Career strategies for conference interpreters
On 26 May I attended the above conference at ISIT – one of the interpreting schools in Paris. For those of you who don’t speak French the conference poster above explains that the event was to give an overview of the initial findings of a study conducted through interviews with members of the profession in order to define career strategies for conference interpreters. The findings were presented by Marianna Gyapay, Louis-Marie Clouet, François Grima and Pauline de Becdelièvre, and the event was attended by both students and professionals. Research itself is often overlooked, but it can play a key role in interpreter training and, in this case provide us with a clear idea of how an interpreter’s career can progress – allowing us to better plan for our futures.
The presentation given was very interesting and was split into two sections – firstly about the different career strategies and secondly about the reasons why people become interpreters.
The first part of the presentation outlined various career strategies ranging from the nomad who often starts off as a freelancer then moves to an institution such as the EU to the non-starter (who does what it says on the tin). For me the take-away from this was the reasons behind those who had the most successful and long-during career:
an ability to develop and nurture a professional network
this network being the source of information and motivation to work on the below points
the right language combination
their ability to anticipate market changes
strategic attitude
continuous improvement of language combination
family support
flexibility
In the second part of the conference the idea of the “sustainability” of this career was discussed. The researchers made particular reference to the idea of there being 3 sources to the vocation of an interpreter -> the idea of destiny, the perfect fit and an external push towards the career. This idea of “the perfect fit” really resonated with me – the concept that the career of an interpreter perfectly matches an individual’s values, ideas and professional activity. This is very much an internal process that is unique to the individual but it’s what motivates us to continue as interpreters. There was also the idea of the intellectual curiosity of an individual that needs to be satisfied and I certainly know many interpreters for whom this rings true!
Finally, the motivation of individuals who are interpreters was discussed with another three points being raised – professional identity, intellectual curiosity and linguistic technique. All of this was linked to the emotional relationship we have with our careers as interpreters which for me is very true as well. Interpreting really has to be something you love doing in order for you to want to continue with it as a career.
Following each section of the presentation there were many interesting discussions on the floor about the concerns interpreters have – “is anyone listening to us?”, the fears for our professional reputations, how your family life can have an impact on your career – the study showed that having a child was often the main reason for stopping being an interpreter.
I think that the initial findings of the study are very promising and can help us to analyse the career perspective and prospects in front of each of us in order to develop a career path that suits each of us. I look forward to the rest of the findings and would like to thank Marianna Gyapay, Louis-Marie Clouet, François Grima and Pauline de Becdelièvre for the excellent presentation they gave and discussion they encouraged at the event.
To see the video of the conference click here!
