uhmmmm, errrrrrrrrrrr.. hmmmmm.. huh?

We did it!!  Lou, Victoria, Lena and I did 3.5 hours of interpretation (French into English) at the bi-annual parents' meeting at school last night.  We had the whole set-up.. booth, headsets, microphone. Wow! It was pretty intense, not helped by the fact that we didn't get most of the materials until 30 minutes before the meeting started.  I somehow got assigned to the budget presentations--that was pretty terrible. Not sure what the anglos think is happening with the budget because of what I said, but they've probably been mislead. (Who knows the work for 'forecast' in French??)

 

view from the booth

Lena was trained as an interpreter (though she did on-the-floor English to French, as she is French and you always interpret into your mother tongue), and she sent us a 10-page document a few days before from the international interpreters association with guidelines and helpful hints.  My favorite was:

Inutile de hurler, furieux, dans le micro ou

de donner des coups de poing frénétiques sur la vitre de la cabine.

Un appel à l'aide calme et posé est beaucoup plus efficace.

 

No need to scream furiously into the microphone or
frantically punch on the window of the cabin.
A calm call for help is much more effective.

Lou in action, and me ready to take my turn