Conference Interpreters

Post-Covid Recommendations

In August, the Belgian federal government announced that many measures to get the COVID pandemic under control would be eased as of September and October. In the meantime, however, face coverings have made their return and the Covid Safe Ticket has arrived. This situation has led to quite some uncertainty amongst interpreters and clients alike. It goes without saying that it is in the interest of all that everybody can work in a safe environment. That is why CBTI’s Interpreters’ Commission decided to check last year’s recommendation for a safe return to work against the current legislation, the Generic Guide for combatting the spread of COVID-19 at work and the protocols developed by the events industry together with the FPS Employment. The result of this careful examination can be found in the new Recommendations for a safe workplace during the restart after the critical phase of the Covid pandemic.

Remote Simultaneous Interpretation (RSI)

Interpreters are increasingly requested to work from home, on their own computer, using online interpretation platforms. This booming way of working is sometimes described as the perfect solution. However, RSI, which was not used so often in the past, has an impact on interpreters' health, investments, markets, quality, liability, rates, tasks, and learning processes. The Interpreters' Sector Commission of BKVT/CBTI therefore thought it would be useful to study the matter thoroughly. Attached you will find the sum of its comments, conclusions and recommendations for interpreters and their customers, in the form of an ISD information pack and a comparative table of the most common online interpretation platforms.