At the end of a long career, a little over 35 years, as a staff interpreter at the European Institutions, I can say that working at SCIC has offered me a privileged vantage point from which to watch how the EU has been taking shape over the last decades, but also how the successive advent of new technologies has shaped our workplace, as well as the work environment of the people we work for and with. Communication itself has undergone several mutations, thereby changing our day to day experience in the booth. And still, despite all those different layers of change, our trade remains the same in its essence. That bottom line can be a source to find motivation when the going gets rough – just as ever.
Carmen Von Styp, staff interpreter, recently retired, DG SCIC, European Commission.