Spiridon Adamopoulos, Lic. Int.; Maîtrise Int. E.I.I. Mons; Lic.ULB; AIIC, began his career in interpreting with four years as Staff Interpreter at the European Commission, followed by two years as a freelance interpreter. In 1986 he was appointed Staff Interpreter at the European Court of Justice, and has been working there ever since. He is also a visiting professor and member of the examining boards at the E.I.I. Mons, and helps to train new staff members of the ECJ.

Tom Afton, (A-EN, B-FR, C-IT, DE, ES) B.S.(School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University), M.A. (Diplomatic Academy of Vienna), DEA (Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris), DEA (Université de Paris IX-Dauphine), DESS in Conference Interpretation (ESIT), AIIC, started his career as a freelance interpreter in 1987. In 1990 he became a staff interpreter at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, and has occupied his present position as Head of the Interpretation Division since 1994. He is also a visiting professor at ESIT, Paris.

Michèle Bo Bramsen, (A-EN, A-FR, C-DK) M.A. (Oxon), Doctorat ès Sciences Politiques (Sorbonne), AIIC, has a wealth of experience in all facets of interpretation. Starting as a freelance interpreter in 1969 working on both sides of the Atlantic, she has been a staff interpreter at the OECD since 1996. Concurrent with her work at the OECD, she teaches interpretation at ISIT, Paris, and is one of the two members on the AIIC Council from France. Michele has also taught at Copenhagen University and the Business School of Copenhagen. She is also the only faculty member to speak fluent Mauritian creole!

Sarah Bordes, (A-FR, B-EN, C-DE) Licence en littérature et civilisation anglaise et américaine (Sorbonne, Paris IV); Translator’s Degree (ISIT); DESS in Subtitling (Lille III); Conference Interpreter’s Degree (ISIT); AIIC, has been a freelance interpreter from 1986 to 1997 and again since 2001. She worked as a staff interpreter at the European Commission (SCIC) from 1997 to 2001.She has been teaching Conference Interpreting at ISIT, Paris since 2002 and is visiting professor at ETIB (Beyrouth). She now runs ISIT’s Conference Interpreting Department.

Loreto Bravo de Urquia, (A-ES, B-EN, C-FR) B.A. English and Spanish, Magna cum laude (Concordia University, Montreal); MA English Literature with distinction (OU); AIIC, has practiced translation and interpretation for over 20 years, including as senior translation reviser and interpreter at the OPCW, The Hague, where she went on to be Head of Conference Services from 1997-2006. She has taught and lectured on translation in Spain, and been actively involved in the work of professional associations representing translators and interpreters, both in her native Spain (including as Secretary General of the APETI - Asociación Profesional Española de Traductores e Intérpretes), and as a member of the FIT (Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs) Bureau. She is now freelancing from Madrid.

Sergei Chernov, (A-RU, B-EN, C-ES) M.A. conference interpretation (Moscow Linguistic University); also attended the UN Interpretation School in Moscow (1990); he started his career as a freelance interpreter in Moscow, and in 1994 joined the World Bank as staff interpreter/translator. He is now deputy Chief Interpreter at the IMF in Washington, DC. His institutional interpretation experience covers World Bank/IMF missions and Annual Meetings and G8 Finance Ministers, as well as the UN, EBRD, and OECD, while his freelance career covered a wide range of fields. He is co-author of “Americana”, an English-Russian encyclopaedic dictionary. He has taught interpretation at MISTI (Moscow International School of Translating and Interpreting) and conducted training courses for freelance interpreters throughout his career at the IMF.

Christopher Guichot de Fortis, (A-EN, B-FR, C-ES) Ph.D.(Cantab); PDLS; BACI (Nuffield Foundation); AIIC, a graduate of St. John’s College, Cambridge, served initially for 10 years in the British police. He received a Masters degree in interpretation from the University of Bath, and has been a NATO staff interpreter since 1988. Now a NATO Senior Interpreter, running the NATO program for students of interpretation, he also organizes volunteer interpreting teams for several large NGOs, including Emmaus International. He is a visiting professor and external examiner at ISTI Brussels, EII Mons and the University of Bath, and has taught and examined at the Université Catholique de l’Ouest, Angers, France. Chris has 15 years’ volunteer experience as a paramedic, and currently runs the Belgian St. Vincent de Paul Society’s refugee service.

Almute Löber, (A-DE, B-EN) Diploma in Interpreting and Translating (Cologne University of Applied Sciences); AIIC, began her career interpreting for the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation & Development and has been a freelance interpreter since 1986. She is now a partner at b and l language partners. A lecturer on interpreting and public speaking in Cologne in 1989-90, Almute has worked for the government, corporate boards, German TV, and as head interpreter for large teams during major freelance assignments in Europe and the US. Areas of specialisation include: pharmaceuticals, patent litigation, automotive engineering, and depositions. She was also the ombudswoman for junior interpreters in AIIC Germany.

Claudia Martin-Stern, (A-IT, B-EN, C-DE, ES, FR) B.A., Political Science (University of Oregon) Phi Beta Kappa; Political Science (Institut des Hautes Etudes Internationales); Translator’s Degree (E.T.I.), Conference Interpreter’s Degree (School of Interpreters, Zurich); DüV; AIIC, has lived in North America and Europe while teaching and interpreting as a freelance. Her clients include EU Institutions, the Canadian Government, the Swiss Government and Parliament, courts, and the private market. She has taught at both E.T.I., Geneva and the Zurich interpreting school.

Odile Montpetit (A-FR, EN , C-IT) DEUG en littérature et civilisation anglaise et américaine (Sorbonne, Paris IV); Translator’s Degree (ISIT 1987); Conference Interpreter’s Degree (ISIT 1992); AIIC ; freelance interpreter from 1992 to 2002 and again since 2006. Served as staff interpreter/translator at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) in Nouméa, New Caledonia from 2002 to December 2005. Has taught Conference Interpreting at ISIT, Paris from 1998 to 2000 and again since January 2006 (English/Italian). Since 2007,  member of the organizing committee of AIIC France’s French course for interpreters, a one-week event held in Paris every July. Odile is proud to be a Canadian bilingual.

Jean-Christophe Pierret, (A-FR, B-EN, C-ES), M.A., Conference Interpreting (ILMH); Translator’s Degree (Lisbon University); M.A. Linguistics (UCL); AIIC, launched his career as a staff interpreter for the Schengen Agreements organization, and became a freelance conference interpreter in 1993. Clients include International Organizations such as WCO, ICTY, ICC, Europol, and private market organizations in, inter alia, the following areas: banking and finance, business, insurance, trade unions, development, law, economics, etc. He is a sleeping partner of CII in Brussels, a member of the AIIC Private Market Sector, and the initiator of the AIIC teacher network, while also teaching in ISTI and Marie Haps interpreting schools in Brussels.

Julia Poger, (A-EN, B-RU, C-FR), M.A.C.I. (Monterey), ATA, AIIC, has been a freelance interpreter since 1987, interpreting in fields, including legal, nuclear, oil and gas, environment, business, and space. As a long-time bi-active contractor with the U.S. State Department, she has worked extensively at Presidential and Cabinet levels in two administrations. In Europe she freelances for the OECD, UNOG, UNESCO, OPCW and Council of Europe, and the private market. She teaches widely, training court, community, and conference interpreters in consecutive interpretation and marketing techniques, and is visiting professor and examiner at ISTI Brussels and EII Mons, Belgium, and the University of Bath, UK.

Gisela Siebourg, (A-DE, B-FR, C-EN) "Interprète parlementaire" diploma (E.T.I. - University of Geneva); AIIC, started her interpretation career at the European Economic Community. She became a staff interpreter in the German Foreign Office in 1962, an AIIC member in 1965, and was President of AIIC from 1986-1991. In 1992 she was appointed Head of Language Services of the Auswärtiges Amt. She retired in 2002, and is now consulting with International Organizations on methods of improving the delivery of interpretation services.

Sergio Viaggio, M.A. cum Laudae (Peoples’ Friendship University, Moscow), AIIC. Began working at UN Headquarters in 1974, and was Chief Interpeter with the UN Office at Vienna from 1991 to 2004.  He has taught and lectured widely in the US, Canada, Latin America and Europe, and has published some 50 articles on translation and interpretation theory, practice and pedagogy.  On the basis of Garcia Landa’s model of translational speech, he has developed a general model of interlingual mediation. Is currently a freelance interpreter, trainer and examiner on several continents.