Procedure and House Affairs Committee on May 1st, 2018

[Stéphan Déry]

The interpreters' code of ethics requires them to interpret languages they know, not to mention all the respect we have for Parliament. The text is provided. Today, I gave you a text, but I may have said something else. So there is a correlation. Interpreters need to understand the spoken language, not just read documents that are provided to them.

I know Matthew had a real example where he had to use text.

I'll ask him to explain his example.

[Matthew Ball, Acting Vice-President, Translation Bureau, Department of Public Works and Government Services]

Sure.

An interpreter is ethically bound to understand the text that he or she is interpreting, so it would be difficult to ask an interpreter.... They could read the text, but they wouldn't understand it.

I have a good example, personally. I was an interpreter for most of my career. I was working at the Canada Day celebrations and it was broadcast live across the country. In the moments right before a speech was to be read by an elder in an indigenous language, I was given the text and was asked to read this into English. I did that. It was given at the last minute. There was no time for ethical considerations or for me to make a stand and say, no, it's not professional of me to read something I don't understand. I did it.

The elder finished the prayer, and I still had four lines to read. It's a good example of how it's putting both the client and the interpreter, and the original speaker, in a bit of a difficult situation when you're asking them to read something they don't understand.

[David Graham, Liberal, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

When you translate as opposed to interpret, you know that in French it's about 13% longer than English. It shouldn't be a surprise that it would finish at a different time.

The question that I asked earlier was based on notice period. For example, if Mr. Saganash gave you notice that he was going to speak Cree in the House next week, would you then have translation, or do the rules not permit it?

[Stéphan Déry]

We would have translators to interpret, as we did at this committee in the last few weeks.

[David Graham, Liberal, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

You're telling me under the current regime we can have translation now in the House.

[Stéphan Déry]

You can have interpretation if it's requested from the bureau. We organize for interpretation.

[David Graham, Liberal, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Okay.

How would a member go about that request? This is a bit new to a lot of us.

[Stéphan Déry]

The request, I believe, was made to the....

[David Graham, Liberal, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

In the chamber, I'm talking about.

[Stéphan Déry]

In the chamber, the request would be made to the clerk.

[David Graham, Liberal, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

By whom? Any member?

[Stéphan Déry]

It would be by the member. Then it's the process of the chamber that would dictate whether we're providing interpretation or not.

As I've said, we are here to serve. If we're requested by the chamber to provide interpretation services in Inuktitut, or any other language, we'll do our best to ensure that we provide you with the service.

[David Graham, Liberal, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Okay.

I'll return to Mr. Ball's example of the prayer that was given to him for interpretation. Members are considered honourable by tradition in this place, so if a member provides you with an interpretation, regardless of outside considerations, it would be the member's privilege to be taken at their word.

Would there be any reason you couldn't accept that from a member of Parliament in the chamber, a written translation?

[Matthew Ball]

It speaks more to ethical considerations for the client, the speakers, and the interpreter. You know, in interpreting we sort of have three categories of language. An interpreter has an A language, a B language, and a C language. In the C language, which is the least mastered by the interpreter, they would only interpret passably from C into their A. In A and B the interpreters would work both ways.

If you were to ask me as an interpreter to interpret a language I don't know, it would put me in an ethically difficult situation because I don't understand what I'm saying. The speaker doesn't necessarily have faith in me to render it. In the equation there's not enough certainty to understand the language properly.

[David Graham, Liberal, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Okay, I might come back to you later on.

You also mentioned that you do a tremendous number of languages. Do you do any languages whatsoever that are not either English, French, or indigenous?

[Stéphan Déry]

We do multiple languages. In the G7 meeting that will happen soon, we will organize all the languages. We will organize the interpretation for all foreign languages.

[David Graham, Liberal, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Okay. Thank you. I'll come back to you in the next round.

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

Thank you.

Now we'll go to Mr. Nater.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to our witnesses as well.

Previous to serving on this committee, I served on the official languages committee. We had the honour of having your predecessor to that committee a number of times. It's good to have you at this committee today.

Back in December, the CBC reported on information it received through an access to information request. It was a memo about translation services and the potential use of indigenous languages in the new West Block. To date, we haven't seen a copy of that memo.

Is that something you would be able, or willing, to provide the committee, a copy of that memo?

[Stéphan Déry]

I will have to verify with procedure, but if the procedure permits, then I would be more than happy to provide this memo.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

That's great. Perhaps you could follow up with the clerk.

[Stéphan Déry]

Yes.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

If that could be made available to the committee, that would be great.

Mr. Ball, you mentioned some of the ethical considerations and standards an interpreter would have in terms of delivering the interpretation services. I'm assuming there's a written code that is available. I don't know if it is in the collective bargaining agreement or where that would be. Is that something the committee could be provided with?

[Matthew Ball]

Do you mean an interpreter's code of ethics?

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Yes.