By Catherine Sherry, AIB
AIB. How did you get into interpreting?
Jenny Fearnside. I’d wanted to be a doctor until the night before I had to choose my A-levels, when I suddenly decided to study languages and become an interpreter. I have no idea why! My aunt had a friend who worked at the European Commission, maybe it was that. I didn’t really know what interpreting was about but was keen for a challenge. After that, I was given a place to do a BA in French and German Translating and Interpreting at Herriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, so I did a gap year in Rome beforehand to learn Italian too. It was the best thing I ever did! As soon as I graduated, I went to the Commission and joined the staff there.
What do you do to unwind?
I’m into a lot of sports - cycling, rowing and running, but only outdoors. I don’t own a car in Rome but I do have a kayak! I also enjoy travelling and some of my indoor pursuits are knitting, sewing and cooking.
Any interpreting anecdotes?
Yes, the infamous Norman Wisdom [a famous British comedian of the 1950-60s] moment! I was working at my first Council of Finance Ministers in Brussels and was getting very peckish as lunchtime approached. Just before we broke, a French-speaking representative of the Commission took the floor and announced that the following year, all budgetary spending would have to be in the hands of “la sagesse Normande”. Blood sugar levels were low and without thinking I interpreted this as “in the hands of Norman Wisdom”, which caused some guffawing in the room. At lunchtime the UK minister came up to me and said, “You’re THE English interpreter, right? Norman Wisdom was my hero as kid, that was brilliant!”
He must have mentioned it at the Press Conference because the next day it was all over the British press!
When and why did you join AIIC?
I joined when I was on the staff at the Commission. Back then we would go into the booth without knowing when we’d get out - sometimes even the next day. So I wanted to find strength in numbers and to ensure decent working conditions.
What inspired you to run for president?
Four years ago, I became vice-president by accident really, because I’d gone to the Assembly in Valencia at the last minute when an option I had was cancelled. It turned out that new candidates were suddenly needed and when I met Uroš [Peterc, previous president], I said if you run for president, I’ll run for VP.
Towards the end of that mandate, a few people suggested me going on as president. I’m not particularly political and I would rather stay under the radar than be in the limelight, but I knew by then that I could do the job and it made sense for there to be continuity rather than a whole new team starting from scratch. Also, the pandemic meant that in the last mandate we had little scope for moving AIIC’s agenda forward because we were so busy dealing with external factors, so this is an opportunity to do what we have planned rather than what we are forced to do.
How have the first four months gone?
It’s been extremely busy! But now that we’ve got projects underway it’s exciting because it will streamline and modernise AIIC, shake things up a bit.
A core feature of the strategic plan is to set up an AIIC Foundation, which would be free of the current tax-related constraints of AIIC’s not-for-profit status. This means that our training – one of AIIC’s big successes - can be professionalised and we can provide consultancy. Some of the profits can then be ploughed back into the association to fund further activities or cover some of the secretariat’s costs, for instance, which might have a knock-on effect on dues.
We’re also considering holding the AIIC Conference yearly, depending on how the first one next year goes. In a nutshell, AIIC is starting to look more outwards. Nobody is going to come to us; we need to go out and establish ourselves, not just as an add-on but as one of the main players.
How do you see the future of interpreting?
Remote interpreting is taking multilingualism to places previously not possible because of travel and cost limitations. Since the pandemic, meetings with simultaneous interpretation can be organised at the drop of a hat.
I don’t see this as the end of the line but just as a different line. We need to be flexible and set red lines on health and safety and working conditions, but also to allow for and actually shape new developments by demanding the right conditions.
AIIC was very well placed to do this at the start of the health crisis and a lot of institutions came to us for assistance and guidance because we’d showed foresight in already researching remote interpreting. We have to keep this up because things are developing thick and fast. Either we’re involved in creating this new environment, or we’re out in the cold and can only accept or refuse it. I believe we have to be in there.
If you had one wish for interpreters, what would it be?
That their careers are as satisfying as mine has been. Things have changed and will continue to, but I hope the satisfaction remains. For me personally, to retire graciously. I hope I’ll know when the time comes! When it does, I hope to live by the sea and take up winter swimming, in Greece perhaps, and volunteer and do all my other activities.
Are people treating you differently now that you’re the president?
Colleagues jokingly doff their cap to me and that sort of thing! But as I say, I just want to do the job. Some of the work isn’t necessarily visible yet as it’s more about channelling the direction of AIIC.
I was treasurer in Greece & Cyprus, and there’s nothing like being involved to see how it all fits together and bring influence to bear on the image of the association. You get to meet far more colleagues than just your boothmates, and colleagues volunteer for the assembly for example from all over the world, which is fabulous.
As a low-key person myself, I really want to hear more of the low-key voices. There is not a single member of AIIC who doesn’t know enough to have an opinion. Everyone has the right to have their opinions heard and if people are reluctant to voice them publicly, I would really love them to approach me personally.
j.fearnside@aiic.net
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