Sian Gu - AIIC, Gov of Canada Accredited

Conference Interpreter · Trainer · Coach

中

Conference Interpretation · English · French · Mandarin

Meaning, carried across three languages.

Conference interpretation in English, French and Mandarin, where accuracy matters — but so does knowing what’s not being said. One interpreter across all three, working directly between each of them, with the cultural fluency to carry tone and context, not just words.

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Credentials

Profile

Member, AIIC (International Association of Conference Interpreters)

Government of Canada–Accredited Conference Interpreter - English, French, Mandarin

Government of Canada–Accredited Conference Interpreter in 3 languages - English, French, Mandarin

Master of Conference Interpreting, Glendon College, York University

Master of Conference Interpreting, Glendon College (MCI), York University

Bachelor of Commerce, McGill University — finance & business specialization

Course Director & Lecturer, Glendon MCI, since 2019

Lecturer, Glendon MCI, since 2019

Based in Vancouver · available across Canada and internationally + remote

For Clients - services

Precise, polished, and versatile.

I provide simultaneous and consecutive interpretation in English, French and Mandarin for governments, international organizations, businesses, cultural institutions and professional associations, with accent-free, native-level delivery into English. My aim in every assignment is straightforward: precise, professional service, and to be an excellent partner — in the booth and beyond — in meeting each client's linguistic and cultural needs.

Simultaneous

Real-time interpretation for conferences, panels, training sessions and public events, delivered with professional equipment or an appropriate remote platform. Team size and schedule are planned around the meeting’s length and technical requirements.

Consecutive

Interpretation delivered after the speaker pauses — suited to meetings, interviews, formal exchanges and smaller presentations where a direct, personal format is preferred.

Long consecutive

A complete, structured rendering of an extended speech or intervention, supported by analytical note-taking.

Whispered simultaneous (chuchotage)

Discreet real-time interpretation for a small number of listeners during short meetings or visits, when the room and working conditions make it appropriate. Portable equipment is recommended where it improves audibility.

Diplomatic & delegation

Interpretation for official visits, bilateral meetings, ceremonies, site visits and accompanying programmes — delivered with discretion, situational awareness and respect for protocol.

Meeting organizing

Structuring and running multilingual meetings and practice sessions — agendas, format, pacing — drawn from years organizing monthly practice sessions for working interpreters (TIP) and an annual professional development intensive course (CCIC).

Planning & coordination

Advice on the most suitable interpreting mode, team size, schedule and equipment, and coordination of qualified colleagues when a larger team is needed.

Selected experience

Across sectors where the stakes are high.

Government & diplomatic

Parliamentary, federal and provincial government, official delegation visits

International & institutional

International organizations, crown corporations, pan-Canadian bodies

Finance & Business

Banking AGMs, quarterly meetings, professional and regulatory bodies

Art & culture

Festivals, press conferences, cultural institutions

Public sector & education

Ministries, education councils, municipal affairs

Labour & associations

National unions and professional associations

For Interpreters - services

Develop the interpreter — and the practice.

Technical ability is essential, but a sustainable interpreting career also requires deliberate practice, professional judgment and a clear understanding of the business behind the work. Sessions are practical, candid, and adapted to where you are now — and what you’re working toward.

1:1 Coaching (Accreditation & Skills)

Individual coaching for interpreters preparing for accreditation examinations, or seeking focused development in simultaneous and consecutive technique. We start by identifying what most affects your performance, then build a targeted practice plan around it.

Simultaneous & consecutive

Note-taking & long consecutive

Retour development

Mock examinations

Exam strategy

Interpreters I’ve coached have gone on to pass professional accreditation examinations.

Professional development & workshops

Drawing on five years of graduate-level course direction and teaching at Glendon College (Canada), I offer talks, workshops and one-to-one coaching that connect interpreting technique with the realities of professional practice — for conferences and associations (including talks at the ATA's annual conference), training programmes, and individual interpreters.

Drawing on five years of graduate-level course direction and teaching at Glendon College (Canada) and assisting the Cambridge Conference Interpretation Course (UK), I design workshops and talks that connect interpreting technique with the realities of professional practice — for programmes, associations and working interpreters.

Business & marketing consulting

Many excellent interpreters have never been taught how to position their services, communicate their value, or make confident business decisions. Drawing on a commerce background and a decade of building a freelance practice, I help interpreters approach these questions with clarity — without compromising professional standards or collegiality.

Rates & contracts

Résumé, bio & website

Client communication

Positioning & target clients

Coaching and professional-development services are an independent practice and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Glendon College, York University, or the Government of Canada.

About

Sian Gu

Born in Beijing, educated in Francophone Canada, and later living in cities in Canada and abroad, Sian (Xiang) Gu has been at home moving between languages and cultures long before it became her profession. Today she is a conference interpreter, educator and coach whose work spans interpreting, teaching, meeting organizing and community building, across English, French and Mandarin. A member of AIIC — which embodies the highest standards of quality and ethics in interpreting — and a Government of Canada–accredited conference interpreter, she brings the same precision and discretion to every assignment.

Born in Beijing, educated in Francophone Canada, and later living across cities in Canada and abroad, Sian (Xiang) Gu has been at home moving between languages and cultures long before it became her profession. Today she is a conference interpreter, educator and coach whose work spans interpreting, teaching, meeting organizing and community building, across English, French and Mandarin. A member of AIIC — which embodies the highest standards of quality and ethics in interpreting — and a Government of Canada–accredited conference interpreter, she brings the same precision and discretion to every assignment.

Before becoming an interpreter, Sian worked as a marketing consultant for one of Canada's leading retailers, an experience that still shapes her interest in strategy, communication and the transfer of skills across disciplines. Paired with a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University, it gives her a combination few interpreters in her language range share: genuine fluency in business, and a commercial instinct for how organizations actually work — one she draws on to partner with clients to understand what a meeting or event truly needs, not just the words spoken in it.

Before becoming an interpreter, Sian worked as a marketing consultant for one of Canada's leading retailers, an experience that still shapes her interest in strategy, communication and the transfer of skills across disciplines. Paired with a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University, it gives her a combination few interpreters in her language range share: genuine fluency in business, and an instinct for how organizations work — one she draws on to partner with clients to understand what a meeting or event truly needs, not just the words spoken in it.

She is passionate about lifelong learning, and about helping language professionals build careers that reflect both their strengths and their values. For over five years, she has served as course director at York University's Master of Conference Interpreting program (Glendon) - her alma mater, directing graduate courses in interpreting technique and professional practice.

She is the founder of the Toronto Interpreters Practice (TIP), a professional practice community with an online repository of nearly 200 speeches, and has worked extensively with the seminal Cambridge Conference Interpretation Course (CCIC) — extending that same community-building spirit beyond the classroom.

Testimonials

What Clients and Colleagues Say

Interpretation

"She was able to convey the personality and passion of those presenting — fluid and responsive, helping bridge complex and controversial discussions between anglophones and francophones."

— Paul Cabaj, Founding Partner, Demos Partners

Teaching

"Sian Gu has unique prowess as an interpreter trainer that sets her apart in every way — it is the reason why she makes such a tangible difference in other interpreters' careers."

— Garrett Montgomery, Certified Interpreter, Certified Translator

Coaching

"Sian coached me for my interpreting exams and I passed. She is an English A and Chinese B interpreter — this is very rare."

— Bruce Cai, Conference Interpreter

Leadership

"Xiang embodies an inspiring combination of professional excellence and bold leadership. It was her can-do attitude and organizational skills that made the Toronto Interpreters Practice (TIP) group a reality."

— Rony Gao, Chinese-English Conference Interpreter (AIIC), Educator

Meeting Organizing

"I was incredibly impressed with her professionalism, organizational skills, and ability to handle teams of people in stressful situations — she dealt incredibly well with a multilingual, multicultural team spanning at least 10 time zones."

— Corinne McKay, Interpreter & translator, writer

Simultaneous interpreting at a public meeting

Contact

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Consecutive interpreting at the Toronto International Film Festival

2026 Sian Gu — Conference Interpreter · Trainer · Coach