Interpreting townhall meetings

With collective bargaining negotiations for the German public sector in full swing, town hall meetings are now being held with the presence of all employees. The discussions about wage and salary increases and inflation compensation are then translated in real-time for international participants and board members. In general, such events tend to get rather emotional, especially on the part of the trade unionists. And I so remember the closing words from one of my last assignments that self-employed people will hardly be able to relate to: The moderator ended the meeting saying, "Friday, at a quarter to one, your job is done!", dismissing the workforce to their well-deserved weekend. I can ensure you, this caused for a brief adrenaline rush in the interpreting booth, because rhymes and jokes are often a challenge to translate into another language - especially when you have to do it simultaneously!