Interpreters: inside the glass booth.

• Author: Endrst, Elsa B.

In describing the complexities of his demanding, often stressful profession, UN Russian interpreter Preter Pyotr Avaliani said: "Simultaneous interpretation is like driving a car that has a steering wheel but no brakes and no reverse."

He is one of 142 remarkable linguists from 22 nations who interpret multilingual deliberations-meetings which could not take place without them-at UN Headquarters in New York and elsewhere throughout the world.

Seated in individual soundproof glass booths situated inside the meeting rooms, these men and women orally translate speeches being delivered on the floor of the hall at that very moment. It is no easy feat.

The following informal aptitude test has been suggested for this arduous job: Sit by your TV and try to repeat everything an announcer says while he is speaking. After a sentence or two, you may become confused, because you cannot remember what the announcer has just said. But you cannot forget what you yourself have just repeated. Then, pause for a moment and imagine that you would have had to translate all this immediately-into another language.

States one interpreter: "The basis of simultaneous interpretation is 'remember and forget, remember and forget'."

Monique Corvington, Chief of the UN Interpretation Service, has described the professional skills and personal qualities essential for the sensitive and demanding job: a thorough knowledge of at least three of the UN working languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish); a curious mind; a thirst for knowledge; and the ability to concentrate.

Simultaneous interpretation had its origin at the post Second World War Nazi war crime trials in Nuremberg. Because it saved time and improved the quality of the output, UN officials decided to use simultaneous rather than consecutive interpretation, which had been used at the League of Nations. In consecutive translation, the speaker stops periodically, so that the interpreter can translate what has just been said.

Challenges, lonely

The professional life of UN interpreters is both challenging and lonely, although they work in teams of two. By its very physical nature, it cuts them off from other UN staff, as well as delegations.

"The actual work is very individual. You perform the service all by yourself", says Ms. Corvington. "Because of the intense concentration required, interpreters work in teams of two in a booth, taking turns at the microphone, usually for 30-minute periods...