Teddy (Thadée) Pilley was a
linguist and conference interpreter.
Family
He was born as Ari Thaddeus Pilichowski in Paris. His parents,
Leopold Pilichowski (18601934) and Lena Pillico (Pilichowski) (18841947), were Jewish
émigrés from Poland and were both accomplished artists. Pilley had two sisters, Maia Gainsborough (Pilichowski) (19041936) and Thea Doniach (Pilichowski) (19071986), and a brother Vivien Pilley (Pilichowski) (19071982). When Teddy Pilley was 4‑years old, his parents moved the family from Paris to London, where he remained until his death.
He was married to Nora (Sachs), and they had one son, Peter.
Education
Pilley's early education was at
Merchant Taylors' School in London. He then studied at
St John's College, Oxford
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its founder, Sir Thomas White, intended to pro ...
, graduating with a
PPE degree.
Second World War
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Pilley served in the
RAF, reaching the rank of
squadron leader
Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...
. Pilley was first stationed at
RAF Aldergrove
Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station Aldergrove or more simply JHC FS Aldergrove is located south of Antrim, Northern Ireland and northwest of Belfast and adjoins Belfast International Airport. It is sometimes referred to simply as Alde ...
in Northern Ireland, where he flew with
No.245 Squadron.
He was later transferred to
Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park is an English country house and estate in Bletchley, Milton Keynes ( Buckinghamshire) that became the principal centre of Allied code-breaking during the Second World War. The mansion was constructed during the years following ...
, where he remained for the duration of the war.
At Bletchley, he worked in the Air Intelligence section in
Hut 3, translating, classifying and prioritising
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
signals, which had previously been intercepted and then decoded using
Bombe and
Enigma machines.
Conference interpreting
During the post-war years, Pilley became a renowned linguist and conference interpreter. He interpreted principally between French (his
mother tongue
A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...
) and English, and vice versa; in addition, he was competent in both German and Dutch, and could also converse in several other European languages.
Pilley was well known as an organiser and recruiter of
simultaneous-interpreting teams for major international conferences worldwide, operating as the ''International Conference Secretariat''.
In the 1950s, before conference venues had proper facilities for interpreters, Pilley developed portable equipment, consisting of microphones, headphones, wiring and associated electronics; this equipment could be moved from place to place, to provide temporary facilities for simultaneous interpreting during international conferences; Pilley named this equipment
''Archie'', after the famous ventriloquist's dummy.
[
Pilley was a co-founder of the ]International Association of Conference Interpreters
The International Association of Conference Interpreters - AIIC (AIIC – Association Internationale des Interprètes de Conférence) was founded in 1953. It represents over 3,000 members present in over 100 countries.
Overview
AIIC is the only ...
, and of the Institute of Linguists
Founded as the Institute of Linguists in 1910, the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) received its Royal Charter in 2005, and is a professional association for language professionals. CIOL supports linguists throughout their careers, and pro ...
. He was also the owner and principal of The Linguists’ Club, a language and social club in London. At The Linguists’ Club, Pilley established ''working parties'', an educational tool used to teach aspiring interpreters. Participants were first screened to establish both their language proficiency as well as their aptitude to the work; successful applicants were then trained in the art of professional interpreting.[
In his later years, Pilley was recognised as an ''Officier d’Académie'' by the French Government, for his services to France.][
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pilley, Teddy
1909 births
1982 deaths
Alumni of St John's College, Oxford
Interpreters
Bletchley Park people
Officiers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques
People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
20th-century translators
20th-century linguists
Linguists from France
French emigrants to the United Kingdom