In memoriam

" The man who lives without conflict, who lives with beauty and love, is not frightened of death because to love is to die."

Jiddu Krishnamurti, Freedom from the known, 1969

Henri W. Methorst

Henri W. Methorst died on August 10, 2007, age 98

12 April, 1909 saw the birth of a remarkable figure whose vast range of interests and pioneering nature compelled him to break new ground, shatter conventions, and build institutions--leaving an indelible imprint behind. Conference interpreters in The Netherlands owe Henri W. Methorst the prestige and success of their profession.

We are not, however, the only ones with a debt of gratitude. Throughout his life, Henri never ceased to organize, encourage and promote new talent in numerous fields of endeavor. He was also an ardent defender of human rights—and not just your garden variety, but the sort that resisted the Nazi occupation by no less than hiding Jewish friends and colleagues in his house, for which he was honoured by Yad Vashem as the “Righteous among the Nations”.

Henri had multiple facets: Henri the 1930’s law student in Leiden; Henri the writer, publisher, and translator; Henri the accomplished cellist and pianist; Henri the father, and the gay activist; Henri the devotee of Krishnamurti; Henri the conference organizer, the Dutch/French/English/German interpreter, and consultant interpreter; Henri the founder of the Dutch Translators’ Guild, and of Congrestolken.

Henri’s interpreting career encompassed the growth of interpretation as a modern profession, from its fledgling beginnings in Nuremberg until the present day. When he started interpreting in 1951, Henri had a multilingual background and education, but no formal training. What he did have was a gift for interpretation.

He extended and developed his interpreting skills working for the European Coal and Steel Community (CECA) in Luxembourg under Jean Monnet, then further honed them at international medical congresses, during the productivity courses organized under the Marshall Plan and in the agricultural seminars for developing countries held at the International Agricultural Institute at Wageningen. Interpreting and recruiting, he traveled around Europe with IBM and around the world with the Fédération Dentaire Internationale.

Henri’s contribution to the growth and advancement of AIIC is legendary. He founded and organized the profession “the AIIC way” in the Netherlands--which already in the 1950’s was a hotbed of conferences and therefore of crucial importance for the spread of AIIC standards of practice. He also made a point of recruiting into his teams abroad colleagues who lacked AIIC members in their country, so they could be heard by potential sponsors. He thus contributed greatly to the development of Austria, Greece and Israel as “AIIC territory”.

In the late ‘60s, Henri met with a group of interested colleagues to define the role of the Consultant Interpreter…a function we presently take for granted; a taboo subject in AIIC at the time.

Henri died at 98, well aware of the high esteem in which he was held. His good friend and colleague Magda van Emde Boas, for one, did not wait until it was too late to pay Henri a moving tribute in honor of his decisive contribution to AIIC and our profession.

That was at Henri’s 90th birthday party, back in 1999. The celebration was held at a 17th century farmhouse in the Dutch countryside, doubling as the studio of modern painter and close friend of Henri’s Herman Gordijn. The guests attested to Henri's diverse interests, and included musicians, painters, actors, educators and, of course, interpreters. There were family members, colleagues, gay activists and the friends Henri sheltered during the W.W.II occupation.

Henri’s funeral in Amsterdam on August 15, 2007 was a much sadder, but not dissimilar event--for the attendees represented a fascinating collection of chapters from a life that spanned an entire century. Henri, you lived with beauty and love, and we will always remember you.

Members of Congrestolken