A long office, tucked away out of sight, behind the press conference room of one of the media centers. A room full of light, looking like a theater dressing room. Inside, around ten people, dressed in volunteer uniform. Among them, a French woman. Marine Mauchauffée, 25 years old, originally from Lorraine, went to Toulouse for her studies, holds a Master's degree in English/German translation.
At the PyeongChang Games, his presence is discreet, but his writings are visible even in the most remote places of the Olympic system. Marine Mauchauffée is an international volunteer of the French-speaking world (VIF). Its mission: the translation into French, the official language of the IOC, of documents, speeches or press releases from the organizing committee. “Before the Games, I worked on the newsletters, the guides, the official website, the signage, the MyInfo2018 database…. Since the beginning, the task has remained very varied: brochure of the IOC session, speeches, minutes of meetings of the heads of mission.
His journey began in France. In August 2016, Marine Mauchauffée responded to a call for applications launched by the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF) to recruit a translator for the PyeongChang Winter Games. His file is retained for a series of interviews. Then, in October 2017, its name was chosen by the South Korean organizers. She will be a volunteer at the 2018 Winter Games. “My mission began in South Korea on February 23, 2017, a little less than a year before the opening of the Games,” she says. I have never been to Asia before. I didn't speak Korean. But I was helped in my installation and my procedures by my manager in the language department, a French-speaking Korean. Discovering the country was a very powerful experience. »
Based in Gangneung, where the skating and ice hockey events take place, Marine Mauchauffée went through her South Korean year with her eyes and mind wide open. She slipped into the daily life of an Asian city, totally immersed in a culture about which she knew nothing. But when it comes to sorting through her memories, she remembers one meeting. “With Jacques Rogge, the former president of the IOC,” she confides. I had the privilege of meeting him at the opening ceremony. We exchanged a few words. »
The young woman still hopes for the Olympic future. Its mission ends with the PyeongChang Games. She will return to France, but with the ambition of going abroad again. “I would like to join the organizing committee for the Tokyo 2020 Games,” she slips.
