Alors, le compromise M. Barnier - nous parlons le Brexit talks en franglais, OK?

[Machjo]

It's hard to believe that the Brits don't understand the concept of translators.

You've never had to rely on translation, have you?

It's like gambling at the casino. You never know if it's correct.

Eurocrats tend not to use translators. All EU business is usually conducted in English - the world's lingua franca - and not a minor, declining language like French.

Even British schools are stopping teaching French now because French, like France, is in rapid decline and not seen as that important anymore. More schools are teaching Chinese instead.

I'm sure Monsieur Barnier is just being your typical petulant Frenchman.

From my experience, the world's lingua franca is broken English, even in Quebec. You just never know whether the message actually got across to your interlocutor.

 

[Murphy]

You've never had to rely on translation, have you?

It's like gambling at the casino. You never know if it's correct.

I've worked with a lot of translators over 30 years, both our federal govt and in other countries. I never had a lick of a problem with any of them. I don't know why you would say that.

From my experience, the world's lingua franca is broken English, even in Quebec. You just never know whether the message actually got across to your interlocutor.

There are always regional differences in any language, including English.

WRT Brexit negotiations, the translating staff will be very good. No one trusts anyone however, so all countries will have their own translators at the meetings. It's standard practice. So, The French will have English translators, as well as EU translators.

The politics is usually very heavy, with both sides accusing the other of trying to delay or destroy negotiations. It's all a game.

 

[Machjo]

I've worked with a lot of translators over 30 years, both our federal govt and in other countries. I never had a lick of a problem with any of them. I don't know why you would say that.




There are always regional differences in any language, including English.

WRT Brexit negotiations, the translating staff will be very good. No one trusts anyone however, so all countries will have their own translators at the meetings. It's standard practice. So, The French will have English translators, as well as EU translators.

The politics is usually very heavy, with both sides accusing the other of trying to delay or destroy negotiations. It's all a game.

I've worked in interpretation and translation, and I've even read police and CBSA statements and hearing transcripts which revealed total communication breakdown. In one particular transcript, the accused and the Minister's counsel were even sparring (through an interpreter) over claims that had been made in a CBSA statement, with the Minister's counsel claiming that the accused had told a CBSA interviewer that she did not know the answers to her questions. The accused reminded the Minister's counsel that she'd already proved at the bond hearing that she know the answers. The CBSA officer's report had been written in extremely broken English, and that was outside of Quebec. At one point, the tribunal member was correcting the Minister's counsel's interpretation of statements that the accused had made since the Minister's counsel (who also spoke in broken English) appeared to have misinterpreted the meaning of the text.

If we have that kind of broken English in police and CBSA statements and at trinual hearings, then I can guarantee that broken English probably permeates Canada's federal bureaucracy. My own experience over the years in various fields have taught me the same: always opt for direct communication in a language you both know well if it is at all possible. Rely on translation and interpretation as a bloody last resort!

And let's not confuse regional variants with broken English. A variant is a variant. Broken English is just communication breakdown.

 

[Murphy]

Those breakdowns in police/border services statements are generally because whoever is conducting the interview is unskilled. The more people that become involved in the collection of statements or investigations means the errors increase exponentially.

Brexit negotiations are different. There is no pall of arrest or detention involved. Both parties are there voluntarily. Negotiations may be acrimonious, but the translation staff is good at what they do. And, as I sai earlier, there are always two sets of translators at government talks.

 

[Machjo]

Those breakdowns in police/border services statements are generally because whoever is conducting the interview is unskilled. The more people that become involved in the collection of statements or investigations means the errors increase exponentially.

Brexit negotiations are different. There is no pall of arrest or detention involved. Both parties are there voluntarily. Negotiations may be acrimonious, but the translation staff is good at what they do. And, as I sai earlier, there are always two sets of translators at government talks.

Yes, diplomats and trade negotiators always get the best interpreters and translators. In the business world, I can say from experience that that's not the norm in international small businesses. As for large multinationals, I'm less familiar with that. As for police and courts, I have minimal experience except for one case, In that one case though, everyone spoke in broken English, even worse than in international small businesses. I admit that I was shocked by that. I had always presumed that due to the seriousness of police and CBSA investigations and tribunal hearings, that they would have access better interpreters. I was shocked to learn that at least in the case with which I am familiar, everyone spoke in even more broken English than you find in international small businesses.

On second thought, maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. I've also dealt with interpretation in NGO's, and there too interrpetation was often completely borken. That makes me curious about interpretation in Parliament! Do our MP's always understand one another?

 

[Curious Cdn]

Conduct your negotiations in one of the great languages of the World ... one that a significant portion of the human race speaks.








... like Mandarin ...






.... or Hindi ....

 

[Machjo]

Conduct your negotiations in one of the great languages of the World ... one that a significant portion of the human race speaks.








... like Mandarin ...






.... or Hindi ....

Hmmm... written Mandarin is not easy to learn, and even spoken is somewhat difficult to an extent. Hindi I'm less familiar with.

Regardless, I always prefer to deal in a common language than through an interpreter. You just never know the quality of the interpretation.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Conduct your negotiations in one of the great languages of the World ... one that a significant portion of the human race speaks.








... like Mandarin ...






.... or Hindi ....

Or Spanish. Or Arabic.