Translation Bureau: Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates—November 24, 2022

Document navigation for "Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates: November 24, 2022"

Translation Bureau virtual interpretation capacity

Key messages

Key data points

Background

The Translation Bureau has seen a significant increase in distance interpretation since the beginning of the pandemic. It serves Parliament in priority and works closely with the house administration, which determines where resources are allocated based on house priorities. When demand exceeds capacity for a given time slot, the house administration consults party whips to obtain direction on which meetings will obtain the resources required.

Demand for interpretation services can fluctuate greatly. To better meet demand, the Translation Bureau retains the services of freelancers as required. Freelance interpreters are also solicited by the private sector, and the Translation Bureau has to work with the availability they provide, which is why the number of resources available varies on a daily basis.

The conference interpretation profession is a shortage group, not only in Canada, but around the world. There are only 2 Canadian Universities that offer the masters programs in interpretation and the Translation Bureau hires all graduates who meet the Translation Bureau’s quality standards.

Translation Bureau interpreter health and safety

Key messages

Key data points

Background

With the increased use of videoconferences, there has been an increase in health and safety incident reports from interpreters, citing headaches, earaches and fatigue due to poor sound quality.

The Translation Bureau’s operations have been adjusted to respond to the changing working conditions. These conditions have improved over time and the Translation Bureau continues to work with its parliamentary partners, who are responsible for the technical environment, to find sustainable solutions to reduce the risk of health and safety incidents and interruptions in service due to technical problems related to remote participation in meetings.

The Translation Bureau’s approach is aligned with international best practices and it is seen as a leader in the field. It has reduced interpreters working hours in remote interpretation in order to reduce their exposure to sound. In addition, it has sponsored research and testing, including tendering a contract to study and track interpreter hearing health, in order to gather data on the impact of processed sound on auditory health.

The Translation Bureau requires its clients to respect technical requirements that protect the health of its interpreters and provide for high-quality interpretation. These include requiring that remote participants use unidirectional microphones, have a stable broadband internet connection, and provide documents to interpreters before or at the start of meetings. Abiding by these criteria will not eliminate the risk service interruptions, but it will greatly reduce this risk and help ensure the best possible interpretation.

Document navigation for "Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates: November 24, 2022"

Page details

Date modified: