Interpreting
What is Interpretation?
Interpretation is the act of explaining, reframing, or otherwise showing your own understanding of something. A person who interprets one language into another is called an interpreter because they are explaining what a person is saying to someone who doesn’t understand.
What are the 3 types of interpretation?
Unlike translation which focuses on written communication, interpretation is all about verbal communication.
The three basic interpretation modes are simultaneous interpretation (SI), consecutive interpretation, and whispered interpretation.
Interpretation can be done online or on-site.
Simultaneous and consecutive interpretation
We will now move to the most popular and widely used modes of interpreting.
Simultaneous interpretation
Simultaneous interpreters translate the speech in their head and deliver it in the preferred language instantly, with a minimum delay, in a matter of milliseconds. It requires immediate comprehension from the audience and speaker as the original speech continues with no interruptions.
Commonly referred to as conference interpreting, simultaneous interpretation has high demand mainly because it saves time and engages diverse audiences. Besides large-scale conferences and business meetings, governmental institutions also use this mode to connect meaningfully despite the language barriers. Some of the examples are European Commission, European Parliament, United Nations, and many others.
Simultaneous interpreting is the most challenging mode for interpreters. They have minimal time, but it doesn’t stop them from staying in the same tone and registering as the speaker. As stressful as it would look, in the long term, simultaneous interpretation actually contributes to the interpreter’s ability to perform dual tasks, thus multitasking. You might not see the changes immediately, but you’re likely to benefit from them in the future!
Consecutive interpretation
The consecutive mode relies heavily on taking structured notes. When used at on-site events, consecutive interpretation can only occur if an interpreter stands in close proximity to the presenter. While the speaker delivers a speech in their native language, the interpreter listens and remains silent for a few sentences. The original speaker has to pause every few sentences as the interpreter constantly interrupts the speech to deliver it in the target language.
Since the interpreter and the speaker have to take turns during consecutive interpretation, event duration increases, and audience engagement drops. These are the key reasons why consecutive interpretation loses in popularity to simultaneous interpreting.
To maintain audience engagement against all odds, consecutive interpreters rely on their short-term memory a lot. After reading their notes, they need a lot of practice to deliver the message concisely. Even though active listening is a significant part of interpretation, it differs from your regular talk with a friend. When listening, a consecutive interpreter’s goal is to remember and reproduce the meaning with the highest accuracy possible – a task that takes a lifetime to master.
What is the difference between simultaneous vs. consecutive?
So, just to make it clear – when performing consecutive interpretation (CI), the interpreter must wait for a pause or break in the speech, usually at the end of a long sentence or when a concept is finished, to communicate while the simultaneous interpreter delivers interpretation live without having to wait. Simultaneous interpreting is recommended for big events, such as conferences and meetings.
Whispered interpretation
Whispered interpretation is also called chuchotage (whispering in French). A whispered interpreter interprets the message in their head and “whispers” it to the client. The interpreter leans over and communicates the message in a client’s preferred language in a quiet voice. Just like simultaneous interpreting mode, whispered interpreting carries the challenge of immediate understanding: you have to listen, understand, translate and deliver the speech at the same time.
While it can be suitable for smaller meetings, whispered interpretation is hard to imagine at large-scale events such as conferences. Imagine what would happen if all 300 delegates at a governmental session had their personal whispered interpreter! The process of communication would become chaotic, with 300 interpreters and 300 clients constantly whispering to each other.
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