5 Sprachen fließend: Ein Einblick in den Arbeitsalltag einer EU-Dolmetscherin

Summary

The video follows Katharina von Aufschneiter, an EU interpreter based in Brussels, and explores the preparation, pressure, and judgment involved in interpreting at press conferences.

How the work is done

• Ministers’ speeches may arrive only shortly before a conference. Katharina and her colleague Jutta read them quickly and note useful phrases.
• Prepared speeches are helpful, but only as a guide: speakers may depart from their written text, so interpreters must listen and respond in real time.
• Katharina interprets into German from several languages, including English, Italian, French, and Spanish. The subtitles describe her as working across five languages.
• Interpreters work in pairs, alternating roughly every 20–30 minutes because sustained concentration is demanding.

Main challenges and lessons

• Remain neutral, even during heated exchanges. Interpreters must relay insults and criticism accurately so listeners can understand what was said and respond. Their role is not to soften or endorse the speaker’s words.
• Convey emotion without inserting personal opinion. When interpreting a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the war, Katharina says that feeling the speech can help her communicate it effectively. She finds emotional distance difficult while recognizing her obligation to remain neutral.
• Improvise when speakers depart from their scripts. Understanding the speaker’s intended meaning is essential, particularly when their English is difficult to follow.
• Handle mistakes and uncertainty responsibly. A brief mishearing can change a meaning and have consequences. Poor audio from an online correspondent can make accurate interpreting impossible; in such cases, the interpreter must make the limitation clear.
• Accept that perfection is impossible. Katharina says interpreters should not carry every difficulty home or become excessively perfectionistic; mistakes are human.
• Develop context and cultural understanding. The video considers whether AI could replace interpreters. Katharina argues that interpreting requires contextual understanding, not just word-for-word translation.
• Keep skills sharp and recover between sessions. Continued practice across languages and cultures is necessary. Katharina also describes taking time after work to unwind, review the day, and put it behind her.

Overall, the video presents interpreting as more than translation: it is demanding, real-time communication that helps international meetings—and EU exchange—function.

Speakers and sources featured

• Katharina von Aufschneiter — EU interpreter and central interviewee.
• Jutta — Katharina’s interpreting colleague, identified by first name in the subtitles.
• Reporter/narrator — introduces Katharina, explains the challenges, and asks questions.
• Olaf Scholz — referred to in an excerpt from a heated political exchange.
• Volodymyr Zelensky — source of the emotional speech about the war in Ukraine.
• Other unnamed ministers, conference speakers, and a Dutch correspondent — heard in press-conference excerpts; some names are missing or unclear in the subtitles.