The Linguist

10 The Linguist Vol/60 No/6 2021 thelinguist.uberflip.com FEATURES in less familiar environments, but the disadvantage is that we cannot expect people to be available immediately. I prefer to learn the way to the booths if possible, as it can be stressful to rely on someone else. However, if I only work in a venue occasionally, it wouldn't make sense to learn all the routes in detail. In addition, I have found that some familiar environments have become slightly more difficult to navigate since the pandemic, as the physical location of our booths is constantly changing. This means that I often have to ask colleagues to help me locate my booth. We are sent a seating plan in advance, showing a visual representation of the booth layout. I usually print this and take it with me in case I am offered help by a non-interpreter. I need to concentrate on the route to the booth and make a mental note of its location, so that I can easily find it again independently during the day. It's not a serious problem though and people are always happy to help. I am sometimes asked whether not being able to see the delegates in the meeting room poses a major problem for us. Of course, this visual feedback is extremely important for sighted interpreters, and it can certainly be helpful for us to be aware of what is happening in the room. However, as a blind person I am not accustomed to having this visual information in my daily life, and so I do not really see it as a problem in most circumstances: we interpret what we hear and we are not expected to provide an audio description service. Information about the context is much appreciated, particularly if a major international incident has occurred (for example, if Delegate A has just spilt coffee all over Delegate B's computer), as any reaction then makes more sense! However, I am not aware of cases where the absence of visual feedback has led to specific and significant inaccuracies of interpretation by VI colleagues. One size doesn't fit all Of course, VI interpreters have certain specific challenges in common and it is good to compare notes, but we have our own individual ways of handling them based on our different personalities, abilities and preferences. People tend to know who the visually-impaired interpreters are and, for me, one of the main challenges of visual impairment is the lack of anonymity (which is why I have chosen not to put my name to this article). However, not everyone shares this view. Working in the EU institutions, it can appear that there is a disproportionately large number of visually-impaired interpreters, as opposed to VI people working in other professions. However, from each country there are, at most, only one or two VI interpreters, and more commonly no VI interpreter. It's just that we tend to attract a certain amount of attention because we all work in the same place, and the nature of the work makes us fairly visible. I believe that it is very important for people, including linguists, to choose a career which is the best match for them, regardless of visual impairment, as far as possible. Given the current state of technology, some professions may not be possible (e.g. bus driver, brain surgeon), but there are blind people working successfully in careers such as teaching and translation. In the 21st century it would be inexcusable for any large company or organisation to exclude a disabled person from employment simply because they had not seen fit to make their software accessible. I very much enjoy my work. No one is infallible and problems are bound to arise occasionally, but good communication is part of the key to success. MAKING IMPROVEMENTS Interpreting consoles have changed, but as the technology develops, it is important to make sure they remain as accessible as before, or more so © SHUTTERSTOCK

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