Make sure
your mobile phone is switched off.
Each seat
in the Assembly Hall and in committee rooms is equipped for simultaneous
interpretation with earphones, volume control and a language selection switch.
Channel “0” transmits the speeches in the original language; the other numbered
channels give access to interpretation.
Except
where special interpretation services are supplied by delegations, all
statements are made in one of the official or working languages of the
Conference – English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, German and Russian –
and are interpreted into the other six. In certain cases, Japanese
interpretation is provided; interpretation from Portuguese will also operate in
tripartite meetings.
Upon taking
the floor: before pressing the button to activate the microphone, remove the
earphone and place it in your lap, to prevent potentially harmful feedback.
Avoid
touching the microphone, shuffling papers, drumming fingers or making other
noises close to an open microphone.
When
speaking in a meeting: if you are reading from a written text or have notes,
please provide a copy in advance to the secretariat for immediate delivery to
interpreters, so they can prepare the interpretation of the statement and
render it as accurately as possible.
Speak
clearly and at a moderate pace, pausing for punctuation: other languages may
require more words to convey the meaning. This is particularly important for
the delivery of written statements.
Cite
figures slowly.
When referring to a passage in a document or
quoting from a text, give the chapter and/or paragraph number concerned, not
the page number, which may vary with the language versions. Leave time for the
other participants, and especially the interpreters, to find the passage to
which reference is made. Special conditions apply to speeches delivered in
plenary (see section entitled Speaking in plenary). |