Babels’ Report Regarding the ESF 2003 Preparation

In this report you will find several information:
– the interpretation principles during the ESF (How will it work)
– an evaluation of the number of cabins per languages (in relation with the estimates of attendance in different languages)
– a report concerning the level of competence of the volunteers.

What we need to know from you as soon as possible
– Language combinations per event (conferences and seminars) at least an estimate for most of them - Babels contacts: Anne or Julie
– Information related to your country delegation travels: buses or special train, in order to see if possibilities exist to have interpreters traveling with you. We need a contact (phone and email) – Babels contacts: Danielle or Françoise
– Translation needs: we cannot organize translation of any kind with a week notice… especially also because the documents to be translated are often very administrative hence not very attractive for volunteers. “Unfortunately” we are not an army therefore people are not all the time in “war-readiness” – Babels contacts: Ludivine or Laurent

We can only advice you to read carefully this report in order for each delegation to fine tune estimates. This will have heavy consequences on the ESF itself. The same is true for the principles as they will have an influence on both the speakers and of course the presence of your language.

Interpretation Principles

1) Language principles

The ESF is based on 6 official languages (DE, EN, ES, FR, IT, Sign language) and a variety of others depending on the size of the related delegations during the event itself. Each room, which will welcome an event with translation, is equipped with 4 cabins and 5 channels for the earphones. Hence the presence of 6 languages during each event organized as followed:
– French will be in all the events with translation (each of the four cabins will have an interpreter who will be able to translate from this language to French)
– English will be in all the events with translation (as a cabin)
– German, Spanish and Italian will be in most of the events with translation (as a cabin for each of the languages)
– Sign language will be in as many conferences and seminars as possible. There will be in each room a given place for this language (like the right front rows or the left front rows of all the rooms where this translation will be available – No video transmission will be available)
– Other languages can have also a cabin in certain events

(Please see the evaluation item hereafter for the exact number of proposed cabins per language)

These principles have a consequence if there is a sixth spoken language (a speaker speaking one language not represented by a cabin in the event). In this case we will advice to either have a consecutive translation in one of the five languages of the event or ask the speaker to make his/her speech in one of the five possible languages.

Example:

For an event “X” (conference or seminar) the spoken languages selected are: FR, EN, DE, ES and IT (the five official spoken languages but this can be true with any others) and a speaker will make his/her presentation in Greek. In this case we will have no other solution (if the Greek speaker cannot speak or read his/her speech in one of the five languages of the event) than to translate consecutively to the speaker (this double the time for the speech: time to speak and time to translate).

Thanks to have this in mind while preparing conference and speakers. As far as translation is concerned the “source” languages (the languages of the speakers) and the “target” languages (the languages heard in the earphones) are very important information to take in account. We can pretty much accommodate any combination of 5 languages you wish to make, but the sixth one if there is any will be problematic.

2) Ground Coordination Principles

We are welcoming (and asking for if possible) to include one member of your country delegation, at least per language, in the coordination team. This will help us all to include more people in relation with your delegation within the process.

The ground coordination will be organized around 3 types of coordination
– in each room holding a translated event there will be one coordinator for all the cabins chosen between the interpreters in the team. He/She will have the responsibility of smoothing out and fine tune the interpretation process during the event. This person and the person heading the conference or coordinating the seminar should know each other just before the start of the event to sort problems if any.
– for each 4 to 5 rooms holding a translated event there will be a coordinator. His/Her role will be to make sure all the equipments are working and be in touch with the technician in case of problem and make sure that all the rooms are provided with the right number of interpreters in the right language combinations. He/She will be in charge also of welcoming all the interpreters for his/her rooms and resolve different problems.
– for each site (they are 4: Saint Denis, La Villette, Bobigny and Ivry) there will be a team of 6 coordinators in charge of the back-up team of interpreters. There will also fine tune the planning of all the events and will be able to discuss with any of the organizers all last minute changes or new events organized. They will be in charge of resolving any type of questions that will arise during the events.

Estimates concerning the cabins

The following estimates are made to be discussed. They were built around evaluation either coming from the Berlin European Preparatory Assembly or from other source of information. There is a need to fine-tune these in order to not under estimate the needs but also to not over estimate them. The presence or not of a language during an event is at the same time of political importance but also of practical importance. To avoid any problem and discuss these in the most open way as possible, we invite you to send us information as soon as possible if revisions are needed.
Total of equipped room: 54
Total of cabins: 216
Total of sites: 4
Total of languages per event: 5

a) Estimate regarding delegations

(All number followed by a * are numbers taken from the Berlin report)

The ESF will welcome around 32 000* persons. Around 15 000 persons will come from other countries.
– 17 000 will be French Speakers (France, French speaking part of Belgium and Switzerland)
– 4 000* will be German speakers (Germany, Austria, and German speaking Switzerland)
– 4 000* will be English speakers (UK)
– 3 000 will be Spanish speakers (Spain)
– 2 000 will be Italian speakers (Italy)

Other languages
– 1 000* will be Greek speakers
– 300* will be Portuguese speakers
– 200* will be Hungarian speakers
– 100 will be Turkish speakers
– 100 will be Polish speakers
– 50 will be Russian speakers

This figures although incomplete at this stage are representing an estimate of the number of people using this or that language as a mother tongue. As far as the cabins are concerned, in our evaluation, we have taken in account the fact that some of the persons of these delegations can have a passive understanding of another language than their own. This is useful in order to make rooms for other languages than the five official ones as it was decided in past preparatory assemblies.

b) Estimate concerning the cabins

We are therefore proposing the following number of cabins (careful it is to be divided by 4 since there are 4 sites)
– French has no cabin but is in all the cabins (one interpreter)
– 54 English cabins (100%)
– 43 Spanish cabins (80%)
– 43 German cabins (80%)
– 32 Italian cabins (60%)
– 44 Other language cabins (80%)

Estimates concerning the interpreters

The following estimates are coming directly from our database (June 30th). They correspond to a first act of volunteering, we need to confirm with all the volunteers if they are all coming.

1) To French

ESF Needs: 216 interpreters + 7 back-up team per site >> around 250 interpreters
Have registered: 217 (lack around 40 interpreters)

Competence (simultaneous translation): Experienced/ Professional (51) – First Experience / Occasional (166)

Babels actions: Starting in September we will contact systematically all the Parisian translation schools and university to see with them if “last year” student internship can be organized + a call will be issued for Parisian and Paris region organization to see how we can increase the number of person coming from there + we will organize thanks to the CGT and the city of Saint Denis systematic testing and training of all the persons who need it.

2) To English

ESF needs: 162 interpreters + 7 back up team per site >> around 180 interpreters
Have registered: 282 interpreters

Competence (simultaneous translation): Experienced / Professional (64) – First experience / Occasional (218)

3) To Spanish

ESF needs: 129 interpreters + 5 back up team per site >> around 150 interpreters
Have registered: 280 interpreters

Competence (simultaneous translation): Experienced / Professional (79) – First Experience / Occasional (201)

4) To German

ESF needs: 129 interpreters + 5 back up team per site >> around 150 interpreters
Have registered: 96 interpreters (lack around 60 interpreters)

Competence (simultaneous translation): Experienced / Professional (31) – First Experience / Occasional (65)

Babels actions: we will launch a call to German organizations in order to find out more interpreters + The Babels Berlin network will try to systematically contact last year student for internships

5) To Italian

ESF needs: 96 interpreters + 2 back up team per site >> around 105 interpreters
Have registered: 158 interpreters

Competence (simultaneous translation): Experienced / Professional (58) – First experienced / Occasional (100)

6) To Sign language

ESF needs: minimum of 22 (all simultaneous conferences) maximum 108 (all events)
Have registered: 3 (lack 19 minimum)

Babels actions: we will develop the first contacts we have taken with schools, associations and other groups concerning this language and which were interrupted because of the summer.

6) Other languages

Since everything is depending on decisions to be made we are just giving you our possibilities. No specific call where issued regarding any of these languages. If decisions are made concerning any of the “other languages”, we will most probably be able to match the needs for any given languages.

a) To Arabic
Have registered: 11
Number of possible cabins: 3 (hence 1 cabin in 3 of the 4 sites)

b) To Catalan
Have registered: 3
Number of possible cabins: 1 (hence in 1 site only)

c) To Czech
Have registered: 3
Number of possible cabin 1 (hence in 1 site only)

d) To Danish
Have registered: 4
Number of possible cabin: 1 (hence in 1 site only)

e) To Greek
Have registered: 14
Number of possible cabin: 4 (hence 1 cabin in each of the 4 sites)

f) To Finnish
Have registered: 2
Number of possible cabin: 1 nearly (hence in 1 site only)

g) To Hungarian
Have registered: 2
Number of possible cabin: 1 nearly (hence in 1 site only)

h) To Dutch
Have registered: 3
Number of possible cabin: 1 (hence in 1 site only)

i) To Norwegian
Have registered: 3
Number of possible cabin: 1 (hence in 1 site only)

j) To Polish
Have registered: 10
Number of possible cabin: 3 (hence 1 cabin in 3 sites only)

k) To Portuguese
Have registered: 9
Number of possible cabin: 3 (hence 1 cabin in 3 sites only)

l) To Russian
Have registered: 14
Number of possible cabin: 4 (hence 1 cabin in each of the 4 sites)

m) To Swedish
Have registered: 3
Number of possible cabin: 1 (hence in 1 site only)

n) To Turkish
Have registered: 5
Number of possible cabin: 1 (hence in 1 site only)

o) Other languages for which either there is little possibility (1 interpreter registered so far) or either for a language not directly linked with Europe and so far the ESF dynamic
To Assamese + To Bulgarian + To Bengali + To Gujarati + To Hindi + To Croatian + To Japanese + To Kazakh + To Nepali + To Punjabi + To Albanian + To Ukrainian + To Urdu + To Vietnamese + To Wolof + To Chinese