nyone 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.

Personally, I still cannot get over the story of the two interpreters who could do consecutive interpreting for over an hour straight without taking notes. (They were not working in the courts, though.) But there are other interviews also, which lead one to believe that some of these interpreters were truly exceptional individuals.

The film contains interviews in all six official languages of the U.N. (English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic). A version of the film has been made in each U.N. language, with subtitles in that language whenever someone speaks in one of the other five. As befits a film about interpreting, the subtitles are masterful in and of themselves. A few gems I gleaned from the English version were: "juriste" > "legal expert"; "la candidature de _______ fut proposée" > "he was nominated"; "liberté de manoeuvre" > "leeway"; "insensibilisé" > "numbed"; "effets de manche" > "rhetorical flourishes"; "reserve" > "discrétion"; and "secret professionnel" > "confidentiality."

For all of us who have always looked up to the U.N. as a standard-setter and example for the profession, the film is both enriching and inspirational. It is available in all six U.N. languages, in NTSC, VHS or PAL/SECAM. Its $28 price includes shipping, and can be paid by American Express, Visa, Eurocard, or Mastercard. Send the name of the cardholder, the card number, expiration date and cardholder’s signature to AIIC; 10, avenue de Sécheron; CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland; fax: (41-22) 732 4151, and telephone (41-22) 731 3323/732 2754. Bank transfers can also be made to AIIC account no. 210 654 00Y Union de Banques suisses, 8, rue du Rhône, CH 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland. And if you want to hone your conference interpreting skills, try the Danny Kaye peroration which leads off the video.