What makes an outstanding conference interpreter? According to Véronique Chatterjee-Mars, it is not about being heard, but about allowing communication to flow naturally. In this personal story, she reflects on more than four decades of experience as a conference interpreter and explains why the best interpreting often goes unnoticed.
“To convey the message precisely and professionally, while remaining invisible.”
That is how Véronique Chatterjee-Mars describes the essence of conference interpreting.
After 44 years in the profession, she knows that the best interpreting often goes unnoticed.
Not because it is unimportant.
But because communication simply flows.
Véronique began her career as a freelance interpreter in London, Amsterdam and Nice before joining the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and later the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Today, she has returned to the freelance profession.
Throughout those years, one principle has remained the same.
Conference interpreting is about far more than speaking different languages. It requires careful preparation, subject-matter knowledge and the ability to faithfully convey not only the words, but also the speaker’s meaning and intent.
Of course, not every assignment goes according to plan.
One of Véronique’s most memorable experiences began with a heavily delayed train on her way to a European Police Academy training near Zutphen. Arriving close to midnight, she discovered there was no key waiting for her. With nobody around to help, she spent the night walking across the grounds and resting on benches—fortunately during one of the warmest June nights the Netherlands has ever experienced.
But the moments that stay with her most are much simpler.
“When delegates thank me and tell me that, thanks to the interpretation, they truly understood one another.”
Perhaps that is the greatest compliment an interpreter can receive.
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