Article,
The Interpreters: A Historical Perspective
Proteus, (1998)
Abstract
Anyone who has ever had any contact with interpreters (which probably means most of the readers of this article) knows that they are quite a feisty bunch. If generalizations are odious, they are virtually impossible in a group where individuality seems to be the one point of commonality. This is one of the salient features of The Interpreters: A Historical Perspective, researched and directed by Evelyn Moggio-Ortiz, a United Nations staff interpreter, with financial backing from the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC), Phillips, and the government of France. Yes, it traces the history of interpreting from the pre-World War II era, when all interpreting was consecutive. Yes, it recounts the Nuremberg Trials, and the birth of modern simultaneous interpreting. Yes, it follows the development of interpreting at the United Nations through the present day. But the history of interpreting is the history of the interpreters, and the film is interspersed with interviews with some of these behind-the-scenes actors, without whom 20th century history might be substantially different.
