Question Period Note: Translation Bureau staff capacity

Translation Bureau (TB) staffing capacity and wellness was raised by members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) during a TB appearance on May 4, 2020.

• TB’s top priority is the health and safety of its employees
  • TB has not experienced capacity issues to date and is taking measures to ensure it has the capacity to continue serving Parliament and the Government of Canada
  • TB currently has approximately 50 official languages interpreters available to meet the needs of Parliament
  • We will continue to do our work to ensure the health and safety of Government of Canada employees, while providing an essential service for parliamentarians

On May 4, 2020, during an exchange before the PROC committee, the President of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees stated that out of the 70 TB interpreters working in official languages during the pandemic, there are about 40 interpreters that are unable to work because of child care or health issues.

TB has confirmed that these numbers are not accurate.

From January 1, 2019 to March 15, 2020, there was one report of a disabling injury and one report of a minor injury. Both employees are now recovered and have returned to work. Both incidents were a result of traditional (in person) interpretation. During the same time period, there were 28 other hazardous occurrences reported related to poor sound quality (e.g., feedback, high-pitched noises and interference) and that resulted in fatigue, headaches, and hearing sensitivity. Two of these hazardous occurrences were related to remote interpretation (teleconferences), while the remainder were related to traditional interpretation.

With increased use of videoconferences over the last two months, there has been an increase in incident reports from interpreters, including headaches, earaches and fatigue due to poor sound quality. No acoustic shock or other injury requiring hospitalization has been reported.

From March 16, 2020 to April 29, 2020, there were no reported disabling or minor injuries. There were 39 other hazardous occurrences reported that related to poor sound quality and resulted, most commonly, in headaches, hearing sensitivities, and fatigue. Fourteen of those hazardous occurrences were related to teleconferences; 25 were related to videoconferences.

TB has provided its interpreters with headsets with sound limiters to protect against acoustic shock and implemented a series of hygiene and physical distancing measures. In addition, TB requires its clients to take technical measures that promote not only the health of its interpreters but also high-quality interpretation. These include having a qualified audiovisual technician present at all times, remote participants’ use of good quality headsets with built-in microphones and good quality Internet connections, and the provision documents to interpreters in advance of meetings.

TB’s approach aligns very closely to international best practices, including the International Association of Conference Interpreters principles, guidance for institutions and best practices.

None