2023 Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development
Case: On-site simultaneous interpreting: English, French, Russian & Spanish, for the 2023 Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development
Client: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Event: 2023 Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development at Münchenbryggeriet in Stockholm, 15 – 17 May 2023
Service rendered: Simultaneous conference interpreting for English to and from French, Russian and Spanish over 3 days. Interpreters plus interpreting equipment.
SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Based in Stockholm, SIPRI is regularly ranked among the most respected think tanks worldwide. This is the third year that Avison has had the good fortune to provide the interpreting for the forum, and the first time we have done so on site, rather than remotely (Remote Simultaneous Interpreting – RSI).
Opening panel at the 2023 Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development. On the panel (from left to right), Dan Smith, Director of SIPRI, Comfort Ero, President & CEO of Crisis Group, Franck Bousquet, Deputy Director of the IMF, and Valerie Guarnieri, Deputy Executive Director for Programme and Policy, World Food Programme.
The theme of this year’s forum was ‘Seeking Solutions for Turbulent Times’. Apart from the full-scale war in Ukraine, there is armed conflict in 55 other countries. The protracted recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is adding to persisting development dilemmas. Unsurprisingly, global governance is faltering under the burdens placed on it. The forum invites participants to pose tough questions and develop innovative solutions.
With topics covering conflicts in parts of the world where Spanish, French and Russian are spoken, SIPRI required our help to enable delegates from these parts of the world to follow and be involved in the sessions. We work with experienced simultaneous conference interpreters, who work in pairs from interpreting booths set up at the back of the room. It takes a special brain type to be able to rapidly assimilate, translate, and convey the words being spoken, and to correctly convey the meaning into another language. In real time. Simultaneously. So usually, after about 30 minutes of doing so, an interpreter’s partner will take over the mic and get their turn at weaving this language magic.
Selected live streams from this year’s forum can be watched here.
Martina Selmi, Major Events Manager at SIPRI, had the following to say about our services: “I was very happy with everything Avison provided – the interpreters were very competent and easy to work with, and we got good feedback from the leads of sessions requiring interpretation. Your technician was also a pleasure to work with, and the equipment was great. Everybody was also always punctual, which is SO appreciated.”
Working with our trusty technical interpreting equipment partner, we provided two interpreting booths, one technician, six interpreters, 250 headsets, transmitters, receivers, and masses of other equipment to make it possible for every one of the 250 or so delegates at this conference to comfortably follow the proceedings in their own language.
An interpreter’s view in one of the settings, before the action.
We look forward to a continued fruitful collaboration with SIPRI, and we follow with interest the valuable work they do. SIPRI’s LinkedIn page is here if you’re interested in following.
Are you holding an event with an international audience? Do you require language interpreting on site or remotely (Remote Simultaneous Interpreting), or in a hybrid format using both? Avison Communication is an established Stockholm-based translation, interpreting and language agency with successful projects in over 50 languages. If you need translation, interpreting, language training, subtitling, or voiceover services, please contact us here. We have been providing these services to satisfied, repeat organisation and corporate clients in Sweden and across Europe for over 18 years.
Image credits: SIPRI and Interpreter, Pascale Lacroix
