Don’t sacrifice official languages during times of crisis

At its most basic, the challenge for interpreters is to be able to hear MPs clearly enough to listen to their words and convey them. Imagine trying to do that if the audio of the MP’s voice is of poor quality.

An interpreter works during a press conference in the West Block on March 27. A small but dedicated team of Translation Bureau staff interpreters have gone into work every day now for many weeks to deliver essential services and stand at the ready to make a virtual Parliament viable. Yet, this brave group is flagging due to auditory injury and fatigue, writes Nicole Gagnon.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY Nicole Gagnon

April 29, 2020

The first virtual session of the Special Committee on COVID-19, to which all MPs belong, started up this week. Professional interpreters have already worked hard to translate the spoken words of MPs in the few parliamentary committees that have met in recent weeks, so we have some experience in int...

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