It is said that opera is an art form which transcends language barriers. This may be true, but it is bilingual and multilingual operas which seem to be taking centre stage recently. The advent of new technologies complement audience experiences and if you’re unable to physically go to the theatre, then there’s an app for that too – in French, German, Spanish…

In the 1980s, the Canadian Opera Company made opera accessible to a wider audience when it developed Surtitles™ – the technique whereby a running translation of the singing and dialogue is projected above the stage. This innovative development was soon adopted by theatres worldwide and was responsible for a significant increase in audience figures and enjoyment.

In December 2009, The Translation People reported on the AirScript real-time subtitling handset premiered in the musical Hairspray in London’s West End. Although operas and musicals fall into different genres, AirScript’s ability to translate both dialogue and song could well mean that this device and others like it easily cross over into the world of opera.

There are many language products available to theatres and one market leader in this field is Radio Marconi plc. Popular products include their multilingual electronic librettos and seat-back technology – a multilingual audio-visual system providing simultaneous translation in text format of the opera. Such is the demand and popularity for multilingual services that their products are to be found in the Bolshoi Theatre in Russia and the new Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman, which is due to open later this year. Whereas in the UK in February 2010, the English National Opera staged bilingual performances with their The Elixir of Love. A mixture of Italian and English languages. ‘. . . the results were so exhilarating that the audience (were) left begging for repeat performances’ stated novelist and cultural commentator Norman Lebrecht in his blog.

But for those who cannot make it to the theatre, there is always the opera iPad app offering librettos and background information in both original language versions and English, along with a bilingual screen feature.

Evidently, calls for language services in this area of the arts remain high. As regards bilingual and multilingual operas and products – Encore! say the audience. And we couldn’t agree more.

Interpreters ‘sit in the shadow of the powerful’*, they are inconspicuous yet indispensable for international communication. But recent events caused by the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland have meant an increased visibility for such linguists. On 19 April 2010, a contingent of EU transport ministers held a multilingual video conference to discuss the current state of affairs and with millions of passengers stranded in airports worldwide, demand for language services has substantially increased.

Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas – responsible for transport – issued a pre-conference press release setting out objectives to deal with the current crisis. He stressed passengers’ entitlements to access language services through ‘the right to information – to be informed about their rights and the situation as it evolves’. And for professionals involved in the airline industry, moving forward involves ‘national civil aviation authorities, national air navigation providers’ and ‘representatives of the airline and airport industry’ along with national experts and scientists. High-level talks are also taking place in Kenya where its agricultural industry has already experienced a $12 million negative impact. In all cases, professional translators and interpreters are vital elements in the process.

The fall out from the volcanic eruptions means that successful coordination of these language support services is paramount. Translators are required to provide additional multilingual signage for airport buildings; medical interpreters need to be on-hand for a myriad of situations – emergencies; contact with local service providers, fulfilling passenger requests for their usual medicines and certain foods for those with specific dietary requirements.

In Germany, a multilingual crisis intervention team has been created to this effect, as in Frankfurt airport alone there are around 800 passengers stuck in transit. Visa restrictions prevent them from leaving the airport and their luggage remains inaccessible. German website thelocal.de reports that around 50% of the original 1,500 passengers caught in transit have been granted temporary visas, but those from Africa, Asia and Russia have been denied such documentation. Linguistic services include the aforementioned crisis team, but airport staff have also been doing their bit to ease the situation by providing tours and film screenings.

The global implications of the European flight ban are evident and it would seem that proper and full access to language services is high on the agenda. Translators and interpreters from all sectors are being called upon as holiday makers and business travellers are finding that their language needs become more specialised and complex than those generally catered for by the tourist and airline industry. Successful provision of these services requires an international recourse to professional linguists in all sectors: from working on the ground providing multilingual assistance to passengers and staff, to ministerial meetings with national experts, scientists and EU representatives.

Extraordinary times have certainly called for extraordinary meetings, in a multitude of languages the world over.

* www.aiic.net (The Whisperers)

News broke last week of an exciting collaboration between MTV, Electus and pharmaceutical giant Procter & Gamble which will provide a sensational new television experience for audiences in the States. A bilingual and interactive telenovela called Pedro & Maria is in the pipeline, which is being preceded by a bilingual reality TV show searching for potential actors with that certain je ne sais quoi.

Telenovelas date from the 1950s and originate in Brazil. With a soap opera-style format, each series generally follows an identical format: star-crossed lovers trying to overcome external barriers imposed by wealth, social class, disapproving relatives, and disaster. Good must conquer evil and regular doses of suspense and melodrama must be dispensed before the inevitable happy ending. Running for around 180 episodes and broadcast five days a week, it has proved a recipe for success the world over – and in our researcher’s opinion, certainly makes for fabulous and compulsive viewing! It has been known for people to stop work to tune in and according to the BBC, it is estimated that ‘Mexico alone produces almost 3,000 hours of telenovelas each year’, launching the career of many a star (Salma Hayek being a prime example).

But Pedro & Maria comes with a twist – it has the added ingredients of being bilingual, multicultural and interactive, with audiences given ‘the ability to vote on the direction the characters and story lines take.’ VH1 have also just launched a reality TV show called ‘Viva Hollywood!’ which involves a cast of bilingual contestants vying for the title of ‘Numero Uno Telenovela Star’ in a series which is thought to lead up to the Pedro & Maria launch.

This new telenovela has already generated substantial press coverage and with its combination of old and new media, appears to be well on its way to becoming a favourite with American audiences. It has been somewhat controversially pitted as the first bilingual, interactive telenovela, but in an interview with Reuters, Ben Silverman – US television executive and executive producer of the new show –stated that ‘I’m into bringing the walls down, not putting barriers up’. With this new project set to become an extremely successful addition to the television schedule, Pedro & Maria is also en route to bringing down language barriers in a dynamic and exciting way.

Bilingual skills have always been an asset for any job, but if a proposed bill in Canada is passed then it may well be a legal requisite for Supreme Court Judges. Classed as a ‘landmark bill’ by the Telegraph-Journal, it has provoked widespread debate and also received criticism from both legal personnel and members of the public alike.

So, what is the proposed legislation and why has it proved so polemic. The proposed bill (C-232) has been put forward by Yvon Godin, a member of the New Democratic Party (NDP) and following its successful passage through the House of Commons, the next stage is consideration by the Senate. If successful, it will require all Supreme Court judges to be bilingual in both English and French and therefore capable of understanding proceedings ‘without the assistance of an interpreter.’

Even though Yvon Godin has stated that he expects the bill to be passed, it has not proved to be popular with everybody. Concerns have been raised about the onus placed on language skills above professional competency in the legal field, with the possible elimination of suitable candidates. Furthermore, critics have commented on the fact that merely being fluent in two languages is not necessarily a barometer of capacity in such a highly specialised sector. The impact of this ruling upon First Nations languages has also been called into question.

In an unprecedented move, John Major (a former Supreme Court Judge) has spoken out against the proposed ruling. In an interview with CBC Radio, he stated that the primary consideration should be to select ‘the most competent people, regardless of language skills’ and he highlighted the use of interpreters and translators in Parliament – the same process which takes place in the United Nations.

Mr Godin has defended the bill stating that the aim is not for ‘bilingual’ judges, but an equal understanding of French and English. However, Mr Major stated that conversation ability in a language is not equal to fluency and does not denote fluency in a specialised field, such as the language used in courts and in the legal sphere. He highlighted that geographical representation is likely to be affected by such legislation and if bilingual skills become a stipulation, then this would be a ‘step backwards’ for the Canadian legal system.

Phil Fontaine (former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations) also had concerns over the bill and classed it as ‘elitist’. For his part, the bill is not moving in the right direction, as indigenous law is an emerging interest in Canadian law and creating a language stipulation would prevent people who speak First Nations languages from being appointed to the Canada’s Supreme Court.

The proposed bilingual bill has certainly provoked debate and controversy in Canada, but it is the Senate who will have the final say. It remains to be seen which direction the bill will take and its future implications for the Canadian legal system.