The Restructuring Navigator: A new tool for European Works Council members facing a restructure

Restructures must be one of the most challenging situations an EWC member will encounter, so it’s great to learn about a new tool designed to help workers understand and successfully navigate these scenarios.

The Restructuring Navigator is an interactive guide mapping out 12 pathways for the different types of transnational restructures, from mergers and acquisitions to relocation and closures.

It can help you:

Build cross-border cooperation and solidarity among worker representatives across different countries.

Understand legal frameworks and workers’ rights during restructuring, empowering you to advocate effectively.

Develop strategies for negotiation and influencing decision-making.

Spotlight on Bespoke Subtitling Services

If you’re producing video content for your business – whether a promotional film, an employee training video or a product demonstration – it’s a good idea to include subtitles, because so many people watch with the sound muted.

And if you’re showing that video to an international audience, you’ll want to ensure those captions are translated.

Most of the major platforms – such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok – now offer automatically generated captions, translated in the viewer’s language. But be beware – these have some serious limitations:

❌Auto-generated captions can include awkward or incorrect translations, and often miss cultural references and nuances such as intent and emotion

❌ Users need to manually activate them, so they may be missed

❌ You can’t choose where captions are positioned

❌ They can look messy – lacking punctuation and out of synch with what’s appearing on screen

The alternative is to add your own captions, either using the editing tools provided by platforms such as YouTube or by using a third-party editing tool such as Kapwing. Some of these tools also offer auto-translations, though this doesn’t solve the problem of mistranslations or lack of punctuation.

The best option for brands which want to look professional and ensure they’re getting their message across accurately is to have their videos professionally translated – and this is where we can help.

My team of interpreters can provide you with bespoke translated subtitles in more than 130 languages that will:

✔️ Get your message clearly and accurately

✔️ Use accurate technical terminology

✔️ Include translations for sound effects, diagrams and illustrations

✔️ Be localised to include culturally appropriate phrases and expressions.

Find Out More

Why now’s the time to visit Venice

If you’ve always wanted to visit Venice, but have been put off by the crowds, now is your chance. November is a great time to visit Venice. It’s far quieter than the summer months and you won’t have to deal with oppressive heat.

You’ll need a coat – the average temperature is around 13C – but there’s a 50% chance of clear blue skies. And you may be surprised to hear that November is significantly drier than September, on average.

The catch is that November and December are the season of the ‘Acqua Alta’ – or ‘high water’. This naturally occurring phenomenon – created when the Adriatic Sea tide rises – has been part of life in Venice for centuries.

Unless the tide is exceptionally high, it’s still possible to navigate the city fairly easily, just as the locals do. Pack your rain boots and use the elevated wooden walkways to get around. The high tide only lasts for a few hours before subsiding away.

Sadly, climate change is causing more frequent extreme high tides. It’s a topic of great concern to Venetians, as I discovered when I had the honour of interpreting for Luigi Brugnaro, the Mayor of Venice, at the Economist’s Sustainability Summit in London. It was very moving to hear him discuss the struggle to mitigate the impact of climate change on water levels in this beautiful city.

While it’s important to be aware of the risks of extreme high tides (download the Hi Tide app for the latest flood information), witnessing a ‘normal’ acqua alta is a uniquely memorable experience.

There is something very special about seeing the city’s ancient buildings, such as the Basilica San Marco, reflected in the shimmering seawater. After visiting the Basilica, pop into Harry’s Bar on Calle Vallaresso for a bellini in the bar that first invented them – as mentioned in my last newsletter!

My new secret weapon – the Elgato Stream Deck

I’ve recently invested in a new gadget for remote interpreting, thanks to a recommendation from conference interpreter, Amy Allsop (hello and thank you!) within my interpreting network.

Virtual meetings are now a huge part of my working life, and I’m always looking for new ways to streamline my workflow.

So when I read about the Elgato Stream Deck, I was intrigued.

As the name suggests, the technology was originally for content creators live-streaming on platforms such as Twitch, but more recently it’s been adopted for use by the interpreting community.

The concept is simple. It’s a small desktop console with LCD buttons that act as keyboard shortcuts. These can be customised to perform any command with a single tap.

So rather than having to reach for my mouse and move the cursor towards the ‘mute’ button whenever I want to turn my microphone on or off, I can mute myself instantly by tapping the mute button I’ve set up on my Stream Deck.

I can also use it to switch screens, change language channels and adjust the volume of speakers – all with a single tap.

It’s a simple tweak, but one that has noticeably reduced my cognitive load when remote interpreting – freeing my brain to focus on the job of interpreting.

I use the mini version of the Stream Deck, which has six buttons – I’ve found this is adequate for my needs, but more advanced models with more buttons and dials are available.

FIND OUT MORE HERE

G7 in Siracusa

There was great excitement in my home city of Siracusa (or Syracuse, as it is known in English) last month, when the G7 Agriculture and Fisheries was held there.

My brother, Gianluca, is the founder and director of a leading communications agency in Siracusa, Agenzia Media Uno and Siracusa Press, an online daily newspaper known for its in-depth coverage of local issues and events.

As part of the G7 event media coverage, they captured stunning aerial footage with drones. The result is a unique perspective that truly brings the event to life – go take a watch at the beautiful videos they created!

The video shows the 13th century Castello Maniace, a stone fortress on the tiny island of Ortygia, which is separated from Siracusa by a narrow channel.

The G7 meeting was held within the castle walls, while outside a week-long festival showcased Italy’s cultural and culinary heritage.

The famous Sicilian-born dancer Eleonora Abbagnato, who was once Étoile at the Paris Opera Ballet, performed, and there were many stalls serving up fresh Italian cuisine like arancini, a Sicilian speciality. Each part of the island has its own traditional version of these delicious arborio rice balls, coated with breadcrumbs. In Siracusa, they’re filled with beef ragu, peas and mozzarella, and in the centre of the island, they’re traditionally stuffed with chicken liver.

I suspect there was some Pasta alla Norma on offer too. This is penne with aubergines in a tomato and basil marinara sauce, topped with ricotta. I believe it is named for the opera Norma, by the 19th century composer Vincenzo Bellini. If you’re of a certain age, the aria ‘Casta Diva’ from Norma may summon memories of an iconic (and rather steamy) ad for Jean-Paul Gaultier’s perfumes Classique and Le Mâle from the mid nineties.

Interestingly, the Bellini – a cocktail of peach purée and Prosecco dreamed up in a Venice bar in the 1930s – was named for a different Bellini. The cocktail’s colour apparently reminded its creator of a painting by the Italian Renaissance artist (and fellow Venetian) Giovanni Bellini.

Planning a high-level event? Whether it’s the G7 or a local festival, capture every moment with the precision and flair that Gianluca and his expert team bring to any event. From aerial views of landmarks to vibrant celebrations, their media makes an impact.

Contact Gianluca’s communications agency today and make your next event unforgettable!

Frugal innovation and adaptation: The future of interpretation

Mid September I attended the IoT & AI for Frugal Innovation Bootcamp Pitch Day and Award Ceremony at Christ’s College Cambridge, where global talent came together to tackle pressing challenges using frugal engineering, AI, and IoT.

The bootcamp brought together academics and industry experts with brilliant young engineers, doctors, managers and economists from three continents. They were learning how AI and the Internet of Things can be applied to solve global challenges, using the principles of ‘frugal innovation’, which is a way for companies to produce high quality products with limited resources.

The bootcampers worked in small groups to develop some fascinating solutions to three challenges: climate change in agriculture, monitoring blood pressure in resource-limited scenarios and safety at work.

I left the event feeling hugely optimistic. Hearing how they’d collaborated to innovate and harness technology gives me hope that humanity can solve the many challenges we face.

A special thanks to Claudia Peverini (Program Director) for the opportunity, Professor Leandro Pecchia and all the partners for welcoming me into the Bootcamp family, I’m excited to see how these new connections will continue to grow.

Frugal innovation is also a hugely exciting concept. It upturns the idea that you need a large R&D department to innovate. Instead, restraints can actually unlock creativity and ingenuity. I know many of my start-up clients have experienced this, including Patchai who were recently acquired by Alira Health so I am excited to see developments in the coming months.

Puglia in the spotlight

My mother’s family were from Puglia, so I was interested to see this region in the spotlight last month, when Italy hosted the G7 summit at the elegant Borgo (Italian for ‘village’) Egnazia.

The Puglia coast, on the eastern heel of Italy’s boot, is less well-known than the Amalfi coastline, but it has seen a surge in tourism in recent years.

The spectacular ​Grotta Palazzese restaurant​, built into a cave overlooking the emerald waters of the Adriatic, is now Instagram-famous, as are the region’s four ​UNESCO world heritage sites​.

The pretty port city of Bari is also becoming more popular with holidaymakers. Bari is also a university town, and home to one of my clients, 3D stone processing experts CNC Design.

A few years ago I interpreted for a professor at the Politecnico di Bari, Giuseppe Fallacara, when he gave a fascinating lecture for CNC at Foster & Partners about stereotomy, the science of cutting solids into particular shapes.

Foster & Partners have used the centuries-old principles of stereotomy in some of its iconic buildings such as the Crossrail roof in Canary Wharf and the Reichstag dome in Berlin.

Learning about niche subjects like this is one of the things I love about my job. I specialise in the ​business​, ​legal​, banking & finance and ​medical​ sectors, as well as European Works Council events – but I have interpreted a huge variety of other subjects during my twenty-year career.

The power of rest

I had a much-needed break in Thailand last month. Running my own business means I’ve always found it hard to unplug. On previous trips I’ve often fitted in short remote interpreting assignments or quick translation jobs.

This time I was determined things would be different, so while I did check my emails daily for anything urgent, I didn’t take on any work while I was away, and I delegated routine admin to my VA.

It was a glorious escape from everyday life. Some days we lazed around, enjoying long lunches and swimming in the infinity pool outside our room. Other days we went exploring, including a trip to Koh Khao Phing Kan, also known as ‘James Bond Island’, where The Man With The Golden Gun was filmed.

Weeks later I still feel refreshed from this truly nurturing experience.

The exotic location helped me unplug, as did the time difference, which meant I wasn’t available during European working hours. But it also took intention.

I’ve written before about my struggle to find work-life balance. I adore my work, but life as an interpreter can be unpredictable and demanding.

In the past, I’ve made pacts with myself to take more breaks and switch off my computer after a certain hour, only to slip back into bad habits.

I’m realising that – just like synchronised swimming or interpreting – achieving work-life balance requires deliberate practice: identifying my weak spots, trying new strategies and constantly looking for opportunities to improve.

What my team and I have been working on

This month for me will be quite London-centric. I have some interesting events at which to work, some in Canary Wharf and others in the city.

London, of course, is my home so I will enjoy the easy commute to these assignments.

Project management is an aspect of my work that I carry out increasingly frequently, as clients trust that as a professional with many years of experience, I understand and have contacts to fulfil their technical interpreting requirements.

The project management service usually starts with a full briefing meeting in which I can find out the parameters of the requirements, and then I can advise on certain aspects of the project – for example, how many interpreters I believe may be required, the type of interpreting to be undertaken or the technical requirements for the event to run seamlessly. My clients can then leave this side of the project with me whilst I organise interpreters and equipment with my contacts, safe in the knowledge that everything will run smoothly on the day. I find it hugely satisfying to work on a project like this, where I am involved from conception through to successful conclusion. As we speak we are finalising a Japanese <> English interpreting assignment in Tokyo!

My months are rarely quiet and July will be no exception – we have a ten-day hearing at which my team and I will be interpreting. This is an arbitration case relating to a breach of contract. Legal services, both in-person and virtual, are an area in which I have years of experience and I have attended court hearings, interpreted for witness statements and carried out many other interpreting roles for legal proceedings.

July also brings with it a visit to Berlin for an assignment which is always such a brilliant city and a joy to work in! An interesting fact I came across about Berlin – which I suspect might be new information to many readers as it was to me – is that Berlin has more bridges than Venice! Berlin is built around the River Spree and its numerous waterways are interconnected by over 1700 bridges. Next time you’re in Berlin, see how many you cross in a day! (There are a comparatively few 391 bridges in Venice in case you were wondering!)

What do you have planned for July? I’d love to hear about projects you have in the pipeline and business travel.

How synchronised swimming helped me become a better interpreter

One of the events I’m most looking forward to watching at the Olympics later this month is synchronised swimming – or ‘artistic swimming’, as it’s now called.

Not many of my clients know this, but as a teenager, I was part of Sicily’s first synchronised swimming team.

It was an intense but fun period of my life. We’d practise our routines endlessly, timing each move to perfection. We socialised together too, forging a deep bond of friendship that translated into a beautiful harmony of movement in the water.

I gave up the sport when I went to university in Rome, but I still use some of the skills I learned during those days.

There are many similarities between synchronised swimming and simultaneous interpretation.

Both seem almost magical to the casual observer. People often wander over to my booth after an interpreting shift and ask how on earth I do it.

The secret to success in both fields is intense concentration, excellent communication and an ability to connect with others.

When I interpret, I synchronise with the speaker – it’s almost as if we become the same person. I’m often able to follow their train of thought so closely, I can predict what they will say next.

Deliberate practice is also key to performing well. I never made it to the Olympics as a swimmer, but if there were an equivalent competition for interpreters, I’d like to think that after twenty years I’d have a shot at gold!