As part of the G20 2017 supporting events, the W20 Summit, a large international conference discussing the importance of women in the workforce, was held in Berlin in April. Female leaders from all over the world took part in the meeting. With the presence of multiple languages, high profile conference interpreting conducted by professionals played a big role in ensuring smooth communication.
There are many different types of interpreting services, ranging from small medical meetings to large international conferences. High profile conference interpreting generally requires an immense amount of experience and training.
Conference interpreters not only have to be skilled at the art of interpreting, but they also must be familiar with the topics being discussed, and have exceptional focus in order to communicate well.
An example of conference interpreting would be interpreters at international events held by the UN, or, as a recent example, the annual G20 and W20 summit.
High Profile Conference Interpreting | What is the G20 Summit?
The G20 (or Group of 20) was founded in 1999 with the scope of studying, reviewing and promoting high level discussions of policies seeking to promote international financial stability. From 1999 to 2008, they held semiannual meetings.
Since 2011, the meetings have become annual. These meetings usually go on for a week and involve several panels, discussions and conferences between their participants.
Who Runs the G20?
The presidency of the G20 rotates on a yearly basis, changing from one of the participating countries to the next one on the list. This ensures every country is given the same opportunities and level of participation within the group.
Each year, the country that holds the presidency is the one in charge of organizing the annual summit and other related activities. Germany was the chosen country to hold the presidency in 2017, with Chancellor Angela Merkel as President of the whole G20.
High Profile Conference Interpreting | Summit – Empowering Women Within International Markets
The W20 Summit, or the Women 20 Dialogue, is a conference held within the framework of the G20. It was born in 2014 during the annual summit in Australia, and its first actual meeting was held in October 2015 in Istanbul.
W20 aims to reduce the gender gap in the workplace by 25% by 2025, a program called “25 by 25”.
As part of the G20 initiatives for 2017, the W20 summit was held in Berlin from the 24th to the 26th of April, gathering high profile speakers like Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Managing Director of IFM, Christine Lagarde, and Ivanka Trump, daughter of President Donald Trump.
In a series of conferences and discussions targeted to a mainly female audience, the different speakers had the opportunity to discuss current hot issues related to the increasingly important role of women in the workforce, especially in high level positions in the international business field.
Women’s entrepreneurship, inclusion and diversity in the job market, and policies or possible ways to take action to keep reducing the gender gap, were some of the primary issues speakers addressed.
W20 2017 counted on the presence of female leaders from quite a number of different countries. Although English was the driving language during the whole event, many others were spoken both among the speakers, attendees, and participants.
As such, linguists experienced in high profile conference interpreting were required.
High Profile Conference Interpreting at International Events
Interpreting services are crucial to the success of any large international conference. English is usually the lingua franca in most of these events.
There is a high probability that both speakers and participants will probably have some working knowledge of the English language; however, professional interpreting services can still make a huge difference.
To begin with, it will ensure effective communication between all participants. There are always cultural aspects, variations of speech, and specific terminology that even someone with good level of English comprehension (or any other language that is being spoken) can miss.
And second, but equally as important, hiring professional interpreters is showing both the speakers and the attendees that you, as the organizer, care about their cultural and linguistic needs.
What Should You Keep in Mind about Providing Professional Interpreting for Multilingual Conferences?
When looking for professionals experienced with high profile conference interpreting, there are some key aspects you should bear in mind.
- Assess the needs for the event. Think of the languages that will be used during the different panels and the number of interpreters you will need for each of them. Also, determine the most convenient mode of interpreting for your conference – 9 times out of 10 it is simultaneous interpretation.
- Work only with qualified, and experienced interpreters. Make sure that the interpreters you are hiring are proficient in both the requested source and target languages, as well as have expertise in the subject matter,field or industry of the conference. It is also good to ensure that the interpreters possess necessary interpreting qualifications, as well as whether or not they have experience with high profile conference interpreting.
- Provide the Right Equipment. Choosing the right interpreting equipment is extremely important. Large multilingual conferences often call for simultaneous interpreting, which requires both renting soundproof interpreter booths and receivers for participants.
Language Connections’ Conference Interpreting Experience
At Language Connections, we have been offering professional conference interpreting services for over 20 years. We have experience covering large, multilingual conferences of all types, including the role of women in international leadership positions.
We rely on a wide net of specialized interpreters covering over 100 of the world’s major languages, and both consecutive and simultaneous interpreting services. Our interpreters are proven professionals in the field of high profile events, thus ensuring your conference needs can always be met.
Written by Laura Jiménez Bolé, Marketing Intern at Language Connections
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
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