Hosting the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Armenia marks a historic milestone in international cooperation and environmental diplomacy. Professional interpretation plays a crucial role in enabling delegations, scientists, decision-makers, and other stakeholders to communicate effectively across borders. Finding shared solutions to protect biodiversity takes more than just exchanging knowledge – it requires clear, dependable communication across languages.
Anna Allahverdyan
With artificial intelligence advancing rapidly, a fundamental question emerges: can technology ever replace human professionals when accuracy, ethics, confidentiality, and accountability are on the line? We spoke with Anna Allahverdyan, Strategic Communications Lead at the Armenian Conference Interpreters Association (ACIA), who holds a Master's degree in Public Relations and is a licensed translator certified by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia. Our conversation explored what true interpretation quality demands.
COP17: A Platform for International Dialogue
Armenia is hosting COP17 for the first time in its history. What role does simultaneous interpretation play at a global summit of this scale?
COP17 is more than a major international conference. It is Armenia’s opportunity to lead a meaningful global conversation. Discussions on biodiversity conservation and ecosystem resilience demand scientific precision and deep domain terminology. At an event of this magnitude, an interpreter is far more than a technical voice in a booth. As vital facilitators, they ensure alignment in delegate perspectives and collaboration on viable solutions.
Notably, on the second day of COP17 alone, ACIA member interpreters Khachatur Adumyan and Vladimir Ter-Ghazaryan delivered simultaneous interpretation of more than 51 complex speeches in the Blue Zone – a task requiring intense focus, sharp instincts, and rigorous preparation.
Fast Speeches and the Realities of Interpreting
Speakers at COP17 often read their statements rapidly and with varying accents. How do interpreters manage these delivery challenges?
Rapid delivery is one of the toughest tests in simultaneous interpretation. An interpreter must listen, analyze, process, and render a message into another language simultaneously. When a speaker rushes through dense jargon, international treaty references, or statistics, the cognitive load spikes dramatically. High-quality interpretation isn’t just about individual skill – it depends heavily on presentation pace and advance preparation, as well as experience and the interpreter’s ability to articulate coherently while speaking fast. When speakers maintain a steady rhythm and pause thoughtfully, it doesn’t just support the interpreter in the booth; it allows the audience to truly digest the message.
Interpretation as a Shared Responsibility
How critical is collaboration between event organizers and interpreting teams?
Professional interpretation is a joint effort. Organizers who provide speech drafts, and background briefs in advance allow interpreters to double-check terms, names, and figures. This level of preparation is indispensable at conferences like COP17, where legal and scientific nuances carry real policy weight. When organizers brief interpreters on working conditions and share materials early, and interpreters clearly communicate their professional needs, key messages reach the audience with absolute precision. The technical team is equally essential to this shared responsibility. Without high-quality sound, clear visuals, and properly equipped interpretation booths, interpreters would be limited to consecutive rather than simultaneous interpretation. Reliable technical support is therefore fundamental to ensuring seamless communication and enabling interpreters to deliver their work to the highest professional standards.
Quality Control in Professional Interpretation
Why is quality control so essential in professional interpretation, and how is it maintained?
Quality control is the cornerstone of professional interpretation because, unlike written translation, live spoken interpretation leaves no room for post-event editing. Maintaining high standards requires a dual approach involving both peer support inside the booth and active collaboration with event organizers.
Within the booth, interpreters operate as a cohesive team through real-time peer monitoring – assisting each other with rapid terminology checks, complex figures, speaker accents, and incoming documentation. Outside the booth, professional associations enforce quality control through strict peer-review admission standards, adherence to international benchmarks, and continuous domain-specific preparation. For event organizers, prioritizing quality control means vetting qualified interpreters, ensuring proper acoustic standards, and providing pre-event briefings. Ultimately, robust control protects the integrity of the message and safeguards high-stakes discussions from costly misunderstandings.
Language Fluency vs. Professional Expertise
What distinguishes a fluent speaker of a foreign language from a professional interpreter?
Fluency is a prerequisite, but it is not an interpretation skill. Interpreting involves real-time cognitive synthesis – grasping core intent, context, and underlying objectives rather than merely interpreting individual words.
The gap between language fluency and professional interpretation becomes critical during high-profile local and international events. A clear example occurred during a public presentation with NASA astronaut Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore in Yerevan in October 2026. Due to a lack of domain-specific readiness, vital portions of the speech and technical terminology were either missed or misinterpreted. This created a dual experience for the audience: those who spoke English followed seamlessly, while those depending on interpretation received an incomplete and inaccurate picture. For an association like ours, this underscores why professional standards and domain preparation are non-negotiable – they protect the audience’s right to accurate information.
Artificial Intelligence: an Assistant, not a Quality Guarantee
AI tools are increasingly entering the language field. Can they replace human interpreters?
AI is evolving quickly and serves as a helpful auxiliary tool for pre-event research and terminology lookup. However, surface fluency on paper does not guarantee spoken accuracy in real-world settings. A World Health Organization evaluation report on AI translation tools revealed that out of 90 evaluated outputs, only one passed the required quality benchmark, with an average score of just 46 percent. The report flagged critical errors, including rendering “Hamas” as “United States” and “hepatitis” as “Ebola.” Figures were also a major stumbling-block for AI. Some came out correctly. Many were incorrectly transcribed and pronounced, especially when there were many zeroes involved and even dates. Complex grammar and syntax were more problematic in some languages than others.
When faced with fast speakers, dense jargon, regional accents, or poor audio quality, AI struggles significantly. While AI can support interpreters during pre-event preparation, human expertise, real-time judgment, and rigorous oversight remain non-negotiable for high-stakes international events. Speaking with professional and experienced interpreters, I realized that AI often misses the context. It is unable to anticipate things the way people do.
The Human Element, Ethics and Trust
What does a human interpreter provide that technology cannot replicate?
Trust, contextual judgment, and emotional perception. Technology cannot feel or interpret silence, whereas a human interpreter reads the room, catches irony, adapts to unexpected shifts, and preserves emotional tone.
Moreover, human interpreters adhere to strict professional ethics: they maintain confidentiality, respect non-disclosure agreements, refrain from posting flashy highlight clips on social media or broadcasting closed sessions without authorization. True reliability is proven through accuracy, discretion, and consistency across an entire event.
Raising Standards in the Profession
What steps is ACIA taking to elevate the profession in Armenia?
Founded in 2007, the Armenian Conference Interpreters Association (ACIA) is the sole professional organization for simultaneous interpreters in Armenia, uniting top specialists across consecutive and simultaneous interpretation.
We regularly host high-level discussion around International Translation Day, including panel sessions at the Aram Khachaturian Museum and the Matenadaran with international diplomats and public figures. Furthermore, we actively expand our professional community. In 2025, out of more than 70 applicants we welcomed five associate members to our ranks.
Key Message for Global Summits
What is your main takeaway for COP17 participants and event organizers?
Interpretation should never be treated as a technical afterthought. It is a core prerequisite for success. Tackling global environmental crises requires genuine collaboration, which is only possible when every participant can follow the discussion completely, regardless of language.
AI may change our tools, but accuracy, professional ethics, and personal responsibility will always remain the bedrock of global communication.
