‘When you interpret for PM Modi, his passion must reflect in your voice’

Gurdeep Chawla sits on the right as US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet in the Oval Office at the White House, Washington, DC, on June 22, 2023. Pics/Getty Images

I was pursuing a Master's degree in English Literature from St Stephen's College in 1988 when my sister read in a newspaper that the Indian Parliament was looking for translators. I applied for the position in jest, gave the exam, and got the job. But I was clear that I would work only for a few weeks since I was pursuing an MA degree. I returned to the job after my Master's degree and was going to resign because my heart was set on cracking the Civil Services exam.

That day, I saw a gentleman sitting with a pair of headsets on his ears, reading a Hindi bulletin and speaking to himself. He told me he was there for a test for an interpreter's position. I asked him, how can you listen and talk at the same time? He said "Oh, you have to use your brain too."

Gurdeep with Joe Biden and PM Modi

He took me to the Parliament visitor gallery, and I listened. I was amazed. It was magical. They asked me to give it a shot. I was nervous; I was 22 and the others were in their forties. When everyone applauded, and said, great job, I realised that I had a flair for this.

Luckily, Lok Sabha was holding an interpreter exam, and I decided to sit in. For self-training, I would ask members of my family to read Parliament speeches and I would interpret them as they read. I passed the test, and after a year of training, I was offered the job of a parliamentary interpreter. It was a big deal and it paid well. One of my first trips was with a Russian delegation around India in 1991.

Gurdeep with Sushma Swaraj

In 1994, during the general elections, [veteran journalist] Prannoy Roy called me to the NDTV office. I was interpreting for the experts who were analysing the exit polls in Hindi.

When I started working in Parliament, VP Singh was India's Prime Minister. There were some landmark moments that I remember. In 1991, [PM] Chandra Shekhar gave his last speech, and finally said, I resign… I was interpreting for him. That was hard to hear. Parliament is a different ball game - sometimes, people hurl curses, and you can't hesitate. My seniors had told me, if you hesitate, the person whom it [the curse word] may refer to won't comprehend. How will they react? For example, [senior Congress leader] P Chidambaram doesn't understand Hindi, so he always has the interpreter earphones plugged in.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former US President Donald Trump speak during a bilateral meeting in Biarritz, south-west France on August 26, 2019, on the third day of the annual G7 Summit. Gurdeep can be seen working on the right, near the Indian flag

As an interpreter, you are the alter ego of the speaker. Your interpretation has to have the same flavour, emotions and gusto [as the original speech]. No matter how bad the cuss word [spoken], you must have enough words in your arsenal to convey it correctly.

When I moved to California in 1996 to join my husband, I worked as an interpreter there too, when someone suggested that my experience made me a good fit for the State Department. I gave it a shot and in 2008, since my clearance level had upped, I travelled to India with US President Barack Obama. That was my big break. Now, I interpret for the President of the US as a contractor for the US Department of State.

When PM Modi arrived in America in 2014 for his first address to the United Nations, they called me. I prepped a lot - I watched all his speeches, because I had to learn how he thinks - I had to anticipate in a way what his next sentence would be. It was a 50-minute speech; I had goosebumps. It went off very well. When you are interpreting for PM Modi, his passion needs to translate to your voice.

Later, I was working with the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen J Harper, and we were travelling in a flight, when Harper was boasting, "Oh, we have a great interpreter!" And Modi ji said, "Yes, she is from my Parliament!"

The other memorable compliment came from the late Sushma Swaraj, when she said, "Gurdeep meri awaaz hai."

The trick is to be true to the word. You have to reflect the speaker's thoughts and be honest to the job. It's also very sensitive [work]; whatever happens in the room, stays in the room. We don't come home and talk about it.