Interpreters and Conference Interpreting

Dear all

I would love to share this thread with Didine, if she's still around... and start by asking, when did you pass by ESIT?

My name is Pablo and my combination is SP A, EN/FR/RU C

Now, as I probably told you, I passed the first year at ESIT, that was last year, and I've been given a year off to improve my Russian. So I'm in Moscow, and I will be until june. (You can also ask me about my tips for improving a language in-country, which might suprise you).

So, essentially, I open this forum to answer any and all questions you may have about ESIT, of whatever kind.

Really, whatever.

Is it a lot of work? - 45h/week. Forget about having a "life".

Are the teachers evil spawns? - They seem at times, but only some really are, depends on the language.

Is the food at the cafeteria good? - The best university food I've ever tried, and the cheapest

Are there really a sleeping room for students ? - Yes, but only for second-years

What is that smell in the corridors? - Contrary to what many people think, it's not the toilets. The smell is caused by ghosts of ancient, long-dead generals. (I'm assuming you know what the building was, before being a university).

So, fire away. I will answer. Not tomorrow, but I will. And yes: when I have time I'll give you a description of the entrance exam.

Here, a description of the exam

http://interpreters.freeforums.org/viewtopic.php?t=8

There is only something I'd like to expand upon:

Your most important asset is your A. You have to speak in a natural way. If you speak, as was my case, English with Spanish words, unnatural constructions, or copy the structural grammar of the language you heard... that's bad. Real bad.

Thanks for this great initiative, Dawncloak! Hopefully Didine will be able to contribute from time to time, if she has enough free time...
I'm sure many people have loads of questions about ESIT. In the meantime I'd love to know how you got your Russian C. I've just started learning Russian and I have no idea when I should expect to be able to use it for interpreting.

Hi there,

It's a great idea to open a thread on ESIT! To answer your question, Pablo, I studied at ESIT from September 2003 to June 2006. I repeated second year, as many other students do.

I pretty much agree with everything Pablo has written. Studying at ESIT means making sacrifices, but it really is worth it.

Aymeric, I, too, had Russian C at ESIT. I studied Russian as a first foreign language in junior high, senior high and then at university, alors c'est un peu de la triche.

Didine

Hi!
As I have already written I'm interested in ESIT, so I've got a few questions to ask you:
1) Do foreign students have some financial advantage because of the high costs of Paris? Because it's quite an expensive city for my pockets...
2) Is it generally attended only by super rich students?
3) Can you find a job even the year after your exam? Or is it generally too early?

And I have a question for Didine: you said you finished ESIT last year, didn't you? And now you already work for the EU? so does this mean that the EU is very keen on assuming interpreters coming from ESIT?
(the very last one, which is just a curiosity: which is your language combination?)

Ok I hope I'll get some feedback... bye bye!

Hi all

Didine, it seems that you were getting out just as I was getting in

Let me ask you a question: how is it working out? Working I mean. I hear Russian is quite a door-opener.

For Aymeric:

I started Russian in 2000, I was 18.
4 years of University, one year in Russia (which did not amount to much, I took all the wrong choices... I'll have to explain that later... will open a thread on how to improve languages) one year of translating newspaper articles and studying under a Russian UNESCO interpeter, and one year at ESIT.

I guess it is different for everyone, but even after all that, I was not ready.

The bottom line is, can you interpeter thoroughly and immediately a official speech from a government official explaining some technical point about law and oil drilling (technical terms included) ? Answer that, and you will have answered yourself.

Of course, no need to be already bilingual, they allow for students to improve a bit while in ESIT... but understanding it fairly doesn't cut it. You understand the speech well enough to do a fine interpretation, or you don't.

Great that you started with Russian, BTW... say if there is any help you need, and good luck!

And for Kristiina


1) Do foreign students have some financial advantage because of the high costs of Paris? Because it's quite an expensive city for my pockets...

There aren't any financial advantages just for being foreign. You can get CAF (housing aid) if you are renting an apartment (and not in black), different government institutions offer aids (which you have to check for yourself) and the EU offers some interesting grants if you have language combinations that interest them... (essentially, east european languages, but not Russian).

For good and for bad, you are exactly on the same footing as French students, which aren't by far a majority at ESIT.

There are no majorities, BTW

2) Is it generally attended only by super rich students?

Have you seen the cost of the masters? 600 euros a year! That's NOTHING!!! It is open to gifted, hard wrking people.
In fact, I doubt that anyone in my year was super-rich. Nearly all of us worked too.

But there is a big BUT: you can't have a full time job with that. It's simply impossible. Some worked part time, mostgave private lessons, I translated a bit...

3) Can you find a job even the year after your exam? Or is it generally too early?

If you are good and your combination is in demand, you might even get a job from the very examiners, after you pass your final exams. That means, like, ten minutes after passing them.

But... let's define "job". Now, no company will hire you to be an interpreter, save for international institutions. If you work, for example, in a company, that means you are not interpreting. Interpreting is, nearly always, a freelance work. So, prepare to be a freelance.

That said, most people start working pretty early. Interpreters with less demanded combinations take more time, but they find their niche.

Hi Pablo,

Do you happen to know how high the success rate is for the final exam at ESIT?

As far as I am concerned, I graduated from ISIT as a translator-terminologist but did not want to study conference interpreting there insofar as the success rate in that school for interpreting is incredibly low (1 or 2 students only are reported to graduate each year). Having said that, I would not want to scare future students away from that school, which provides excellent education.

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Take care,

Vincent

Hi!
Thanks very much Dawncloack, you've been really exhaustive!
And just now another question popped in my mind: can you choose whether to attend one, two or three years or not? What does the length depend on? I refer to the interpretation course.
Thanks again for your patience!

I'm glad to help

So, your latest questions.

For Kristiina:

Officially, the master is two years long.

There are three main possibilities:

- To do only one year. Yes, it IS possible! With a little drawback: It means you have been kicked out. For good. (more details later, when I answer Vincent)

- To pass both years right away, so that you study two years. Congratulations! You are la crème de la crème. The problem is that this possibility has only been theorised. There are no confirmed sightings of this.

- To repeat one year, be it first or second year, and then to pass the other one. Like most of the students do.

Now, of course, you can add sabbathical years to that. I have passed first year, I don't have to repeat, but I'm taking a year off, that's three years... although, during the year off, you are not technically studying at ESIT, so it doesn't really count.

And that's it.

Notice please, that I said repeat once, and not more. You can't repeat more than once. If you are put in the position of having to repeat a second time, you are bestowed with the order of the boot.

To Vincent

I can only speak of what I know to be true, which is:

Every year, 50% of first year students are kicked out. That is always, always like that. And not because there is a quota, it just happens every year.

Last year, of the remaining 50%, 10 went into second year, 6 were given the right to repeat (and at least 3 don't plan on coming back, sadly).

I don't know the figures for second year, but last year some 8 people passed their final exam. I'd say that's the average.

You do the math.

I don't know wether Didine will agree with me, but I think that it is much more common (and less dangerous) to repeat first year. During first year you are learning the basic, underlining technique of interpreting. I'd even go further, and say that you are assimilating a way of thinking and analyzing. Those of whom the teachers think can't learn that, or will take to long, are kicked out. Those who pass are considered to have mastered it. Those who repeat are deemed hopeful.

So, I think, it is normal to have to repeat first year, you are learning something radically new. When you have to repeat second year, the tune changes. Usually it's because people have a perfectly normal linguistic insufficiency in one of their pairs languages. I think, however, that it makes the teachers think: "Did we only THINK he learned the method" ?

In any case, no worries, you'll do fine. If anyone is planning to do the exams next year, and you are moving to Paris, maybe you'd like to meet... I'll be in Paris from June on.

Oh, some little detail:
If you are kicked out from ESIT you cannot go back... with the same combination. If you change combination you can go back.

There is something you have to know.

There is a reason why I was insisting on speaking very naturally in your A language, in the exam, yes, but not only.

The reason is that many people think they are bilingual, when in fact they are alingual, they have no true A.

Yes, it is perfectly possible. You know what I'm talking about, persons who speak two languages very well, but mix them, use the grammar of one with the words of the other, or, while speaking one, always use words suspiciously close the the words of the other.

Those people, sorry to say, have short and violent lives, here at ESIT, usually with brutal ends.
That was a joke obviously, but the cold, hard truth is that no alingual that has managed to pass the entrance exam has ever gone into second year.

This happens a lot with AA combinations.

Just that you know.

I know that some people are a lingual but I really believe you are exaggerating when it comes to bilingual people. Some of them have an excellen t level in two languages because they work loads on both languages....
Mistoufle

Mmh... I don't really see the exaggeration, I'm just saying that it happens. I haven't said that all bilinguals are like that or anything.

I've heard it happens a lot with North Africans, who have the habit of mixing French and Arabic all the time, without really being able to speak either of them flawlessly.

In my case, I've seen it happen with a girl whose parents are French and American.

I really think that loads of work makes an AA combination possible... But work from a yopung age ie parents who are rigourous with grammar and loads of reading! I studied in the French Lycee in London and loads of people there were worthy of an AA ...
In France some people don't even qualify for one real A ... not in interpreting schools but in the street !
Claudine