Alpha Translation & Interpretation's 2024 retrospective continues with the Paris Olympic Games. Simultaneous interpreting can be used on any scale: in your offices, at conferences or hearings, or at events where 206 national delegations are expected! More than just a sporting event, the Games represented a colossal linguistic challenge, the success of which depended on fluid, precise communication.
With almost 15,000 athletes, 11 million visitors to Paris and several billion television viewers, the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games were by definition a scene of a huge cultural and linguistic mix.
From French - the official language of the Games - to English - the universal language of sport - and dozens of other languages spoken by athletes, journalists and supporters, every word had to be faithfully conveyed.
In this respect, translators, interpreters and translation agencies were vital to the smooth running of such an event.
Translating a competition's technical commentary, conveying an athlete's emotions, ensuring coordination between international teams or defining the terms to be used in sporting disciplines in advance are all tasks that require meticulous preparation.
Do you remember deaf dancer Shaheem Sanchez's magnificent sign signing performance of Cerrone's Supernature at the Opening Ceremony? Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the Games, had announced that accessibility was the priority.
The event was intended to be an accelerator of change, so numerous translation, accompaniment and signposting measures were put in place over a 2-month period, from the moment people got off the plane to their arrival at the competition venues.
Sign language interpreters were present at official ceremonies, press conferences and key broadcasts, providing unprecedented accessibility.
But in concrete terms, what were the interpretation and translation requirements for the Games?
Simultaneous and consecutive interpreting played a key role at press conferences, interviews and official ceremonies. Although figures for Paris have not been announced, we do know that over 800 interpreters were mobilized for the Tokyo 2020 Games.
In addition, written translation is essential to make official documents, press releases, programs and other media accessible in several languages.
Last but not least, on-site interpreting, particularly in the mixed zones, press centers and competition venues, helped to smoothen exchanges between athletes, officials and journalists.
The Olympic Games are always a good opportunity to learn a few lessons that can be applied personally: humility, perseverance, collective strength... What if there was one about our industry? That machine translation doesn't take context into account, and that our professional expertise will always come out on top!
We leave you with this funny screenshot where the 3-letter country codes have been translated a little too pragmatically: BRA(sil) becomes “soutien-gorge” (a "bra", litteraly indeed) and CAN(ada) becomes “peut” (as in "yes she/he can").