Thank you for your question.
The pandemic has propelled us into a virtual mode a little faster than we would have liked. The Translation Bureau and its interpreters were already providing remote interpretation services, but to a lesser extent.
Since then, we have had to adapt quickly. Since May, we have reduced the hours of work expected of our interpreters, both permanent and freelance, to compensate for the risks and higher cognitive load of remote interpretation. We are not downplaying the risks; the risks are real.
One of the objectives of the contractual mechanism we have in place is to have a legal basis and to codify the working conditions in their contract in order to protect the health and safety of the interpreters on an ongoing basis.
It is in our interest to listen carefully, to consider the uniqueness of the profession and the health and safety issues, because we absolutely need freelance and Bureau interpreters to be able to keep providing the service.