{"id":522,"date":"2025-07-24T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/?p=522"},"modified":"2026-01-21T18:42:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T18:42:06","slug":"the-dark-side-of-conference-interpreting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalinterpreters.info\/fr\/2025\/07\/the-dark-side-of-conference-interpreting\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dark Side of Conference Interpreting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In over 50 years of walking this fascinating and demanding path of conference interpreting, I have often heard a phrase that stayed with me:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is a throat\u2011cut<\/em> profession<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

These were the words\u2014half\u2011joking, half\u2011serious\u2014of Dr. Juan Luis \u00c1lvarez Gayou, former director of the Instituto de Int\u00e9rpretes y Traductores in Mexico City, and himself an accomplished interpreter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did he mean?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was referring to the fierce competitiveness within our field\u2014a world where quality is everything, mistakes are instantly visible, and the pressure to prove \u201cwho\u2019s best in the booth\u201d can sometimes bring out the worst in human nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve seen rivalries turn into ego duels, where solidarity fades in the pursuit of recognition. I\u2019ve also seen colleagues subtly question, judge, or even sabotage the work of others.Not everyone, of course. There are interpreters who embody ethics, collaboration, and generosity. But the dark side<\/em> exists, and denying it would be na\u00efve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, I\u2019ve learned something:<\/p>\n\n\n\n