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 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!
Anastasia Novoselova, Liza Murina, Svetlana Clark, Tanya Bosse, Daria Dimova, Tatiana King, Maria Woodford, Marina Peshchanitsky, Anna Ibrahim, Yelena McCafferty
[Tip: To book a Russian interpreter, call us on 0207 0436940 or email enquiry@talkrussian.com]