ambassadors without diplomatic passport
Alexandra Brabcová This part of the series Ambassadors without a Diplomatic Passport focuses on men and women who often significantly contribute to the success of talks among official representatives of States – those who draft background papers, engage in preparatory negotiations or interpret at the meetings. Let me introduce Alexandra Brabcová, a former interpreter to Václav Havel. Alexandra studied English and German at Charles University and then worked as a translator-interpreter at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Having first interpreted for President Havel in 1990, she spent almost the entire 12 years of his presidency at his side. President Havel’s spokesman Ladislav Špaček remembers her phenomenal memory in his book Ten Years with Václav Havel, describing an occasion when Alexandra won applause from Vice-President Al Gore of the United States after having interpreted President Havel’s monologue of considerable length on substantial international issues. At present, Alexandra is Executive Director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic. She is now also launching a new project of her own entitled Inspired Choices, aiming to help both people based in this country and visitors from abroad find opportunities to enrich their lives through special social, cultural and human experiences.
Photo: Miguel Alonso
Mrs. Vendula Dobešová, Brett Gray, Executive Director, 1st International School of Ostrava, and Alexandra Brabcová
98 Leaders Magazine IV/2014
Jiří Krejča, President, Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic and Alexandra Brabcová
Let me begin by asking a typical question: What is your perception of the world of today? The world of today is, to my mind, a world of contrasts. Humankind has made incredible progress in numerous areas of knowledge, science, technology, communication, etc., which makes it possible to prolong human life and improve its quality. On the other hand, many people are denied access to these achievements, nor can they participate in their creation, because of underdevelopment in their countries, restrictions imposed under various authoritarian regimes, armed conflicts, criminal activities, etc. Spreading all the good things that the human race is capable of doing and bringing their benefits to a growing number of people worldwide is a mission that should be pursued by all those who want this world to be a better place than it is today. And how do you perceive the position of the Czech Republic in the world? In the last 25 years, the Czech Republic has had the privilege of being part of the free world. Our country and its people have thus been in a position to contribute to the overall progress of the human race, and many Czechs have done so. Hard-working, enlightened and dedicated Czech men and women have made or participated in remarkable scientific discoveries; built up successful businesses; enriched our