Translation Bureau overview: Committee of the Whole—May 19, 2022
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Translation Bureau
In this section
Key data points
- The Translation Bureau is committed to providing quality linguistic services in support of parliament and federal government departments and agencies
- There are approximately 65 staff interpreters and 60 freelance interpreters
- The Translation Bureau works in close collaboration with the house administration, Senate Administration and all our partners to support parliament’s virtual sittings and to plan for future demand, especially in light of the extended sitting hours in the House of Commons
- Ensuring the health and safety of interpreters is a priority for the Government of Canada, and the Translation Bureau has put in place a number of measures to safeguard interpreters as remote interpretation becomes increasingly common
- As of February 2022, all participants in virtual meetings with interpretation for Government of Canada clients must use an external unidirectional microphone; interpretation services will not be provided for participants who do not meet this requirement
Interpretation capacity and motion 11 (extended sitting hours)
- The Translation Bureau maintains its collaboration with the House of Commons and the Senate, in order to assign its resources according to the priorities dictated by their respective administrations
- We currently have the capacity to continue serving parliament and the Government of Canada
- The team of interpreters dedicated to the Senate will remain in place following motion 11
- As we are facing an unprecedented volume of remote interpretation requests, we are working with clients to plan and monitor demand carefully, leveraging contracts where appropriate
- The Translation Bureau works in collaboration with both the University of Ottawa and York University to train the next generation of interpreters
- The Translation Bureau holds annual accreditation exams to increase the pool of qualified interpreters
- Demand for interpretation services can greatly fluctuate and PSPC appreciates freelance interpreters who continue to provide their services to respond to this varying demand
- All Translation Bureau interpreters, both staff and freelancers, are accredited to work bidirectionally, from English into French and vice versa
Demand for interpretation services
- Demand for interpretation services can fluctuate greatly
- To better meet demand, the Translation Bureau collaborates with its clients to plan and prioritize their needs in advance, and retains the services of freelancers as required
- The Translation Bureau serves parliament in priority and works closely with the house administration, which determines where resources are allocated based on house priorities
- When demand exceeds capacity for a given time slot, the house administration consults party whips to obtain direction on which meetings will obtain the resources required
Translation Bureau health and safety
- With the increased use of videoconferences, there has been an increase in health and safety incident reports from interpreters, citing headaches, earaches and fatigue due to poor sound quality
- The Translation Bureau’s operations have been adjusted to respond to the changing working conditions. These conditions have improved over time and the Translation Bureau continues to work with its partners to find sustainable solutions to reduce the risk of health and safety incidents and interruptions in service due to technical problems related to remote participation in meetings
- Certain criteria must be met in order for distance interpretation to work. These include:
- as of February 7, 2022, the Translation Bureau requires that all participants of Government of Canada meetings with interpretation use a unidirectional microphone to ensure clear sound quality. Interpretation services will not be provided for participants who do not meet this requirement
- participants must appear via videoconference so that interpreters can see the speakers and communicate their message effectively
- participants must adhere to the meeting rules, such as muting their microphones when not speaking and speaking when given the floor
- as always, participants who plan to read written statements must provide them in advance to interpreters
- Abiding by these criteria will not eliminate the risk service interruptions, but it will greatly reduce this risk and help ensure the best possible interpretation
- The Translation Bureau’s approach is aligned with international best practices, including the International Association of Conference Interpreters principles, guidance for institutions and best practices
Complaint by the Canadian Association of Professional Employees
- The Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE), the union representing Translation Bureau staff interpreters, advised that they have filed a complaint on January 31, 2022, against the Translation Bureau under part II of the Canada Labour Code, for failing to put in place the necessary measures to eliminate or reduce the health and safety risks to interpreters
- On April 22, 2022, CAPE President Greg Phillips met with Bloc Québécois party whip Claude DeBellefeuille and Mario Beaulieu, Official Languages critic and Vice-Chair, Standing Committee on Official Languages
- Both members of Parliament committed to working collaboratively with CAPE to see a resolution of this issue. CAPE has met with all 5 political parties represented in parliament since the issue was flagged. The issue has also been highlighted in the media