The aid of interpreters has always been instrumental for allowing people of different languages to exchange information. But how did we arrive at the modern role of the conference interpreter, working in a soundproof booth equipped with headphones and a microphone? What brought about the evolution of the profession? How have the working conditions changed over the years?
Firstly, a distinction must be made between the two types of conference interpreting; consecutive interpreting, which was developed first, and simultaneous interpreting that came shortly after.
Consecutive interpreting
Consecutive interpreting was the preferred interpreting method during the conferences held between the two World Wars.
Most historical accounts agree that the first official consecutive conference interpreting took place at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. There were no interpreting schools at the time, but people improvised and soon interpreting became a very respectable position, reserved for educated veterans of the First World War. Furthermore, nearly all interpreters were men, as due to the absence of microphones, interpreters were required to have a very loud voice to be understood by audiences that could reach hundreds of people.
A multilingual effort
Another skill required of the interpreters was multilingualism. The conferences united people of many different languages and, given that modern simultaneous interpreting had not yet been invented, the interpreter was often required to interpret up to three languages consecutively on the spot.
Among the first conference interpreters was Paul Mantoux, a Frenchman who volunteered as an interpreter during the famous Treaty of Versailles (the peace treaty that brought an end to the First World War) and Jean-François Rozan who wrote, among other things, the guide ‘La Prise de Notes en Interprétation Consécutive’ (Note Taking in Consecutive Interpreting).
Over the last two centuries, interpretation techniques have undergone a progressive transformation. Indeed, at the start of the 19th Century, French was still the diplomatic language par excellence adopted universally by representatives from all countries (such as the 1814 Congress of Vienna). Just one century later, this was no longer the case. This led to the need for interpreting into and from multiple languages whilst keeping conferences at short as possible.
Consecutive interpreting developed to the extent that it went from just one person translating into many languages to many interpreters who translated uniquely into their native language. To speed up conferences, some speeches were also read simultaneously in different languages.
Simultaneous interpreting
It was not until the Nuremberg trials that true modern simultaneous interpreting developed. Léon Dostert, the former interpreter of Eisenhower, observed that consecutive interpreting was significantly slowing the trial process. He therefore created the technique we now call simultaneous interpreting. At a time when conferences exclusively employed consecutive interpreters, it was difficult to find interpreters capable of this new skill. Many required further training before they could begin interpreting simultaneously in the courtroom.
Dostert soon became aware of the difficulties of simultaneous interpreting and the importance of alternating interpreters. He created three teams of 12 interpreters that would rotate every 45 minutes.
Interpreting equipment
How did the equipment work? The machinery for simultaneous interpretation was created in 1927 by an American business man, Gordon Finlay, in collaboration with Thomas Watson. It was named the Hush-a-Phone Filene-Finlay and consisted of a telephone receiver, microphone and a system connecting to the listeners. At the Nuremberg trials, the system also featured an alert mechanism, activated by the interpreter when a problem was encountered. For example, they could activate a yellow lamp if the speaker spoke too quickly or a red lamp in the case of a mechanical fault.
After the United Nations was formed, many interpreters who had worked at the Nuremberg trials moved to New York to translate between the five official languages of the UN.
Working conditions
During the post-war conferences, interpreters did not finish work at the end of the conference session. Work went on into the evening with the translation of all the written proceedings of the day, such as resolutions, meeting minutes, etc. They were also frequently required to write or edit notes for the meetings exchanged between the various representatives of the member states.
This excessive workload often had physical repercussions. For example, W. Keiser, who interpreted during the first congress on homeopathic medicine in 1951, had to interpret consecutively in English, French and German for an entire week from Monday to Saturday. He subsequently collapsed on the final day of the conference. These working conditions were not changed until the 1960s with the signing of a petition in 1963 and the drafting of five-year agreements between the UN and the European Community in 1969.
Today, interpreting has become an established profession open to anyone possessing the necessary skills and qualifications. Interpreters can train at one of the many interpreting schools that have been created over the years, the first of which was formed in Geneva in 1941. Interpreters can also now join interpreting associations to defend and protect their profession, such as the International Association of Conference Interpreters, created in 1953.