kindness. Seeing the good. Family. Selflessness. It’s about what you give, no?

Paco:

Covid-19 has been a wakeup call for me. I don’t want to sound like a cliché, but it has taught me to value the small things in life. The most difficult thing has been not being able to see my family for such a long time. We live on different continents and this is not easy. I had Covid-19 in April, but, in spite of high fever and headaches, I feel very lucky when I see how many people have really suffered and still are.

Micky:

Although, luckily, I was never hospitalised, I unfortunately caught Covid myself, so it affected me and my family directly. It changed the focus of our lives. I have not worked since December and being at home for 8 months is a real big change for me and the family! However, all in all, I am taking it in my stride, the stride of an interpreter who is slowly, though sadly not as slowly as planned, winding down and I am now making more time for myself and my hobbies (AIIC permitting of course).

Youssef:

For me, Covid-19 came as a reminder of how weak human beings are and how fragile are our systems. The lockdown was tough for my family and I lost relatives. We continuously have to be careful, all the time. Professionally, before 7 March 2020, I was used to traveling at least twice a month. This is totally finished now after Covid-19. I think it’s true to say that my life has changed drastically; there is no fun or recreation in RSI.

Emmanuel:

Personally, Covid offered a fresh perspective of life as to what really matters. Working from home has entailed significant reorganisation, flexibility and above all, ushered a deeper appreciation of work-life balance and heightened the need for empathy and compassion. We need to take care of ourselves, be ready for change and do whatever it takes to operate in the right working environment – at home, hub or booth. It is all about quality, health and safety.

• A shortened version of this interview is published in Communicate!, the AIIC Webzine, Issue 76: Journeys
  
  

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