Under ModiSushma, interpreters shine in MEA

NEWDELHI: The profile of the foreign ministry’s interpreters appears to be on an upswing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and minister Sushma Swaraj showing a preference to speak in Hindi at most diplomatic events.

The ministry of external affairs (MEA) has now started sending Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers for training in at least four foreign languages so they can double as interpreters at high-level meetings.

It has also been taking steps to hone the language skills of its existing team of interpreters. Not just that, the ministry has, for the first time, approved two joint secretarylevel posts for its interpreter cadre. So far, an interpreter would have only got to the post of director by the time of retirement.

“We have taken a slew of measures necessary for addressing the increasing requirements for interpretation. This is required as highlevel bilateral and multilateral engagements of the Government of India are significantly enhanced,” said an official familiar with the development on condition of anonymity.

MEA IS NOW SENDING IFS OFFICERS FOR TRAINING IN AT LEAST 4 FOREIGN LANGUAGES — RUSSIAN, FRENCH, ARABIC AND SPANISH

Traditionally, the MEA has used IFS officers proficient in Mandarin as interpreters. Two such officers are Pranay Verma, who heads the East Asia division in the ministry, and Madhu Sudan, a 2007batch officer who was the interpreter at the Wuhan summit between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jingping earlier this year. Now, IFS officers are being sent for special training in Russian, French, Arabic and Spanish.

“This is part of the plan to have IFS officers who can double as interpreters during high-level exchanges,” said a second official.

Other measures have been taken too, the official cited above said. “To widen the pool of interpreters, the ministry of external affairs now sends all IFS (B) officers who get promoted into the IFS. Then we give a chance to serving diplomats to go back to language stations to refresh their skills. The missions have also been instructed to conduct classes in a way that hones the foreign language skills of posted officials,” he said.

But getting the right kind of interpreter has always been a tall order for the MEA. It took a while for Nilakshi Saha Sinha, a director-level officer, to become a more or less constant member on the Prime Minister’s team of interpreters. She is trained in French but equally proficient in English and Hindi too.

Former minister of state for external affairs, Shashi Tharoor, was not entirely sure about how successful these measures would be.