Alexander is a trained conference interpreter, working in the EU bubble. On this podcast, he speaks in a purely private capacity and does not represent the views of his employer.
Alexander Drechsel has hosted 67 Episodes.
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43: A Troublesome 2019 In Review
13 December 2019 | 1 hr 39 mins
hosts-only, mental-health, year-in-review
In our last episode of the year, we have a big unveil for our listeners. With that out of the way, we look back at the year, especially at our live event at the Geneva conference and the episodes we've recorded in 2019. We discuss imposter syndrome and the Dunning-Kruger effect, the ins and outs of consecutive interpreting, interpreter PR and many other topics.
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42: Globally Speaking Is In Trouble
7 November 2019 | 1 hr 17 mins
machine-interpreting, remote
Two podcasts come together for this special episode (and our biggest #manel yet). Listen in as Renato Beninatto and Michael Stevens join the three troublemakers. Renato and Michael host Globally Speaking, a podcast about localisation and many other topics from the language industry. We discuss Remote Interpreting, Machine Interpreting, supply and demand in interpreting, and, lastly how to navigate the brave new world.
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41: Live in Geneva: 100 Years of Conference Interpreting
23 October 2019 | 41 mins 3 secs
live
Just in time for the big 100th anniversary since conference interpreters were first truly needed after the League of Nations had been founded in the wake of 1919's signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the University of Geneva hosted a big, international extravaganza commemorating and celebrating the past, present and future of conference interpreting.
The Troublesome Terps were honored to be invited to host the closing town hall discussion of the conference on "The Future of Interpreting". Come with us and take a gander through some of the past and a lot of the possible future(s) of our profession and let us know what you think!
Note: This episode is in English and French. A big shoutout to Christopher Sainsbury who was kind enough to allow us to use his interpreting from German into English.
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40: Consecutives Anonymous with Andrew Belisle
19 September 2019 | 1 hr 21 mins
consecutive
With Jonathan travelling to far-away lands, the two Alexanders get their tablet nerd on and chat with Andrew Belisle. He tells us how he got into interpreting, and we dive really deep into the how's and why's of consecutive interpreting. Plus, we discuss tablet interpreting.
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39: Interpreter Training with Andy Gillies
22 August 2019 | 1 hr 25 mins
training
While Alex G is on assignment, Jonathan and Alex D sit down with renowned interpreter trainer and book author Andy Gillies to discuss his career in the profession, the ins and outs of how to train interpreters, and the books he has translated and written.
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38: Interpreting for the EU
18 July 2019 | 1 hr 33 mins
hosts-only, institutions
Interpreting for the large political institutions of this world is quite separate from working on the freelance market. This is why in this episode, the Troublesome Terps take an extra close look at how working for the European Union really is. From the requirements, the scheduling, the different topics (and the lack of invoicing!), this is an episode stuffed to the brim with know how, insights and nuggets covering everything you ever wanted to know about being an interpreter at the EU.
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37: English as Lingua Franca w/ Karin Reithofer
20 June 2019 | 1 hr 13 mins
english, linguistics
Everybody can English - or: a story of ELFs and BSE! English is generally recognized as the number one language around the world, both in the world of business as well as for general communication purposes. Naturally, this begs the question, what impact does it have on the interpreting space? What is the underlying research?
Two thirds of the Troublesome Terps talk about this exact topic to Vienna based researcher and EU-accredited freelance conference interpreter Karin Reithofer-Winter - an interesting discussion worth keeping on! So let us know how English spoken by non-native speakers has impacted and/or influenced your interpreting career!
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36: Interpreting - This is a Woman's World
22 May 2019 | 1 hr 12 mins
gender, hosts-only
While the Troublesome Terps have covered gender in interpreting before already, it is a topic that will never not be relevant. For this reason, Sarah Hickey - conference interpreter and professional researcher at Nimdzi Insights - is joining us this episode to discuss the ‘feminisation’ of conference interpreting from female interpreters' perspectives.
An interesting, well researched and entertaining look into the gender dynamics of the profession! -
35: Talking Business with Florian Faes of Slator.com
17 April 2019 | 1 hr 12 mins
business
Sometimes it feels like language professionals forget that they are just that - professionals with a business "attached" to them. While being a wordsmith or having "a way with words" is perfectly fine, the economic elements must not be forgotten.
Enter Florian Faes, co-founder and managing director of slator.com, the language industries biggest (and only?) business focused one-stop-news-shop. The Troublesome Terps grill him on the origins of the website, business trends is seeing across the globe and why we should care in the first place. -
34: The Crystal Ball of Interpreting
20 March 2019 | 56 mins 46 secs
business, hosts-only
In this "back to the roots" episode of the Troublesome Terps, Jonathan and the Alexes take a look in their crystal ball and have a discussion about what the future of the interpreting market could look like, that might be considered controversial.
Ever thought about additional services interpreters could offer or where your responsibilities as interpreter start and stop? Then this is the episode for you! Let us know what you think down in the comments or on Twitter, we really want to hear from you! -
33: Exchanging thoughts with Corinne McKay and Eve Bodeux
20 February 2019 | 1 hr 19 mins
business, translation
Interpreting and translation are two sides to the same coin - or so they say. Joining us on this exciting crossover episode are the two hosts of the "Speaking of Translation" podcast Corinne McKay and Eve Lindemuth Bodeux to talk about just that!
What are total interpreting and translation stereotypes and - gasp - might there be a grain of truth? How do translators stay focused on a 200 page document? How do interpreters deal with double bookings? What are the boons and banes of working from or into your second language?
Join us for this banter-filled episode with tons of insights into "the other side" (whichever one that may be for you!) and find out about these - and many more - controversial topics! -
32: Our year 2018 in review
24 January 2019 | 1 hr 21 mins
hosts-only, year-in-review
2018 was truly another blockbuster year for the Troublesome Terps. Not only did was our first - and certainly not last - live event in London a bona fide hit (thanks to all the supporters and attendees!), as always we covered a wide range of different and super interesting topics this year.
Humor in interpreting and our very best travel tips and tricks provided some levity, discussions on feelings/emotions in interpreting and why interpreting research matters, provided some serious food for though. Our very first AMA (As Me Anything) was also a great experience thanks to the fantastic questions we received beforehand. Of course, we wouldn't want to forget the professional associations double-episode or our first ever cross-over event with The Vocal Fries.
So, thanks again for an incredible year and here's to an equally amazing 2019! As always, if you have any suggestions, feedback or anything else you would like to let us know, leave it in the comments or send us a tweet, Facebook message or email.