in ISO 2603. The findings in this chapter will serve as the basis of discussion and

CHAPTER FOUR RESULTS

4.1 Introduction

As mentioned in Chapter 3, the data from field studies, the questionnaire, and

interviews will be analyzed and compared against each other and the standards set out

in ISO 2603. The findings in this chapter will serve as the basis of discussion and

further analysis presented in the next chapter.

The organization of this chapter is as follows:

z Photos, booth checklist, description

„ TICC

„ NTUH Intl. Convention Center

„ Auditorium, Grand Hotel

„ GIS Convention Center/NTU

„ Howard International House Taipei

„ National Central Library

z General booth questions (level of importance placed on various booth factors)

z Level of satisfaction of various factors in individual booths

z Basic requirements for booths z Poor booth designs

z Recommendations for improvement

Figure 4.1. Chapter 4 Organization Chart 4.4

Interview 4.2

Field Studies

4.3

Questionnaire

4.5 Summary

4.2 Field Studies

To examine whether current conditions conform to ISO 2603 standards and to

what degree, this study created a booth checklist (see Appendix A), as was mentioned

in Chapter 3. This section will present the data collected in the form of booth

checklists and photographs, with floor plans provided in Appendix E.

Based on ISO 2603, the booth checklist used for the field studies can be

categorized into general, doors, access, size, visibility, windows, air conditioning,

lighting, working space, and seating. An overview of the six venues was provided in

Chapter 3. Of these venues, a total of nine booths were visited, including the Taipei

International Convention Center VIP Room, 401, and Plenary Hall, National Taiwan

University Hospital International Convention Center, Grand Hotel Auditorium, GIS

Convention Center/NTU, the Howard International House Taipei Convention Hall and

Conference Room, and National Central Library. Table 4.1 presents the findings of the

field studies and observations. Overall, booth factors in general received an average

compliance rate of 42%. The detailed findings of each factor are presented in the

following sections.

The questions were largely adapted from ISO 2603, although there are certain

questions that cannot be answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ due to unclear wording. One

example of this is the “general” question: “Is the sound control booth close to

interpreters’ booths?” It is difficult to simply answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’, as the idea of

‘close’ is rather subjective. In cases such as these, this study makes a subjective

judgment, while indicating that the booth or factor in question will be discussed in

later sections to understand the ambiguity.

The categories in this section may not match the categories in the questionnaire

section. The most obvious example of this is “acoustics”. Since this study is limited in

scope, acoustics is not a part of this booth checklist. Nonetheless, it is an important

booth factor, and interpreters were asked about its importance and quality in various

booths in the questionnaire section.

This section will focus mainly on observable factors, or those easily measured

such as booth dimensions. Other factors, such as more detailed aspects of lighting and

ventilation, were not studied here due to the scope limitations and a need for more

sophisticated measurement equipment.

Table 4.1

Compiled Booth Checklist and Results for All Venues

Taipei International Convention Center Grand Hotel Howard International House Taipei

Venues Factors

VIP Room 401 Plenary NTUH International Convention Center Auditorium GIS Convention Center/NTU Convention Hall (2F) Conference Room (1F) National Central Library

Percen tag e o f Co mp lian ce (%)

GENERAL 78

Is the booth floor at least 1 m above level hall floor?

^{○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○}

100

Is the sound control booth close to interpreters’ booths?

^{╳* ╳* ╳* ○ ○ ○ ╳ ○ ○}

56

DOORS 22

Do the doors operate silently?

^{○ ○ ○ ○ ╳ ╳ ╳ ○ ╳}

56

Does it have an observation porthole?

^{╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ○}

11

Is there a light indicating active mike outside door?

^{╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳}

0

Are assigned languages and channels indicated on or adjacent to doors?

^{○ ○ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳}

22

ACCESS 78

Does the booth have a separate entrance from outside the hall?

^{○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○}

100

Is the access corridor at least 1.5 m wide?

^{○ ○ ○ ╳ ╳ ╳ ○ ╳ ○}

56

SIZE 17

Is the booth (for 2) at least 2.5m wide, 2.4m deep, 2.3m high?

^{╳ ╳ ╳ ○ ╳ ╳ ○ ╳ ╳}

22

For halls with less than 6 booths, is one of them at least 3.2m wide?

^{╳ ╳ ╳ ○ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳}

11

For halls with more than 6 booths, are all of them at least 3.2m wide?

^{NA NA NA} NA NA NA NA NA NA

NA

VISIBILITY 44

Is there a direct view of the entire conference room (including projection screen)?

╳ ○ ○* ╳ ○* ╳ ○* ╳ ○

56

Is there visual support?

^{○ ╳ ○ ○ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳}

33

WINDOWS 23

Do the front windows stretch across full width of booth?

^{╳ ○ ○ ╳ ╳ ╳ ○ ╳ ○}

44

Is the front window at least 1.2m high from working surface upwards?

^{╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ○ ╳ ╳}

11

Is the lower edge of front window level with working surface or lower?

^{╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ○}

11

Are the side windows at least the same height as front windows?

^{NA ○ ╳} NA NA NA NA NA NA

50

Do the side windows extend from the front windows for 1.10m along partition between booths?

NA ╳ ╳ NA NA NA NA NA NA

0

T able 4.1 (continued)

Taipei International Convention Center Grand Hotel Howard International House Taipei

Venues Factors

VIP Room 401 Plenary NTUH International Convention Center Auditorium GIS Convention Center/NTU Convention Hall (2F) Conference Room (1F) National Central Library

Percen tag e o f Co mp lian ce (%)

AIR CONDITIONING 22

Is the temperature controllable between 18 and 22C by individual regulator in each booth?

╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ○ ○ ╳ ╳

22

LIGHTING 60

Is the booth lighting independent from the hall?

^{○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○}

100

Are there 2 different systems? (work, general)

^{○ ╳ ○ ○ ╳ ○ ○ ○ ╳}

67

Is the general light switch located by the door?

^{╳ ○ ○ ╳ ╳ ○ ○ ○ ○}

67

Are the dimmer switches for both systems located within reach of the interpreter working?

╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳

0

Are light sources placed in such a way that do not cause reflections on booth windows?

╳ ○ ○ ○ ╳ ╳ ○ ○ ╳

56

WORKING SPACE 48

Does the working surface stretch across full width of booth?

^{╳ ○ ○ ╳ ○ ╳ ○ ╳ ○}

56

Is it 0.73m ± 0.01m from the floor level of booth?

^{○ ╳ ╳ ○ ╳ ○ ╳ ╳ ╳}

33

Is the total depth of the working surface at least 0.60m?

^{○ ○ ╳ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ╳}

78

Is there at least 0.66m of leg room (height)?

^{○ ╳ ╳ ○ ╳ ○ ○ ╳ ╳}

44

Is the area under the working surface free of shelving or trays?

^{○ ╳ ╳ ○ ╳ ○ ○ ╳ ○}

56

Are shelving or trays located towards the rear of the booth, within easy reach of the interpreter?

╳ ╳ ╳ ○ ╳ ╳ ○ ╳ ╳

22

SEATING 37

Are there five legs?

^{╳ ○ ○ ╳ ╳ ○ ╳ ○ ○}

56

Is the height adjustable?

^{╳ ○ ○ ╳ ╳ ○ ╳ ○ ○}

56

Is the back-rest adjustable?

^{╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳}

0

Are there arm rests?

^{╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ╳ ○ ╳ ○ ╳}

22

Do the castors produce any perceptible noise?

^{NA ○ ╳ NA NA ○ NA ╳ ╳}

60

TOTAL PERCENTAGE OF CONFORMANCE 42

Source: adapted from ISO 2603 and compiled by this study

“*” marks subjective judgments and will be discussed in later sections.

4.2.1 General

The two questions in this category are concerned with the siting of the

interpreters’ booths relative to the conference hall and the sound control booth, and

have a compliance rate of 78%.

All booths surveyed have been raised at least one meter above the hall floor.

However, in the TICC Plenary Hall, Grand Hotel Auditorium, Howard Convention

Hall, and National Central Library, the booths are not located on the same level as the

rest of the hall, creating steep viewing angles for the interpreters.

The ISO 2603 stipulates that “the sound control booth shall be placed close to the

interpreters’ booths to facilitate access and visual communication between them…”

The definition of “close” in this requirement is not clear. This study cannot ascertain

the distance at which a sound control booth is deemed “close” or “far”. Thus, for

interpretation booths which were immediately adjoining the sound control booth, the

answer is yes. The sound control booth in Howard Convention Hall is decidedly

located far from the interpreters’ booths. The TICC sound control booths are more

ambiguously located and open to discussion in the following chapter.

4.2.2 Doors

The compliance rate for booth doors is 22%. Booth doors are required to operate

silently by ISO 2603, for the obvious reason of avoiding disturbance to interpreters.

Assigned languages and channels should be indicated on the door or nearby. In

addition, ISO 2603 recommends the addition of an observation port-hole in the booth

door and/or a light outside the door to indicate an active microphone within the booth.

Four of the nine booths have doors that decidedly produce noise. However, the

case is not so clear for the remaining five. More to the point, how silent is “silent”?

The doors to the booths of the TICC VIP Room, 401, Plenary Hall, NTUH, and

Howard Conference Room are silent enough in that they don’t produce noise (as in

squeaking) when opened and closed. However, there is still an audible click when the

door is shut. By definition, something that produces any noise at all is not silent.

However, since the noise is unobtrusive enough to cause no or minimal distraction to

interpreters, the study deems them as silent.

Only one of the booths studied, that of the National Central Library, is installed

with doors with observation portholes (Figure 4.2). None of the nine booths have a

light indicating a live microphone outside the door.

At the time of this study’s observations, only the TICC VIP Room and 401 had

signs indicating assigned languages and channels posted outside the door of the booth.

These signs were little more than a hastily drawn “Chinese ÅÆEnglish” taped to the

door, as can be seen in the photograph in Figure 4.3.

4.2.3 Access

The access portion of this checklist determines whether booths have a separate

entrance from outside the hall, and whether the access corridor is at least 1.5 meters

wide; this factor received a compliance rate of 78%. These two requirements are

necessary, according to ISO 2603, to avoid the interpreters disturbing the meeting

when coming and going and allow for safe and quick passage, respectively.

All the booths surveyed in this study had a separate entrance, allowing

interpreters to come and go without disturbing conference proceedings. However, of

the nine booths, the access corridors of the NTUH, Grand Hotel Auditorium, GIS, and

Howard Conference Room do not reach the required width. One noteworthy example

is the Grand Hotel Auditorium (Figure 4.4), whose access corridor is not the same

width throughout. Ranging from as little as 85 to 125 centimeters wide, the corridor is

the narrowest in joining with the sound control booth, where the most traffic would

occur and should be the widest. Another example is the Howard International House

Taipei Conference Room (Figure 4.5), where the corridor is not only narrow, but

doubles as storage space.

Figure 4.4. Grand Hotel

Auditorium booth access corridor

Figure 4.5. Howard Conference Room booth access corridor

4.2.4 Size

The importance of booth size has already been discussed in Chapter 2. Here, this

study examines whether the selected booths conform to the minimum size

requirements (2.5 meters wide, 2.4 meters deep, and 2.3 meters high). The compliance

rate for booth size is 17%. Of the nine booths surveyed, only the Convention Hall in

Howard International House Taipei and NTUH are large enough. None of the three

TICC booths surveyed are deep enough; the Grand Hotel Auditorium booths are

irregularly shaped, neither wide nor deep enough; the GIS Convention Center booths

are only 1.85 meters wide; the Howard Conference Room booths are also irregularly

shaped, being only 1.93 meters wide at the front windows and 2.18 meters deep; the

booths in NCL are trapezoid shaped, being 1.8 meters wide at the front windows, 2

meters deep, and 2.08 meters high.

In addition, ISO 2603 stipulates that “for conference halls with up to six booths,

one or more should be 3.2 meters wide” and “for conference halls with more than six

booths, all booths shall be at least 3.2 meters wide”, in order to accommodate the

continuous presence of three interpreters. Since none of the conference halls have

more than six booths, the second requirement is moot. Of the venues surveyed, only

the National Taiwan University Hospital International Convention Center is fitted

with a booth that is at least 3.2 meters wide (4.07 meters wide).

4.2.5 Visibility

“A direct view of the entire conference room, including the projection screen” is

essential according to ISO 2603 and has been discussed in the review of related

literature. Visibility receives a compliance rate of 44% from the field studies. The

TICC VIP Room, NTUH, GIS, and Howard Conference Room booths decidedly do

not have a direct view, obstructed by the size or height of the window, which will be

illustrated in the following section. The TICC 401 and NCL booths do have a direct

view, albeit the NCL does not have a clear view due to the large distance separating

the booth from the podium and projection screen. However, the answer is less clear

for the three remaining booths. The TICC Plenary Hall booth does offer a direct view

of the entire hall, but the interpreter does not have visual access unless standing. In

addition, the booths are located on the side of the hall two stories above the stage,

giving the interpreters a slanted view at such a steep angle that it is difficult to see

anything clearly out the windows. The survey of the Grand Hotel Auditorium booths

(see Figure 4.6) was conducted during the lunch break of a conference, and answers

regarding visibility were solicited from the interpreters. The answer was surprisingly

mixed; some interpreters felt that they had a direct view of the conference hall and

projection screen for the most part, though there were interpreters who felt that some

areas of the hall that were obscured by either columns or by virtue of the booths’

siting themselves. Although the Howard Convention Hall booths, located one on each

side of the hall, have two front windows, providing an almost panoramic view of the

hall, one of the windows is angled at the podium and one angled at the audience

(Figure 4.7). The resulting effect is that either both interpreters are squeezed to one

side in order for both to see the stage and projection screen, or one interpreter is

forced to stare at the stage and one at the audience for the duration of the conference.

For very large halls in which the booth is located more than 30 meters away from

the podium or projection screen, ISO 2603 recommends the use of visual support,

such as enlarged video display screens, or video/data display panels in or immediately

outside the booth. This study only ascertained whether visual support was provided at

these booths, regardless of their distance from the podium, since presentations and

slides are not clearly visible even in the smaller venues. Of the nine booths surveyed,

only the TICC VIP Room, TICC Plenary Hall, and NTUH provided visual support. In

the case of TICC VIP Room, the visual support provided was a small TV monitor,

whose visual quality was so bad as to provide almost no help whatsoever to the Figure 4.6. View from the

Grand Hotel Auditorium booth

Figure 4.7. View from the

Howard Convention Hall

booth

interpreters (Figure 4.8). The TICC Plenary Hall only provided one monitor, aimed at

the stage; interpreters still had to stand up or strain their necks in order to see the

projection screen below (Figure 4.9). The NTUH booth had two monitors, one of for

the speaker, and one for the on-screen presentation (Figure 4.10).

Figure 4.8. TV Monitor in the TICC VIP Room booth

Figure 4.9. Display Monitor in the TICC Plenary Hall booth

Figure 4.10. Monitors in

the NTUH booth

4.2.6 Windows

Windows are a big factor in terms of the booth’s visibility. This section will

examine whether booth windows conform to ISO 2603 in terms of size and location.

Overall, booth windows received a compliance rate of 23%.

First, the front windows should stretch across the full width of the booth. The

TICC 401 and Plenary Hall, Howard Convention Hall, and NCL front booth windows

do indeed stretch across the whole booth. However, the remaining five booths

windows do not, giving interpreters limited space to see out of.

Second, according to ISO 2603, “the height of the pane shall be at least 1.2

meters from the working surface upwards” and “its lower edge shall be level with the

working surface of the table, or lower.” In the photographs shown in Figure 4.11, we

can see the front windows of each individual booth. The TICC VIP Room booth

window is formed in a small diamond shape, not for the interpreters’ benefit, but in

order to fit the décor of the hall. Obviously, it failed to stretch across the width of the

booth, stretch high enough, and is not level with the working surface or lower.

Although the TICC 401 booth window does stretch across the booth, they only stretch

68 centimeters high and begin 8 centimeters above the working surface. The TICC

Plenary Hall booth window spans the width of the booth as well, but beginning 10

centimeters above the table, the window only reaches 1.15 meters in height. The

NTUH booth window fails on all accounts; the window is only 93 centimeters wide

by 90 centimeters high, and its lower edge is located 30 centimeters above the table.

The window of the Grand Hotel Auditorium booths measure 150 centimeters wide by

92 centimeters high, beginning at 14 centimeters above the working surface. One

interesting note is that the windows here extend across two booths (notice in the

photograph below how the window has no left edge, it is cut off by the wall and

extends into the booth on the left side of the one shown in the photo), and the wall

separating the two booths does not connect with the window, leaving a small gap

between booths, and resulting in poor acoustic separation between connecting booths.

The GIS Convention Center booth windows are located 20 centimeters above the

working surface, and measure 80 centimeters wide by 110 centimeters high. Even

worse, a round column at the front left corner of the booth forces the table to be

placed 35 centimeters away from the front wall, creating a further distance from the

seated interpreter to the already small window. The orientation of the Howard

Convention Hall booth windows has already been discussed in the previous section.

The size of the windows in this booth conforms to ISO 2603, being 145 centimeters

high; however, its lower edge is placed 20 centimeter above the table. The window of

the Howard Conference Room booths does not stretch across the booth width, being

only 114 centimeters wide by 150 centimeters high. Its lower edge is located 40

centimeters above the working surface. Moreover, there is absolutely no need for the

excessive height of this window, since much of its view is blocked by the ceiling of

the hall (Figure 4.12). The windows at NCL booths span across the full width of the

booth; however, they are only 72 centimeters high, starting level at the height of the

working surface. It is worth noting that these windows are severely tinted, making it

difficult to see out into the hall, especially when hall lights have been dimmed.

Figure 4.11. Booth front windows. From left to right, 1 ^st row: TICC VIP Room, 401; 2 ^nd row: Plenary Hall, NTUH; 3 ^rd row: Grand Hotel, GIS; 4 ^th row:

Howard Convention Hall, Conference Room, NCL

In addition, ISO 2603 stipulates that “side windows, of at least the same height,

shall be provided and shall extend from the front window for a length of 1.10 meters

along the partition between booths.” Side windows are not applicable to NTUH or

Howard Convention Hall booths, as the NTUH hall only contains one booth, and the

two Howard Convention Hall booths are located on opposite sides of the hall. Of the

remaining seven booths surveyed in this study, only the TICC 401 (Figure 4.13) and

Plenary Hall (Figure 4.14) booths are fitted with side windows. Although the side

windows of the TICC 401 booth is of the same height as the front windows, neither

the 401 nor Plenary Hall booth windows extend from the front windows.

Figure 4.12. Looking out of the Howard Conference Room Booth front windows

Figure 4.13. (left) Side windows of TICC 401 booth

Figure 4.14. (right) Side

windows of TICC

Plenary Hall booth

4.2.7 Air Conditioning

Of the ISO 2603 standards regarding air conditioning, this study focused on the

one observable factor, which is that the temperature should be controllable between

18 and 22 degrees Centigrade by individual regulator in each booth. In the nine

booths surveyed, only the booths of GIS Convention Center and Howard Convention

Hall have an individual temperature regulator, giving this factor a compliance rate of

22%. The NCL has one regulator for two booths, located outside the booths in the

hallway. As for the remaining six booths, the temperature is not controllable by the

interpreters.

4.2.8 Lighting

Chapter 2 has already mentioned the importance of lighting for interpreters. ISO

2603 stipulates that booth lighting be independent from the hall, with two different

lighting systems for work and general purposes, the general light switch should be

located by the door, dimmer switches should be within reach of the interpreter

working, and light sources should be placed in such a way as to avoid reflections and

glare. Overall, booth lighting received a compliance rate of 60%; this section

examines how the booths surveyed have or have not conformed to these requirements.

All nine booths surveyed have independent lighting from the hall. With the

exception of TICC 401, Grand Hotel, and NCL booths, all other were provided with

work lamps. Since the survey at TICC 401 and NCL booths were not conducted

during a conference, this study can not be certain that work lamps would not be

provided when the booths are in use. However, the survey of the Grand Hotel booths

was conducted during the lunch break of a conference. Of the three out of four booths

in use, only one booth was provided with work lamps.

The light switch for the general-purpose lighting is located by the door for TICC

401 and Plenary Hall, GIS, Howard Convention Hall and Conference Room, and NCL

booths. The TICC VIP Room booth light switch is located outside the booth door,

meaning that interpreters must get up, open the door, and step outside the booth in

order to turn the lights on or off. The light switch for the NTUH booth is located on

the farthest end of the sound control booth away from the booth. The Grand Hotel

Auditorium booths do not have any light switches operable by interpreters. Instead the

light is controlled through the sound control booth.

None of the nine booths surveyed have dimmer switches, either for the work

light or general-purpose light.

Most of the booth windows cast some level of glare. The two exceptions are the

TICC VIP Room and Grand Hotel booths; the former has windows that are too small

to produce glare, the latter has insufficient lighting and thus does not have glare. The

NCL booth is most likely the biggest offender in terms of glare, as the window is

tinted and lights from the hall are cast through the window in the door to produce

glare.

4.2.9 Working Space

Interpreters are required to study documents, read speeches and other

information, and write down notes during their work, as was mentioned in Chapter 2,

hence ISO 2603 has made a number of specifications with regard to the working

surface and space. The working surface should be placed at the front of the booth

across the full width; the surface height should be 0.73m ± 0.01m from the floor

level of the booth; the useable depth should be 0.45m in relation to the interpreters’

angle of vision into the hall; interpreters should have at least 0.66 meters of leg room

in height; shelves and trays for documents should not be placed under the working

surface, but located towards the rear of the booth, within easy reach of the interpreter.

This factor received a compliance rate of 48%; this section examines the nine booths

and their working spaces.

Five of the nine booths have working surfaces that stretch across the full width

of the booth. The TICC VIP Room, NTUH, GIS, and Howard Conference Room

booths are fitted with tables that do not span the booth width. As mentioned earlier,

the table of the GIS booth has been set back 35 centimeters away from the front wall

of the booth due to a protrusion from one section of a column. As for the height of the

working surface, only the TICC VIP Room, NTUH, and GIS tables conform to the

ISO requirement.

Although ISO 2603 defines “useable depth” as the depth of the working surface

clear of equipment and fixtures, this is difficult to ascertain as some equipment may

be move and locations adjusted according to interpreters’ needs. As such, this study

determined that the average interpretation console is approximately 15 centimeters

deep. Thus, this study set out to examine whether the total depth of working surfaces

was at least 0.60 meters (0.45m + 0.15m). Only the TICC Plenary Hall and NCL

booths failed to reach at least 0.60 meters in depth, being 59 centimeters and 53

centimeters deep, respectively.

Only the TICC VIP Room, NTUH, and Howard Convention Hall and

Conference Room booths provide enough leg room for interpreters.

All nine booths do not contain shelving or trays beneath the working surface.

However, the TICC 401 and Plenary Hall, Grand Hotel, and Howard Conference

Room booths do contain drawers beneath the table.

Of the booths surveyed, only the NTUH and Howard Convention Hall booths

provide any form of shelving for document storage. The NTUH has a whole wall of

shelves located to the side, but it is by no means within easy access of the interpreter

(Figure 4.15). Instead, it seems to be a storage area for when the booth is not in use.

The booths of Howard Convention Hall do not have shelves or trays per se, but rather

a ledge that can be used to place documents and other objects (Figure 4.16). On

another note, the TICC VIP Room, although already a small booth, was provided with

a row of chairs in the back in lieu of storage space (Figure 4.17).

Figure 4.15. Shelves in the NTUH booth

Figure 4.16. Ledge in the Howard Convention Hall booth

Figure 4.17. Chairs in the

TICC VIP Room booth

Figure 4.18. Chairs, from left to right, 1 ^st row: TICC 401/Plenary Hall, NTUH, Grand Hotel; 2 ^nd row: Howard Convention Hall, Howard Conference Room, GIS; 3 ^rd row: NCL

4.2.10 Seating

ISO 2603 stipulates that chairs should have five legs, adjustable height,

adjustable back-rest, arm-rests, and castors producing no perceptible noise. Overall,

booth seating received a compliance rate of 37%. Not a single one of the booths

surveyed have adjustable back-rests. The chairs in the TICC VIP Room booth, as can

be seen in the photographs shown in Figure 4.18, follow none of the requirements.

The chairs in the TICC 401 and Plenary Hall booths are identical, both having five

legs. Although these chairs are adjustable in theory, it is near impossible to do so

without assistance in reality. The castors of the chairs in 401 do produce noise as

opposed to those in the Plenary Hall, probably due to lack of oil. The chairs in NTUH,

Grand Hotel, and Howard Convention Hall booths also do not conform to any of the

requirements. Chairs in the GIS and Howard Conference Room booths have five legs,

are adjustable and have arm rests. The chairs in the NCL booths have five legs and

adjustable height, but no arm rests. (Figure 4.18)

4.3 Questionnaire

Out of the 96 email invitations sent, only 28 interpreters responded. The original

questionnaire, conducted online in Mandarin is attached in Appendix C, as well as the

translated questionnaire including results in parentheses, in Appendix D.

As mentioned in the previous chapter, the questionnaire contains two main

sections: the section for general booth factors with 31 questions in which respondents

were asked to rate each with “no opinion”, “very unimportant”, “unimportant”,

“average”, “important”, or “very important”; and the booth-specific section, repeating

19 questions for each booth, in which respondents were asked to rate each with “not

applicable”, “strongly disagree”, “disagree”, “neutral”, “agree”, or “strongly agree”.

0

12

10

4

2

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

under 20 21-30 31-40 41-50 over 50

Number of respondents

4.3.1 Background Questions

Out of 28 respondents, 10 are male and 18 female interpreters, with ages ranging

from 26 to 59. The average age of respondents is 34.32 years, which is slightly

younger than the average age of 40 years in the Taiwan fanyi chanye xiankuang

diaocha yanjiu zongjie fenxi baogao (Graduate Institute of Translation and

Interpretation, National Taiwan Normal University, & Taiwan Institute of Economic

Research, 2004), hereinafter referred to as the Taiwan T&I Study. Seven respondents

have worked 1-2 years, nine respondents worked 3-5 years, three have worked 6-10

years, six have worked 11-15 years, two have worked 16-20 years, and one has

worked over 20 years as an interpreter. (See Figure 4.19 and Table 4.2)

Figure 4.19. Distribution of Age of Respondents

Table 4.2

Years of Experience as an Interpreter

Years Number of respondents Percentage

1-2 years 7 25%

3-5 years 9 32%

6-10 years 3 11%

11-15 years 6 21%

16-20 years 2 7%

over 20 years 1 4%

Source: compiled by this study

When asked to select their ‘A’, ‘B’, or ‘C’ working language(s) according to

AIIC classification, 27 replied that their A language is Chinese (Mandarin), 2 chose

English, one chose Cantonese, and 1 chose Taiwanese. As for their B language, 2

chose Chinese (Mandarin), 26 chose English, and one chose French (see Figure 4.20).

Obviously, some respondents chose more than one A and B language. Only 1

respondent chose Spanish and French as their C language. Surprisingly, although the

number of interpreters in Taiwan working in Chinese-Japanese is second only to those

working in Chinese-English, none chose Japanese as their A, B, or C language.

27

2 0

2

26

0

0 2 0 1 0 1

0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28

A Language B Language C Language

N u m b e r of r e sp on de n ts

Chinese English Japanese Other

Figure 4.20. Working Language According to AIIC Classification

Respondents were also asked the number of conferences they had interpreted in

2006. Twelve replied they had interpreted less than 10 conferences, three replied “10

to 20”, four replied “21 to 30”, two replied “31 to 40”, and seven replied “more than

50” (see Table 4.3). The Taiwan T&I Study estimated an average of 44 working days

per year among their responding interpreters in 2003; however, the finding of this

study only represents the number of conferences, and not the working days. Therefore,

it is not possible to compare the workload between the two.

Table 4.3

Responses to Number of Conference Interpreted in 2006

Number of conferences interpreted in 2006 Number of respondents Percentage

less than 10 12 43 %

10-20 3 11%

21-30 4 14%

31-40 2 7%

41-50 0 0%

more than 50 7 25%

Source: compiled by this study

Next, respondents were asked the number of times they had worked in the

built-in booths of certain venues in 2006. These venues, which are also the focus of

the field studies, include the Taipei International Convention Center (TICC), National

Taiwan University Hospital International Convention Center (NTUH), the 10 ^th floor

Auditorium of the Grand Hotel, GIS Convention Center/NTU, Howard International

House Taipei, and the National Central Library (NCL). Nineteen interpreters

responded that they had worked in the built in booths of TICC in 2006; eleven of

which had worked there 0-5 times, six worked 6-10 times, one worked 11-20 times,

and one worked more than 20 times. Fourteen respondents have worked at the NTUH

up to 5 times in 2006. Thirteen interpreters worked at the Grand Hotel up to 5 times,

and one worked 6 to 10 times. As for the GIS Convention Center/NTU, out of the

fourteen interpreters who worked there in 2006, twelve responded that they had

worked 0-5 times, and two had worked 6-10 times. Out of the seventeen people who

had worked at the Howard International House Taipei in 2006, thirteen worked 0-5

times, and four worked 6-10 times. Only five out of the total 28 respondents had

worked at the NCL in 2006. The results are compiled Table 4.4 as follows.

Table 4.4

Frequency of Work at Selected Venues in 2006

Responses to Number of Conferences

Interpreted in 2006 Total

Venues

0 0 to 5 6 to 10

11 to 20

more than 20

Number of

respondents Percentage

TICC 9 11 6 1 1 19 68%

NTUH 14 14 0 0 0 14 50%

Grand Hotel 14 13 1 0 0 14 50%

GIS 14 12 2 0 0 14 50%

Howard 11 13 4 0 0 17 61%

NCL 23 5 0 0 0 5 18%

Source: compiled by this study

Respondents were also asked to name other venues with built-in booths and the

mistake while creating the online questionnaire, only the number of times worked

were recorded, which is of no significance without the name of the venue. This

question was asked again in interviews with interpreters, and the information is

presented in section 4.4.2.

4.3.2 Physical/Environmental Factors for Booths in General

In this section, interpreters were asked 31 questions regarding general booth

factors. Answers were required for each question, and the selections were “no

opinion”, “very unimportant”, “unimportant”, “average”, “important”, and “very

important”. The responses for each question can be seen in Appendix D, Translated

questionnaire and results. The results were compiled, and the weighted average was

calculated thusly, with x

¹

being the number of responses for “very unimportant” and a

corresponding weight of 1, x

²

for “unimportant” and a corresponding weight of 2, x

³

for “average” and a corresponding weight of 3, x

⁴

for “important” and a

corresponding weight of 4, and x

⁵

for “very important” and a corresponding weight of

5:

Responses for “no opinion” were not calculated within the weighted average.

Weighted averages ranged from 2.50 to 4.96, with lowest average for question

number 36 “Sunlight or outdoor environment visible from the booth” and the highest x

1

·1+x

2

·2+x

3

·3+x

4

·4+x

5

·5

Weighted Average =

x

¹

+x

²

+x

³

+x

⁴

+x

⁵

4.18 4.00

3.39 3.68

4.39

3.21 3.36 3.36

19. Booth size 20. T he booth is easily accessible (including hallways, stairs)

21. T he booth has a separate entrance from

the hall

22. Distance between interpretation

booth and sound control

booth

23. Booth doors operate

silently

24. Booth doors have observation port-holes

25. A light outside the booth door indicating an

active microphone

26. Indication of assigned languages and

channels outside the

booth

for question number 42 “Quality of sound transmission”. Twenty-two of the 31

questions received a weighted average of 4.00 or above, meaning that interpreters

rated them somewhere between “important” and “very important”. The weighted

average of eight questions fell between 3.00 and 4.00, meaning that interpreters rated

them between “average” and “important”. Only one question, number 36, was rated

less than 3.00, implying that interpreters felt that this was not important. For details,

refer to Figures 4.21 through 4.24, or see the complete figure of Weighted Factors for

Physical/Environmental Factors for Booths in General in Appendix F.

very important important average unimportant very unimportant

Figure 4.21. Weighted Factors for Size, Access, and Visibility

4.57 4.86 4.75

4.36 4.25

3.00 3.29

27. T he speaker's visual expressions are visible from t he

booth

28. T he podium/rost rum

is visible from t he boot h

29. Where t he rost rum is t oo far away, visual

support is provided in t he

boot h

30. T he ent ire conference room

is visible from the boot h (including the

audience)

31. Int eraction among conference part icipant s is visible from t he

booth

32. Int eraction bet ween int erpret ers in the booth and conference

delegat es

33. Visibilit y between boot hs

(through side windows)

very important

important average unimportant very unimportant

Figure 4.22. Weighted Factors for Visibility

4.50 4.46 4.50

4.04

4.68 4.75 4.64 4.96

34. Size of front windows

of t he boot h

35. No glare on front windows

37. Boot h t emperature is

moderat e

38. Boot h t emperat ure is

cont rollable by interpret ers

39. Air quality within t he

boot h

40. Acoustic separat ion bet ween boot h

and conference

hall

41. Acoust ic separat ion

between boot hs

42. Qualit y of sound t ransmission

very important

important average unimportant very unimportant

Figure 4.23. Weighted Factors for Windows, Ventilation, and Acoustics

4.32 4.14 4.36 4.46 4.57

4.18

2.50

3.14

43. Booth lighting is controllable by interpreters

44. Light switches are

easily accessible to interpreters

45. Work lights (for reading documents) are provided in addition to general lights

46. Comfort of booth seats

47. Sufficient working surface in the

booth

48. Height of working surface

36. Sunlight or outdoor environment

visible from the booth

49. Sufficient shelves or trays in the booth (for

document storage)

very important

important average unimportant very unimportant

Figure 4.24. Weighted Factors for Lighting, Seating, Work Surface, and Miscellaneous

4.3.3 Physical/Environmental Factors for Specific Booths

The booth-specific section of the questionnaire repeats the same 19 questions for

eight types of booths in the six selected venues of this study. Respondents were asked

to rate each statement/phrase with “not applicable”, “strongly disagree”, “disagree”,

“neutral”, “agree”, or “strongly agree”. The responses of each question can be seen in

Appendix D. The results were compiled, and the weighted average was calculated

thusly, with x

¹

being the number of responses for “strongly disagree” and a

corresponding weight of 1, x

²

for “disagree” and a corresponding weight of 2, x

³

for

“neutral” and a corresponding weight of 3, x

⁴

for “agree” and a corresponding weight

of 4, and x

⁵

for “strongly agree” and a corresponding weight of 5:

Responses for “not applicable” were not calculated within the weighted average.

Respondents rated physical/environmental factors in TICC booths (with the

exception of 4F VIP Room booths) between 2.91 to 4.26, TICC 4F VIP Room booths

between 1.11 and 3.70, NTUH between 1.60 and 3.64, Grand Hotel between 2.38 and

3.62, GIS Convention Center between 2.64 and 3.79, Howard Convention Hall

between 2.33 and 3.75, Howard Conference Room between 2.38 and 4.08, and the

NCL between 1.88 and 3.57 (See Table 4.5).

Overall, the responding interpreters feel that the 4F VIP Room of the TICC, the

Grand Hotel, and the National Central Library provide less than adequate working

conditions, while the others are more acceptable. Chapter 5 will discuss the relevance

between the findings of field studies, the questionnaire, and interviews.

x

¹

·1+x

²

·2+x

³

·3+x

⁴

·4+x

⁵

·5 Weighted

Average =

x

¹

+x

²

+x

³

+x

⁴

+x

⁵

Table 4.5

Weighted Factors for Physical/Environmental Factors for Specific Booths

Booth Question

TICC (ex cep t fo r 4F VI P) TICC 4F VIP Ro om NTUH ICC Grand Ho tel GIS Co nv en tio n C en te r H ow ar d Co nv en tio n H al l H ow ar d Confere n ce R o o m N at iona l Cen tral Libra ry AVER A GE

The size of the booth fulfills my needs. 4.14 2.40 3.64 2.38 2.71 3.50 3.00 2.22 3.00 I can easily access the booth. 3.45 3.50 3.09 2.38 3.71 3.17 3.69 3.00 3.25 The sound control booth is not located

too far from the interpreters’ booth. 2.95 2.33 3.63 3.62 3.64 2.33 4.08 3.38 3.24 I can see the speaker’s facial

expressions. 3.05 1.78 2.40 2.38 2.73 2.58 2.38 1.88 2.40 I have a good view of the conference

hall from the booth. 2.91 1.22 1.60 3.31 2.93 2.58 2.85 2.78 2.52 The size of the front windows fulfills my

needs. 3.91 1.11 1.73 3.46 2.64 3.75 2.62 3.22 2.80

The front windows do not cause glare. 3.50 2.57 2.82 3.08 3.14 3.08 2.92 2.33 2.93 Booth temperature is moderate. 3.18 2.60 2.55 2.38 3.36 3.25 3.31 2.67 2.91 Good air quality within the booth. 3.45 2.90 3.00 2.85 3.21 3.42 3.31 2.67 3.10 Good acoustic separation between the

booth and the conference hall. 4.23 3.11 3.55 3.38 3.71 3.75 3.62 3.56 3.61 Good acoustic separation between

booths. 4.26 3.25 3.33 2.55 3.50 3.25 3.67 3.57 3.42

Good sound transmission quality. 3.86 3.70 3.55 3.46 3.79 3.75 3.69 3.00 3.60 Sufficient lighting within the booth. 3.86 3.70 3.45 3.00 3.57 3.67 3.62 2.89 3.47 Light switches are easily accessible to

interpreters. 3.90 3.20 3.00 2.92 3.21 3.67 3.62 3.00 3.32 Work lights are sufficient. 3.95 3.50 3.45 2.67 3.43 3.50 3.38 3.00 3.36 Booth seats are comfortable. 3.45 3.00 3.09 2.69 3.00 3.25 3.31 3.00 3.10 I have sufficient working surface in the

booth to read documents. 4.09 2.60 3.27 2.77 2.93 3.25 3.31 2.78 3.12 The height of the working surface

provides enough leg room. 3.95 3.50 3.55 3.46 3.36 3.42 3.15 3.25 3.45 The booth provides sufficient shelves or

trays for document storage. 3.28 2.50 3.20 3.00 2.85 3.10 2.83 2.50 2.91

AVERAGE 3.65 2.76 3.05 2.93 3.23 3.28 3.28 2.88 3.13

Source: compiled by this study

4.3.4 Further Comments

In the final section of the questionnaire, interpreters were asked to respond, in

their own words, regarding other booth improvements needed. The full responses can

be seen in Appendix D, Questionnaire (in English) with results. Ten interpreters

responded, and their relevant comments can be classified into windows, ventilation,

visibility, chairs, sound quality, access, general condition, and additional amenities.

The classification and abridged comments are shown in the Table 4.6, below.

Table 4.6

Classification of Interpreters’ Comments from Questionnaire Classification Comments

Windows Booth windows should have curtains Ventilation The air is either too cold or stuffy

Booth temperature should be controllable by interpreters

Booths should not be damp or smell moldy Visibility Audience in back rows should not block views of

interpreters

Booths are too far from speaker Cannot see the screen

Chairs Chairs should not produce sound Sound quality Depends on technician’s skill

Access Doors should be controlled by interpreters from the inside, not from the outside

Should have easy access to restrooms

General conditions Booths should be clean, hygienic (dust-free, no bugs) Additional amenities Internet access

Drinking fountain should be nearby

Source: compiled by this study

4.4 Interviews

This section presents the findings on current booth conditions in Taipei from

information obtained in interviews with persons directly and indirectly involved with

booths for simultaneous interpretation in Taipei between May and October of 2007.

These include six interpreters, two professional corporate organizers, and three

conference hall operators (Table 4.7). The interviews were conducted in English or in

Mandarin. Real names and personal information remain confidential.

Table 4.7

List of Interviewees*

Date Subject Profession

October 2007 A Freelance Interpreter

October 2007 B Freelance Interpreter

October 2007 C Freelance Interpreter

October 2007 D Freelance Interpreter

October 2007 E Freelance Interpreter

October 2007 F Freelance and In-House Interpreter August 2007 G Professional Corporate Organizer September 2007 H Professional Corporate Organizer

May 2007 I Conference Hall Operator

June 2007 J Conference Hall Operator

June 2007 K Conference Hall Operator

Source: compiled by this study

*Interviewees are hereafter referred to as: Subjects A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, and K.

At the time of writing, Subject A has had 15 years of experience as a professional

conference interpreter and interpretation instructor. Subject B has worked

approximately 200 conferences in his three years as a conference interpreter. Subject

C has been a professional interpreter for 10 years, and has also taught interpretation

for seven. Subject D has both practiced and taught interpretation for eight years.

Subject E has worked as a professional conference interpreter for 12 years. Working

in Mandarin, English, Spanish, and French, Subject F has worked as a conference

interpreter for over 10 years, and is currently working as an in-house interpreter.

Subjects G and H are professional corporate organizers (PCO). Subjects I, J, and K

are conference hall operators at the Taipei International Convention Center, Howard

International House Taipei, and National Central Library, respectively.

Using the qualitative data produced from these interviews, this section discusses

the different factors of booths for simultaneous interpretation that have the potential to

affect the performance of interpreters, and in addition, explores the additional

information and some of the possible causes of current conditions.

4.4.1 Findings regarding booth factors

This section discusses the different factors that are important to booths for

simultaneous interpretation, as reported by the interpreters interviewed.

z Booth size

The interview findings with regard to this factor are as follows:

1. Booth size is a basic requirement for interpretation booths;

2. Most booths are too small;

3. Booths that are too small could adversely affect interpretation quality; and

4. Booths that are too big, though rare, can also pose problems.

Unsurprisingly, Subjects A, B, C, D, and F reported sufficient booth size to be a

basic requirement for interpretation booths, which concurs with the findings of the

questionnaire. Quite often, booths are found to be too small, sometimes only

providing enough space for one interpreter. Examples of overly small booths include

those of the Grand Hotel, GIS, School of Continuing Education Chinese Culture

University on Chien-Kuo South Road, and the original booths of the Civil

Aeronautics Administration, as provided by Subjects A, B, C, and F. Subjects C and D

speculate that the designers must have been under the misconception that

simultaneous interpreters work alone, thus designing booths large enough only to fit

one person. Subject B remarks that the Civil Aeronautics Administration, whose

original booths were also as small as to seat only one person, knocked down the

partition walls between booths on the advice of a fellow interpreter so that they are

now just barely able to fit two interpreters in a booth, proving that poor conditions can

be improved at the urgings of interpreters.

Booths that are too small can be a distraction, as noted by Subjects C and F, and

could also adversely affect the quality of interpretation. Both Subjects B and C

recommend that booths which are too small should be enlarged, perhaps by taking

down the partition wall and combining two booths into one, especially since many

conference centers waste space by having three or four booths which are never used at

the same time, as noted by Subject B. In addition, Subject F believes that booths

should be enlarged to accommodate three interpreters to a booth, which is a standard

practice in conferences held in the European Union and United Nations, where several

language combinations are used and relay interpretation is needed. Although this

practice is rare in Taiwan’s current conference interpreting environment, she feels that

Taiwan should and will adopt this practice in the future; hence booths should be

prepared for this need.

Although booths that are too large are much rarer than booths that are too small,

they can also pose a problem, as reported by Subject B. Echoes are created in overly

large booths, such as those at National Defense University and Chung-Hua Institute

for Economic Research, where there is no partition separating the latter’s

interpretation booth from the sound control booth. Thus, while the technicians stay as

silent as possible, anything said by the interpreters echo throughout the combined

space. This is a distraction for interpreters, although their effect on the audience is not

known.

z Access

Some interpreters and one PCO interviewed mentioned the importance of easy

access as a basic requirement for interpretation booths, providing examples to

illustrate the problems and difficulties caused by poor access.

Examples of booths with poor access include those of the Liberty Square

Convention Center, Grand Hotel, and NTUH International Convention Center, as

mentioned by Subjects A, B, F, and H. Access is terrible for the Liberty Square

Convention Center booths, because interpreters have to climb stairs to get to the booth,

which is located in an obscure location that takes a long time to find for first timers.

The booths of the Grand Hotel are difficult to access, because first, interpreters have

to climb up steep stairs to reach the mezzanine level where the booths are located,

then walk down a few steps into the sound control booth, ducking to avoid hitting

your head, pass through the sound control booth, and maneuver a narrow hallway to

finally get to the booth. Restrooms are difficult to reach, as they are not located on the

same level. On the other hand, Subject A feels that as difficult as the booths are to

access, it is a good thing to have different access for interpreters and delegates. It is

also difficult for interpreters to reach the booth of NTUH International Convention

Center, because they have to cross through the sound control booth and maneuver

around a large column in order to get in and out of the booth.

z Visibility

The interview findings with regard to visibility are as follows:

1. Most interpreters and both PCOs considered visibility to be a most important

factor;

2. It is important for interpreters to see the speaker and his/her facial

expressions and the slides, including the numbers and fine print;

3. Opinions are split regarding the importance of seeing the audience;

4. Poor or a lack of visibility can result in lower interpretation quality or

physical discomfort for interpreters; and

5. Monitors are recommended to improve visual access, although a direct view

is preferred over a view through the monitor(s).

Visibility is one of the basic requirements for interpretation booths, according to

Subjects A, D, E, and F, while Subjects G and H note that poor visibility is one of the

biggest complaints the interpreters have. The importance of visibility extends to a

view of the speaker, the speaker’s facial expressions, and the slides. In particular,

Subject A feels that “interpreters need to see the speaker’s facial expressions, although

we rarely do in reality, due to the distance and angle of the booth from the podium,

and sometimes our view is blocked.” The ability to see the slides is also important,

since interpreters need to see the details, numbers, and fine print on the slides in order

to interpret. However, opinions on the importance of seeing the audience are rather

mixed. Subjects B and E consider seeing the audience as very important; Subject E

adds that without a view of the audience, interpreters are left in the dark, not knowing

the context in which nonverbal messages are conveyed. On the other hand, Subjects A,

C, and F feel that a view of the audience’s interaction is not important, as most of the

time, interpreters can only see the backs of their heads.

Visibility is so important to interpreting, that poor visibility or a lack of it can

cause lower interpretation quality or physical discomfort to interpreters. Subject A

states, “If I can’t see the speaker or if the audience blocks my view, my interpretation

quality drops.” Subjects B and D note that booths placed at awkward angles to the

screen force interpreters to stand or hold strange postures, resulting in back and neck

pains. However, one interpreter interviewed disagrees; Subject C feels that if

materials and documents are provided beforehand, visibility is not such a big issue.

Also, Subject C reports no physical discomfort from having to stand to see the

speaker.

Visual monitors should be added to facilitate the interpretation process for booths

with poor visual access to conference proceedings, as recommended by Subjects A, C,

and E. Subject G remarked that her PCO company would bring in monitors for visual

support in booths with poor visibility. Subject B recommends that all booths be fitted

with monitors, stating, “Most booths are located too far from the screen, and there is a

lot of information on the slides that we can’t see. Not to mention, oftentimes, speakers

finish their PowerPoint presentations at the last minute, and not even the conference

organizers have them, to say nothing of interpreters. So it’s crucial for interpreters to

have a good view of the slides, preferably by a monitor. Plus, monitors go a long way

toward giving interpreters peace of mind.” Subject D feels that although monitors

could help alleviate the poor existing conditions, the degree to which they may help

depends largely on the cameraman, who although is in all likelihood a professional,

nevertheless does not understand what interpreters needs to see and cannot anticipate

interpreters’ needs.

Examples of booths with poor visibility include the Taipei County Government

Conference Room booths, which have no direct view of the hall; the TICC Plenary

Hall booths, which are located too steeply above the hall to provide a good viewing

angle; and the Howard International House Taipei Conference Room booths, whose

view is often blocked by the last rows of the audience, as provided by Subject A.

Examples given of halls with good visibility include Room 102 and 401 of the TICC,

as given by Subjects B and F.

z Windows

Interviewees’ comments regarding booth windows can be summarized as

follows:

1. Interpreters should be able to see while comfortably seated;

2. Windows should not produce glare, should be untinted, and clean enough to

see out of; and

3. Side windows are important during relay interpretation.

Windows are an essential and basic requirement to interpretation booths,

according to Subjects A, B, and C. Subject B noted that it was most important that

windows conform to requirements, stating that windows should allow interpreters not

only to see, but to see comfortably. In addition, Subject B also noted that the size of

the window did not matter as much as its height, or placement. The height of the table,

chairs, and working surface should allow the interpreter to see while comfortably

seated, without contorting into strange positions, according to both Subjects A and B.

The booths of GIS and Howard Conference Room are examples of windows set too

high for interpreters to see out of. In addition, the placement of the windows in