Translation Bureau: Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates—November 24, 2022
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Translation Bureau virtual interpretation capacity
Key messages
- The Translation Bureau is committed to increasing and optimizing its interpretation capacity while protecting the health and safety of its interpreters
- As the Translation Bureau is facing an unprecedented volume of remote interpretation requests, it is working with clients to plan and monitor demand carefully, leveraging contracts where appropriate
- The Translation Bureau serves Parliament on a priority basis and works in close collaboration with its parliamentary partners to support Parliament’s virtual sittings, assign priorities and to plan for future demand
- The Translation Bureau currently has the capacity to continue serving Parliament and the Government of Canada; there are approximately 70 staff interpreters and over 100 freelance interpreters, out of which approximately 60 serve Parliament
Key data points
- The conference interpretation profession is a shortage group, not only in Canada, but around the world
- The Translation Bureau holds an annual accreditation exam that is open to candidates who meet the eligibility criteria. As the Translation Bureau only hires accredited interpreters, and candidates are required to pass this exam. The most recent exam was administered on November 4, 2022 and will be marked shortly
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
- Ensuring the health and safety of interpreters is a priority for the Government of Canada, and the Translation Bureau has put in place a number of measures to safeguard interpreters in collaboration with our parliamentary partners
- Working conditions have been modified by, among other things, implementing technical requirements, reducing the length of assignments, and increasing the number of interpreters per assignment without reducing their compensation
- Public Services and Procurement Canada is concerned about the regrettable accident on October 20. The Senate and House administrations are already investigating the causes of this accident, and the Translation Bureau is reviewing the incident
Key data points
- As of September 30, 2022, there have been 96 hazardous occurrence investigation reports submitted by Translation Bureau staff interpreters related to sound in interpretation assignments this year (2022)
- As of February 2022, the Translation Bureau requires all participants of Government of Canada meetings with interpretation to use a unidirectional microphone to ensure clear sound quality. Participants who do not meet this requirement will not be interpreted
- Following an accident that occurred during the October 20, 2022, meeting of the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources, an interpreter suffered an acoustic shock and had to receive emergency care. The Senate and house administrations have begun investigating the causes of this accident and shared their preliminary findings on October 27, 2022. The Translation Bureau, with the involvement of the Occupational Health and Safety Committee, which has Canadian Association of Professional Employees representatives, will continue its own internal investigation to shed light on what occurred
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.
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