Reminiscence of 2014

The previous year 2014 was very fruitful in terms of assignments and projects.

I did conference Russian-English-Russian interpreting for Gazprom, International Association of Prosecutors, Federation Internationale de l’Automobile in Qatar. There were other assignments of course, but these three were the latest and the most memorable ones.

What were the most interesting aspects of these assignments? As usual, learning new things. I have learned how public prosecutors work in different parts of the world from Los Angeles to Africa. I have seen and translated the General Prosecutor of the Russian Federation. I have seen Sheikh Mohammed from our booth arriving at the opening ceremony. That’s some pretty important stuff!

During FIA General Assembly, the translators (there were about 8 booths) were placed in a separate observance hall; we had to look at the screen placed in every booth. I’ve learned the details of one of the most atrocious accidents in the closing stages of the Japanese Grand Prix.

The most difficult aspects were coping with different accents as well as with circumstances surrounding the actual translation. I have learned that every little detail counts. The first major detail of course being how well you prepare for the gig. Other details not less important: how well you slept the night before, how much you can rely on your partner. Is he going to stand up and walk away in the middle of your translating? Or is he going to be there when you need him?

The most crucial detail turned out to be: what did you drink right before you started the interpreting? I learned the hard way that chamomile tea is a no-no for the brainwork. They say on the Internet, that green tea is good for vocal cords. Quite a few people told me not to believe everything you read on this Internet. So here I am right before the start at the buffet. There was no green tea, so I had some chamomile. It went straight into my brain, my IQ dropped down below 60 and I could not translate until I pounded down a few coffees. My partner saved me there.

Hopefully 2015 will bring us more work and with it more interesting things to ponder upon. Happy New Year, everyone!