Translation Bureau: Standing Committee on Health—April 15, 2020
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Response to COVID-19
In this section
Challenges in providing services while physical distancing
The Translation Bureau (TB) is committed to supporting its employees and ensuring a safe and healthy work environment. With the onset of COVID-19 and the challenges of physical distancing, TB has put in place numerous safety measures. Only employees who have to provide critical services that cannot be provided remotely can go to the office, and they must then apply all the required safety measures.
Special measures to protect the safety of interpreters:
- interpretation booths are disinfected after each assignment so that booth sharing can be avoided:
- portable booths have been added to the permanent booths in the 2 rooms where press conferences are held
- third booths have been ordered for all rooms where interpreters are assigned
- when portable booths cannot be installed, teams are kept to a minimum and work in 2-way mode
- disinfectant wipes have been placed in the interpreters’ lounge in the West Block
- free parking spaces have been made available to interpreters on Parliament Hill so that they do not have to use public transportation
Supporting a virtual Parliament
In response to COVID-19, TB’s operations have altered to respond to parliamentary needs, especially to committee meetings via teleconference or videoconference and the possibility of a virtual return of Parliament. TB has been:
- testing various remote simultaneous interpretation platforms with Parliament
- increasing use of sign language interpretation, given daily press conferences by the Prime Minister, ministers and chief public health officer
- in regular contact with 16 priority departments to offer extra translation support
- putting in place special arrangements with departments (so far 4) to facilitate billing process
The Glossary on the COVID-19 pandemic
The current global situation requires highly effective communication. The vocabulary used must be understood by everyone, and it is important that all documents have consistent terminology. This glossary is designed as a tool for language professionals as well as those responsible for disseminating information in the context of this pandemic. It is a living document that will be updated and improved on a regular basis. In it, you will find terms from the fields of medicine, sociology and politics, among others.
The Translation Bureau’s Terminology Standardization Division has just developed a standardized bilingual glossary to define the basic concepts related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and to promote clarity in communications related to COVID-19. The glossary on the COVID-19 pandemic was developed based on the scanning of scientific articles and newspapers as well as Canadian government and World Health Organization documents.
The Glossary on the COVID-19 pandemic is available on-line, and its terminology has also been added to TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank. The terminologists will be monitoring the media and updating the glossary as the terminology evolves.