by admin on March 24, 2012
14 Russian interpreters joined by a Polish interpreter met up in Nottingham this month for the 5th networking lunch over the last few years. The busy atmosphere in Piccollino restaurant certainly set a tone to our lively discussions. The main issue on the agenda was the government’s contract with Applied Language Solutions, a commercial company now providing court interpreting services in England and Wales. Serious concerns were raised by colleagues due to unqualified, un-vetted and inexperienced people being sent on court assignments, leading to potential miscarriages of justice. We shared first-hand evidence we had been collecting since the contract began in February 2012, some of which had already been publicised on the RPSI Linguist Lounge. We agreed to continue raising awareness among colleagues who to date had been working in other sectors of the interpreting profession and might not be aware of the full picture.
As usual, we talked about tricky working situations we found ourselves in and about various ways of maintaining professional conduct in a sensitive environment.
The meeting was an excellent opportunity for continuous professional development as well as a team-building exercise and it was great to see people we had never met before, who came from as far as Portsmouth, Bedford and Manchester. We enjoyed each other’s company so much that we are already planning the next get-together!
Yelena McCafferty, Russian Interpreter and Translator, Talk Russian
Russian interpreters meet up in Piccolino, Nottingham
by admin on March 8, 2012
As the country hosting Euro-2012 Football Championship along with Poland, Ukraine has naturally enjoyed a certain interest over the past few months and this curiosity will only grow as we head towards the opening ceremony.
To an inexperienced traveller, Ukraine is probably just a former republic of the Soviet Union, often confused with being part of Russia. Russian is indeed very widely spoken in Ukraine, however, the official language is Ukrainian. Both Russian and Ukrainian belong to the same subgroup of East Slavic languages.
Ukraine gained independence when the USSR collapsed in 1991. Since then it has kept its reputation as a breadbasket of Europe, thanks to its fertile soil; sugar production has always been big too. The country still needs help in developing larger scale farming which is a great opportunity for British businesses to share their expertise to their commercial advantage.
Major British retailers, such as Marks and Spencer, Next, Mothercare have a presence in Ukraine as well and are said to be doing well.
Ukraine’s population is 46 million with a high percentage of highly educated people, the country has a strong tradition in science and technology. A growing number of Ukrainian students have been coming to the UK to take courses too. Learning English has been popular, although the number of people who speak English fluently, especially in the provinces, is still low.
Ukrainians are renowned for their good sense of humour. And although for a non-Ukrainian/Russian speaker an interpreter may be required, any cultural issues are easily overcome at a friendly dinner hosted by this extremely hospitable nation. And Euro-2012 should demonstrate just that.
Yelena McCafferty, Russian Translator and Interpreter, Talk Russian
