The Conference Interpreter Trainee: A Successful Start-up?

Abstract

In 2010, Chris Durban and Eugene Seidel published the volume The Prosperous Translator: Advice from Fire Ant and Worker Bee. Doubtless, since translation is at least partly akin to conference interpreting, one might think that the interpreter should also be able to lead a prosperous life. But the reality around us shows that not everyone succeeds in their professional life. Starting from the idea that a company’s recipe for success could be applied to the training process of a successful interpreter, in this article we aim to examine to what extent the skills of the conference interpreting master could be strengthened, sharpened and expanded if the personal as well as the teaching approach followed the entrepreneurial model of success and how much effectiveness and efficiency matters in the training process. To this effect, we consider here in parallel conference interpreting pedagogy and proven marketing techniques.