|
Monday, February 27, 2006
Wanted: Interpreters for Asean summit
WANTED: interpreters.
If you can speak Thai, Japanese, Lao and other Southeast Asian languages, you may just be the person the Cebu City Government needs for the 12th Asean summit in December.
Interpreters will earn as much as P2,000 a day for the three-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meeting, depending on their qualifications.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña also dangled a P500 finder’s fee for any City Hall employee who can recommend to City Hall an efficient interpreter who can assist the foreign media who will cover the summit.
Although English is widely spoken in some participating countries, interpreters would help in establishing rapport with the guests, he said.
Help City
In his speech at the 69th Charter Day anniversary yesterday, Osmeña urged all city officials and employees to help in the preparations for the meeting of 17 heads of state of Asean member-countries and their dialogue partners.
The City’s main areas of concern are the cultural presentations during the gala night and the rest and recreation activities of the foreign media, Osmeña said.
“You can just imagine the scope of things that need to be done. We are in charge of the gala night and I’ve volunteered to take care of the foreign media. These are the areas where our City is the captain. We are the leader and we have to take charge,” he told City Hall employees.
He also shared with them how Malaysia attended to the needs of the heads of state when it hosted the 11th Asean summit last December, but failed in taking care of the media.
Foreign media
The mayor wants special attention given to members of the foreign media, saying they will help in projecting Cebu to their respective countries.
“We can have all the foreign media here, but if we cannot communicate with them, the only thing that you will see in their papers are pictures of Cebu, kay dili man ta makastorya nila. That is why we need interpreters,” the mayor said.
The City will need interpreters who can speak English, Malay (Brunei), Khmer (Cambodia), Bahasa (Indonesia), Lao (Laos), Melayu or Tamil (Malaysia), Myanmar (Myanmar), Malay or Mandarin (Singapore), Thai (Thailand) and Vietnamese (Vietnam).
Interpreters who can converse in Japanese, Taiwanese, Korean, Chinese, Maori (New Zealand) and Hindi (India) are needed to assist guests from Asean dialogue partner-countries.
24 hours
Aside from interpreters, the City will also provide them 24-hour entertainment at the Sunflower Disco, spa services, recreation and leisure activities, such as trips to the beach and a game of golf.
Foreign reporters will also be asked to fill up a checklist of what they want to do in Cebu.
Osmeña also reminded the Cebu City Traffic Operations and Management office of their task to look after traffic control and management, and for the police to ensure peace and order during the event.
“If something will happen here, we will be set back 30 years and we will have a hard time recovering from that,” he warned. (LCR)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (February 27, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here.
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
