Remote interpreting services: our contribution to international cultural relationships

Cultures Connection provided remote simultaneous interpretation services at two international events held by the French Embassy in Singapore.

The Malraux Seminar to promote culture

Contributing to facilitating dialogues between cultures is at the core of Cultures Connection’s mission, hence the name of our agency. What a thrill to provide remote interpretation services at an event whose purpose is precisely “to facilitate dialogue between France and a host country” in order to strengthen the development of cultural events. Our translation and interpretation agency is proud that the Embassy of France in Singapore asked Cultures Connection to provide interpreters during the 2021 Malraux Seminar.

Let us bring some context: André Malraux is a well-known French writer who won the French most prestigious literary award –the Prix Goncourt– in 1933. His novels and art theory essays have been praised and studied by generations of readers in France and in the world. In addition, Malraux embraced another career when he became the first Minister of Cultural Affairs, a ministry that would prove central thus showing France’s everlasting commitment to culture and arts. Therefore, it was obvious to name after him an annual event whose purpose is to share experience, insights and policies regarding the organization of cultural events of all kinds in museums, public spaces, schools, theaters and more.

Remote interpreting services on Arts and Culture

Every year since the event was established, a different country partners with France, and this is why in 2021 it was named the Singapore-France Malraux Seminar.

The theme of this particular seminar shows how cultural life has been turned upside down since the beginning of the pandemic and also that creative solutions exist: “Reviving, Resetting and Sustaining the Arts and Culture Post Pandemic: The Power of the Digital”. The event aimed at gathering online cultural leaders from France, from Singapore as well as other countries in East Asia. The speakers included the Singaporean Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, as well as the French Minister of Culture. A video conferencing platform allowed all participants to listen and speak at the event.

Simultaneous interpretation consists of instantly translating and adapting the words spoken by the speaker from one language to another in real time. It provides an ideal solution for this type of event, when a large number of participants have a packed agenda to be covered in one or two days. Interpreting simultaneously takes up no extra time, and everyone benefits from it at the same time.

Keynotes, speeches, presentations, and discussions were either in French or in English. Drawing on its experience providing remote interpreting services for large scale events, Cultures Connection selected a team of six professional interpreters from English to French and vice versa, meaning that three of them were native speakers of French and three of them were native speakers of English. Seasoned interpreters, they were all skilled in Arts and international cultural events. Our translation agency made sure to organize technical tests with the teams prior to the event.

Remote interpreting services on French speaking countries

A few weeks after the Malraux Seminar, the Embassy of France in Singapore trusted Cultures Connection once again for another event. Indeed a meeting of the Group of French-speaking Ambassadors required a professional interpreter whose mission was to translate simultaneously and remotely a speech from English to French. This group belongs to the International Organisation of La Francophonie, an institution that sees the collaboration of 88 countries. This was another opportunity for our agency to show talent and expertise while contributing again to promoting language and culture.

Two major events held by the Embassy of France in Singapore, and twice a success for Cultures Connection in providing top interpreting services! International organizations, ministries, embassies, or regional and city councils know that they can count on us whenever they need remote interpreting services.