Friday 17 June 2022 marked the start of The Virtual Cafés of the KCI, our new pilot project.
As already announced, this very first edition was dedicated to French interpretation. It marked the end of the French Presidency of the EU, and was prepared in close cooperation with our colleagues from the UN interpretation service.
The session began with inspiring opening speeches by SCIC’s Director General, Ms Genoveva Ruiz Calavera, and Ms Marie Diur, Chief of the Interpretation Service at the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG). After this, Ms Olga Markides, Head of the French Interpretation Section at UNOG, and Mr Pascal Mathieu, Head of the French Interpretation Unit in SCIC, replied to a variety of questions. They focused in particular on career opportunities for conference interpreters in their institutions, with special emphasis on the French booth and the position of French at EU and international level.
As participants highlighted in their feedback, it was an open and frank interview in a relaxed atmosphere. A wealth of useful information was shared about interpreting at institutional level, language profiles in demand, how to prepare for accreditation tests, current and future challenges of the profession, and much more. A questions and answers session rounded off the event.
Both interviewees also shared their personal experience, describing the most important take-aways from their own studies in conference interpreting and some of the moments that have marked their careers.
Participants appreciated their openness and honesty, as well as their eloquence and knowledge. They found their recommendations very useful and felt inspired by the insight offered by both speakers.
You can relive the first Virtual Café via the webcast available here. The link will remain active on this page for two years after the event.
We are particularly grateful to our colleagues in the English booth, who allowed us to reach a wider audience and gave students a unique chance to see first-hand professional conference interpreters at work. And, of course, to our colleagues in SCIC who ensured the smooth running of the event with invaluable technical support.
The KCI Team was pleased to hear the positive feedback from participants both during and after the event. We take this as encouragement to continue the pilot project. We will be back soon with more information about the next cafés. Stay tuned!