For the record, it is convenient to distinguish between professional interpreters who are trained and experienced in this demanding job, and so-called interpreters who are sprouting overnight, thinking they can offer such services to any gullible entity ready to employ quacks.

In Malta, where we all know who's who, the situation is extremely straightforward. Among the professional interpreters, there are those (three or four, I believe) who followed an interpreter training course and who have practised this profession after their studies. These studies were followed abroad, since they have never been available in Malta until this month. The previous course which ended last June and which included "interpreting" in its title was a misnomer.  

Then, there are those (another ten or so) who have been practising for several years and who have acquired the required skills and stamina through practice and self-study and under the guidance of professionally trained interpreters.  

And finally, there are the four recent graduates from Westminster who have just started their practice, a requirement to make them fully-fledged professional interpreters, hopefully within a short time.   

All the rest need training and experience to be able to qualify as professional interpreters, and when they accept to offer services alone and without the guidance and support of professionals, they - and whoever makes use of their services for whatever reason - are undermining and denigrating the profession and the professional interpreters who studied and worked at great sacrifice to reach their goal.  

The EU institutions accepted the services of eight professional interpreters who fulfilled their requirements for interpretation to and from Maltese in and after November 2002;  while the four Westminster graduates were accepted last September to work for the EU institutions.

Like any other profession, interpreting requires both training and experience and anyone intending to take it up seriously must aim for this before going anywhere near a booth alone.