Simultaneous interpretation is the practice of an experienced interpreter translating a message from a source language to a target language in real-time. There are many otherwise skilled interpreters who do not possess the ability to simultaneously listen and interpret in this fashion. There are a number of niche roles that simultaneous interpreters play in local community and governmental contexts (e.g., UN translators).
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Advances in technology have made possible the relatively new field of simultaneous interpretation, which has been around for less than a century. Simultaneous interpretation is distinguished from consecutive interpretation largely by the temporal factor. With simultaneous interpretation, the interpreter will provide a translator while the speaker of the source language is still speaking.
Consecutive interpretation works in a more gradual step-by-step process. The speaker of the source language makes a statement, pauses, and the consecutive interpreter renders a translation in the target language. The process of consecutive interpretation allows room for questions between translations in a way that might not be as readily available with simultaneous interpretation.
Simultaneous interpreters are usually requested during conferences and events that bring together speakers and audiences speaking many different languages. Because of its frequent use at conferences, for example, the gathering of the United Nations (UN) known as the General Assembly of the United Nations, the practice of simultaneous interpretation has come to be known as conference interpretation around the world.
Accordingly, simultaneous interpretation requires a number of different skills from practitioners: a high level of accuracy in rendering appropriate translations to the target language, translations quick enough to enable the intended audience to get the speech in real-time, and a high level of preparedness on the part of the simultaneous interpreter prior to the conference.
One other characteristic that simultaneous interpreters often have is a high tolerance for stress. The stakes can be quite high when hundreds of foreign dignitaries and millions of listeners around the world are hanging on the next word at the General Assembly of the United Nations, for instance. The fact is that the United Nations will potentially employ hundreds of simultaneous interpreters at this event alone because so much is hanging in the balance.
The most common languages at the event are: English, French, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic. One hundred years ago before wireless technology had been perfected, these kinds of simultaneous interpretation at the General Assembly of the United Nations was simply not possible.
Simultaneous interpretation requires a minimum of two years of training, which often involves exposure to the high-stress situations that they are likely to face in the field. A thorough understanding of the idioms and nuances of both the source and target languages is absolutely required to become a simultaneous interpreter. Simultaneous interpreters will often do dozens of hours of homework on the topics likely to come up at a conference as well as extensively analyze the speech patterns of individual speakers as preparation.
Linguists rejoiced at the trailer for The Covenant when it stated what many of us have been grumbling about under our breath for decades.
If you’re curious about why the distinction matters, check out our article on the difference between translation and interpreting. To summarize, translation is written and interpreting is spoken.
Knowing that is a great start, but there’s still more to interpreting than meets the eye (or ear). Interpreting is generally performed in one of two ways: consecutive or simultaneous. And to determine which one you need – as with all things language – context is key. This article will dig deeper into the difference between consecutive and simultaneous interpreting and when to employ each method.
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If you’re looking for a definition of consecutive interpreting, the name says it all: interpreting done consecutively (after a speaker has finished talking). As such, it’s usually used for scenarios in which each utterance is short, but can extend to speeches of around ten minutes. Some situations where consecutive interpreting might occur include:
Consecutive interpretation requires an excellent memory and note-taking skills on top of a comprehensive vocabulary. Interpreters’ notes use a system of symbols representing common ideas (e.g., a pitchfork might represent agriculture). If you’d like an example, this video demonstrates one interpreter’s note-taking system for a 14-minute speech.
Every consecutive interpreter uses their own symbols. The goal is not a word-for-word recap (especially since the interpreter will have to use different words), but rather a memory aid. They help interpreters remember the speech they’ve just heard in order to present it in the target language. But what if a speech is too long to simply remember?
As the name suggests, simultaneous interpreting is interpreting done simultaneously (at the same time as another speaker). Because it relies less on memory, it’s used for longer speeches, though interpreters generally swap out with a partner every 30 minutes or so. This interpreting mode is used in places like:
The pandemic has also popularized the use of remote simultaneous interpreting for things like online meetings.
This practice often relies on simultaneous interpreting equipment. The interpreter listens to the speaker through headphones and interprets the speech into a microphone for their listeners. They’ll still have a notebook handy to accurately recall statistics, dates/years, and the names of organizations or people. For things like Zoom simultaneous interpreting, their equipment also includes a computer and solid internet connection.
What makes simultaneous interpreting really tricky is having to listen and talk at the same time. This depends on finding the right ear-voice span, or the gap between when a speaker and interpreter each start talking, which can vary by language pair. Too long, and the interpreter will forget what was said. Too short, and they risk mimicking the source language grammar or tripping up over false cognates. For example, the Spanish word compromiso most often translates to commitment, not compromise. It takes a trained, professional interpreter to catch that distinction and accurately interpret it in real time.
Interpreters often work in one or more fields (e.g., legal or medical), so they already have extensive knowledge of their specialization. On top of that, if they know the topic of the event they’re interpreting for, they’ll do additional research and come up with a set of specific symbols for that subject.
While interpreting, it’s all about active listening. Interpreters have to focus on the concepts being discussed rather than the words being spoken. They then have to reflect the tone of the original speaker and accurately convey their meaning. If you want to see interpreting in action, Wired has a great video on interpreting that demonstrates how hard interpreters work and their importance in multilingual communication.
Now that you know how and where consecutive vs. simultaneous interpreters work, you’re ready to find an interpreter to get your message across. If you need a place to start, the ATA’s Language Services Directory allows you to select an interpreting mode – consecutive or simultaneous – so you can hire the right professional interpreter for your needs.
By Olivia C. Caputo