Remote Interpretation and videoconference in DG Interpretation Linking up with video Antwerp, 25/26 February 2016
Content Remote Interpretation Hampton Court - 2005 Inter-institutionnal Agreement 2007 Derogation to the Agreement 2011 Annex 7 to the Agreement 2014 Video-conferences
Context SCIC provides interpretation for the Commission but also to the European Council, Council of ministers, ECOSOC, CoR, EIB, EUROPOL, Presidencies etc 50 meetings per day 560 Staff interpreters who dedicate their whole carreer to interpreting Accredited free-lance interpreters
Hampton Court 2005 Our first experience with remote interpretation
The room in Hampton Court
The booths
The view in front of the booths
Inter-institutionnal Agreement 2007
In a nutshell European Commission, European Parliament, Court of Justice Staff representatives of each Institution «a form of interpretation which is inferior in quality» Exceptionnal use, meeting of exceptionnal political importance Maximum possible number of booths At the seats, only for meetings with more than the official languages
Working conditions No more than 2 days per periods of 4 weeks Maximum 5 hours per day Breaks after 2h30 of work No other form of interpretation on the same day
Enlarged Technical WG Verifying compliance of requests with the Agreement Validating the technical setup AIIC : observer status
Derogation to the Agreement 2010/2011
European Council becomes an Institution with a new President Full linguistic regime is offered Intimacy for HoSGs Only for dinners of Heads of States and Governments Basis: the 2005 Agreement Derogation valid until December 2012 Europa building
How RI is done European Council meals take place in dining room 3 floors above the RI room.
Almost 25 European Summits since October 2011 Importance of evaluation: online feedback Staff (representatives) involvement Communication/transparency More multilingual communication (active booth phenomenon = HoSGs are more inclined to speak in their mother tongue if they can listen to interpretation into their language.) Language Regime at Brexit Summit: 23/18 on request
Resuming negotiations 2013
More demands from the Council Ministerial meetings as well as HoSGs Intimacy still a priority even with a new building
Annex 7 July 2014 Long negotiations but more flexible Agreement while preserving the interests of interpreters RI is now accepted even sponsored in some booths as they can now work at dinners of the EU Summit Special procedure for high level meetings (G7, June 2014) Still limited to Heads of States level
Videoconferences
What do we want to achieve? Reply to a business need: More and more meetings with video conferencing Cost of travelling vs. short interventions Ash cloud? Strikes? Point to point or multipoint VC Deliver VC with Interpretation with the right quality: Sound Image Lip synchronization
30 Possible technical difficulties Stability of the network connection Technical equipment of the distant site Delays in image or/and sound transmission Background noises Unefficient meeting governance
VC with GRANGE (Ireland): Since 2013, videoconferences with the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) in Grange, Ireland A distant speaker gives a presentation and answers questions from the meeting in Albert Borschette Conference Centre (CCAB), have been interpreted without any problems. Brussels to Grange: video, presentations, 4 audio channels
Caracteristics: Accoustics and lighting are controlled Room design The setup is stable and highly controlled on both ends. Commission own network Quality of camera and microphone is very high In Brussels: 3 big screens
Regular VC with interpretation Since 2015, we provide interpretation of short interventions via VC equipment. Standing Technical Working Group agreed on a set of specifications
34 3. Before and during the meeting Technical preparation is a must = CHECKLIST Tips for chair Tips for speakers (micro discipline, no hectic movement, right clothes) No skype!
ISO 20108 ISO 20108: "Simultaneous interpreting - Quality and transmission of sound and image input Requirements" A completely new standard in the field of simultaneous interpreting. First attempt to standardize the quality of sound and image transmitted to interpreters, whether coming from the meeting room or from a distant site (think: videoconferencing, remote interpreting). The hardest part is how to define the stability of an internet connection, and from what point on the connection is too bad for interpreters to deliver quality interpreting.
Reference documents: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/scic/working-withinterpreters/videoconference-with-interpretation/index_en.htm 36/7
Contact details: Anne-Laure Hubert Commission européenne DG Interprétation Anne-Laure.Hubert@ec.europa.eu Tél: 02.229.66.00 or +32.498.99.66.00
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