Thread by @DutchTerp

I really have a problem with this narrative that interpreters have been reluctant about #r1nt because of ideology. It sounds very dismissive of interpreters’ concerns regarding #r1nt. In my eyes those concerns are very legitimate and much more than ideology. A thread. 1/

https://twitter.com/drfantinuoli/status/1238430921151459330

I want to make clear from the start that I see a big distinction between #r1nt from home versus from a hub. There are many serious issues with the former while I see opportunities and some issues with the latter. /2

What we see now due to #COVID19 is #terps considering #r1nt from home and giving it a chance out of sheer necessity. Which is by no means the same as suddenly realising #r1nt is here to stay bc it is claimed it does the job as well as on site interpreting. /3

I think clients have not embraced #r1nt either and they must have their reasons for that. I won't elaborate on those here.
I see two main reasons why #terps have not embraced #r1nt from home.
1. Economic sense
2. Technology
They are both intertwined.
/4

1. Economic sense:
There is an income and expense/investment side to this aspect. I’ll discuss the investment aspect later when I turn to technology so we’ll start with the income side. /5

Platforms push this fantasy about #r1nt from home being easy and comfortable. Of course the platforms promise this in their marketing towards end users:
- "Top quality #1nt at affordable/cheap prices!"
- “Pay by the minute/hour!" /6

That's also how they market it to #terps:
- Easy to set up!
- Work from home!
- Restore your work-life balance!
- Speak 2 languages? Register now, earn money tomorrow! /7

That's what you can expect from a tech company: they sell tech solutions. However, #1nt is still very much about the _humans_ delivering the service. I'd say the platforms are the ones blindly sticking to their own ideology: "Tech will fix everything for you."/8

I compare such platforms and promises to the Ubers of this world. If you see how that is working out for taxi drivers and the like, resistance isn't ideological, it's only to be expected from #terps. /9

Paying interpreters by the minute or the hour ignores the investment it takes to become a good interpreter (regardless of remote or on site): 4-5 years of education followed by CPD, preparing jobs terminologically, studying languages, etc. /10

Most established conference #terps have regular on site jobs, a relationship of trust between them and their (end) clients. They are paid by the day or half day, depending on their market. Hourly pay is rare (AFAIK). /11

So why would conference #terps be tempted to switch to #r1nt from home if those platforms pay by the minute or hour? Why block a two-hour meeting in your agenda and get paid two hours when you could well be working and get paid a full day? /12

That brings us to 2. #tech. Turns out developing a reliable internet platform for #1nt is harder than a ridehailing or food delivery app. Who would've thought? Well, if tech companies had involved #terps more from the start when developing their platform, they could've known. /13

#r1nt from home means shifting responsibility & investment to #terps:
- internet connection + backup;
- reliable power + backup;
- a powerful computer + backup;
- a professional headset;
- a quiet office space.
Quite more challenging than already owning a car or bike. /14

What have the #r1nt from home platforms offered #1nt to convince them to get on board and invest in #tech
- rates per minute;
- seeing #terps as if they’re interchangeable;
- pushing liability for faulty tech to #terps. /15

So, gee, I really do wonder why the interpreters weren’t exactly jumping at this opportunity. #1nt /16

Brushing this off as ideological or #terps and associations overestimating their power seems to imply as well that #1nt only consider their own interests while being oblivious to the fact that others might be willing to take their jobs at other conditions. /17

Yes, #terps are cautious because they worry about their income.
But this is about so much more than just money, power or status. /18

Consider this:
#terps are cautious because of mental health.
#terps are cautious because they worry about the future of their profession.
#terps are cautious because of the quality they have been providing for decades to their clients on site. /19

Clients have come to expect a certain quality standard from their #1nt providers. They vary from client to client and meeting to meeting. No one client wants, needs or expects the same as another one. But certain expectations are always there. /20

#terps worry they cannot deliver client expectations through #r1nt from home
not because they don't have the #1nt skills but because the tech is not there yet. /21

What really surprises me about this is how everyone who’s ever had to participate in a conference call has stories about how problematic the audio and interaction in such meetings often is. /22

Add video.
Add interpreters.
Imagine how challenging it is for interpreters to still meet client expectations in such circumstances.
(Cognitive load, right?) @bdfrancq @KilianGSeeber /23

I believe #r1nt hubs/studios are much better suited to overcome those obstacles. In the interest of #1nt mental health, working conditions AND in the interest of reaching our clients’ goals. /24

For clarity’s sake: I know @DrFantinuoli means well being an interpreter himself. I just disagree completely with the ‘resistance on ideological grounds’ and for some reason I happened to have the time for this thread. 😉
Now let’s beat #COVID19. #iorestoacasa #StayHomeBelgium