They shoot interpreters, don’t they?

United Nations

Libyan tyrant Khadafy’s speech before the U.N.’s General Assembly the other day was notable mainly for its length. And about 75 minutes into it, the translation was interrupted when the “King of Kings’” official interpreter shouted, “I just can’t take it anymore!” into a live microphone. In the simultaneous interpreter trade, that’s what we call a bad hand-off.

This interpreter was brought in from Libya. This never would have happened if the Libyan dictator had used the local Turtle Bay talent, which is hands-down the best in the world. The U.N.’s Arabic section chief, Rash Ajalyaqeen, was the one who stepped into the speech breach to finish up.

We like our own interpreters to switch off every 15 to 20 minutes or so, and we prefer that they do it with a lot less fuss. The cognitive process of simultaneous interpreting takes so much concentration that, irrespective of the linguistic skill of the interpreter, accuracy starts dropping off pretty fast after that first quarter-hour.

The pressure of translating on a global stage for world leaders can be nerve-wracking for interpreters, but in some ways it’s easy. Almost without exception, heads of state speak slowly, deliberately, and with great clarity, and have worked with interpreters for years. Apparently, interpreting for Khadafy is a bit more challenging, as reported in the New York Post…

Those who have translated for Khadafy in the past said they could empathize with his interpreters’ exasperation.

It’s not just the zany conspiracy theories about the Kennedy assassination and swine flu that are a challenge, but the loony Libyan’s strange mannerisms.

“He’s not exactly the most lucid speaker,” another Arabic interpreter said. “It’s not just that what he’s saying is illogical, but the way he’s saying it is bizarre.”

This year has been a particular madhouse security-wise around the U.N. (we are going to post some pictures later), but all of our gigs have gone off without a hitch so far (knock on wood!). I can’t say for sure, but thanks to the neighborhood, we probably do more policy interpreting than anyone else in North America, so we have a great team of interpreters who are able to keep their cool in the hot glare of media attention. I can only hope that our “no firing squad” policy contributes to their state of calm competence.

Unfortunately, I’m not so sure about the fate of that Libyan interpreter, but I think it’s safe to say we won’t be seeing him in the neighborhood again anytime soon.