EU accreditation test for freelances: hints and tips from successful candidates (part 2)

The Complete Interpreter

Hi! Welcome to the Complete Interpreter podcast by the Interpreting Coach.
For this episode, I interviewed five freelance interpreters who have recently taken (and passed!) the EU interinstitutional accreditation test.
A big thank you to Andrea Alvisi, Gavin Darroch, Jonathan McGregor, Charlotte Ford, and Raquel Jones.
They share lots of information and tips about :
- the format of the exam
- the difficulty of the speeches
- facing the panel!
- how long they spent preparing for the test
- what sort of activities they did to prepare
- the resources they used
- how they managed their stress
Here are some of the resources mentioned in this episode:
- 2023/2024 test calendar
- website with all the relevant information about the accreditation test (eligibility, FAQs)
- language profiles
- consecutive and simultaneous marking criteria
- EU Speech Repository
- the podcast episode about the UN exams
- Andy Gillies book about consecutive
- Rozan's book about consecutive (PDF)
- my Consecutive Club programme (weekly live classes + symbol brainstorming)
- IBPG practice group
- Histoires du Monde podcast
You may also find these resources useful:
- my growth mindset challenge can be found by scrolling down the home page
- my podcast episode about reframing stress
- my podcast episode about getting over mistakes
- my course on dealing with acute stress
Don't miss part 1 of this podcast, in which I get the institutions' view on the accreditation test. Cathy Pearson, Head of Multilingualism at DG LINC (European Parliament) was very open and gave very valuable advice.
Look out for part 3, where I will talk in more detail about preparing for the test.
Let me know what you'd like me to talk about next!
Sophie (aka The Interpreting Coach)

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Chapters

1. Intro and episode outline (00:00:00)

2. Format of the exam (00:03:12)

3. Was the panel intimidating or friendly? (00:27:40)

4. Difficulty of the exam speeches? Any surprises on the day? (00:31:21)

5. How long was your 'journey' to the EU accreditation test? (00:39:34)

6. Exam prep strategies (00:50:44)

7. Useful resources (01:01:40)

8. Stress management tips (01:09:00)

9. What's it like working for the institutions? (01:21:38)

10. Thanks and outro (01:26:19)