Interesting information re the Nuremberg trials of 1945

[LONDONER]

I am not a professional interpreter but many years ago when I worked in tourism, I found myself in a city that had no English speaking guides and I was forced in to do simultaneous interpretation. I specifically asked the Spanish speaking guide to speak slowly and not to include too many names and dates.

He started off speaking sixteen to the dozen and flung half a dozen names and dates at me. I did my best but after two hours (!) I had to ask him to stop. I couldn't go on. I was so exhaused that what he was saying was going in to my ears and was processed by my brain but I couldn't his words in to English.

I understand that UN interpreters do very short shifts of 15 or 20 minutes at a time. Heavens knows what would happen if they were to do two hours. My sympathy would have gone out to those professionals who refused the work at Nuremberg.