Simultaneous Interpreting / Conference Interpreting
by Laura Monzon-Storey
Simultaneous Interpreting is a fascinating activity to witness. It is an impressive skill that requires a high level of linguistic proficiency, quick thinking, specialised training and many hours of practice. An interpreter can hear a person speak, process the meaning of what they say and render it in another language, while processing the next section of the speech at the same time - all while being under pressure to produce a high quality rendition. On paper, it seems impossible that this can be done.
But people do it, and the method is commonly employed when it is not an option to ask the speaker to pause, as is required for consecutive interpreting. It is the main interpreting modality at fora such as the United Nations and the European Parliament, as well as at business and government conferences and live media broadcasts. While a speaker is presenting, an interpreter is listening through headphones and interpreting into a different language. This requires exceptional language agility and the ability to rapidly switch between different language systems. The interpreter's full concentration is on the presenter's voice and gestures, and on the concurrent process of speaking. It is a highly demanding cognitive process that at once involves listening, analysing, comprehending, converting and producing messages.
Simultaneous interpreters may even, at times, engage in activities secondary to this process. They may need to jot down a word, date or figure so as to read them during their rendition rather than storing them mentally. Or they may quickly search for a word or acronym among their prepared notes. If there is a pause in the speech, they often use it to look up a word on their laptop, to have it ready for the next time it is needed. Everything happens at high speed, and a high level of concentration is required - so much so, that professional interpreters almost always work in pairs, alternating every 20-30 minutes, allowing their minds to recharge and clear before taking on another slot. No other profession has this as a requirement. Any interpreter who claims they can work alone is either not serious or has never interpreted simultaneously before.
Interpreters benefit enormously from being given a short brief and/or written material for the presentation. Access to the speaker's presentation slides or notes means that interpreters can research words, acronyms, names and, most importantly, get a general understanding of the topic before the presentation, so as to deliver a top quality product.
This said, even experienced and confident interpreters with excellent command of the language pair they work with will inevitably deal with factors out of their control, such as:
When people at the receiving end of simultaneous interpretation voice their comments, it is not uncommon to hear words like 'mind-blowing'. This comes as no surprise, as the combination of linguistic expertise and cultural competence, cognitive abilities, multitasking skills, stress management, concentration, short-term memory, technical proficiency, professional ethics, general knowledge and life experience makes simultaneous interpreting an impressive feat.
So much so, that many accomplished and experienced consecutive interpreters find that they cannot cope with the pressure and the speed of simultaneous interpreting. So when a company requires the services of a simultaneous interpreter, they should ensure that they use a well prepared professional who knows how to approach the job and will deliver the best possible product.
'What has been said, cannot be taken back'. ❒
Email me if you want to receive samples of ENG < >SPA simultaneous interpreting work I did in person and remotely. I can only provide work that complies with the principle of Confidentiality in the COE of our profession.
But people do it, and the method is commonly employed when it is not an option to ask the speaker to pause, as is required for consecutive interpreting. It is the main interpreting modality at fora such as the United Nations and the European Parliament, as well as at business and government conferences and live media broadcasts. While a speaker is presenting, an interpreter is listening through headphones and interpreting into a different language. This requires exceptional language agility and the ability to rapidly switch between different language systems. The interpreter's full concentration is on the presenter's voice and gestures, and on the concurrent process of speaking. It is a highly demanding cognitive process that at once involves listening, analysing, comprehending, converting and producing messages.
Simultaneous interpreters may even, at times, engage in activities secondary to this process. They may need to jot down a word, date or figure so as to read them during their rendition rather than storing them mentally. Or they may quickly search for a word or acronym among their prepared notes. If there is a pause in the speech, they often use it to look up a word on their laptop, to have it ready for the next time it is needed. Everything happens at high speed, and a high level of concentration is required - so much so, that professional interpreters almost always work in pairs, alternating every 20-30 minutes, allowing their minds to recharge and clear before taking on another slot. No other profession has this as a requirement. Any interpreter who claims they can work alone is either not serious or has never interpreted simultaneously before.
Interpreters benefit enormously from being given a short brief and/or written material for the presentation. Access to the speaker's presentation slides or notes means that interpreters can research words, acronyms, names and, most importantly, get a general understanding of the topic before the presentation, so as to deliver a top quality product.
This said, even experienced and confident interpreters with excellent command of the language pair they work with will inevitably deal with factors out of their control, such as:
- Quality of equipment
- Accents
- Speaker's adrenaline
- Topic
When people at the receiving end of simultaneous interpretation voice their comments, it is not uncommon to hear words like 'mind-blowing'. This comes as no surprise, as the combination of linguistic expertise and cultural competence, cognitive abilities, multitasking skills, stress management, concentration, short-term memory, technical proficiency, professional ethics, general knowledge and life experience makes simultaneous interpreting an impressive feat.
So much so, that many accomplished and experienced consecutive interpreters find that they cannot cope with the pressure and the speed of simultaneous interpreting. So when a company requires the services of a simultaneous interpreter, they should ensure that they use a well prepared professional who knows how to approach the job and will deliver the best possible product.
'What has been said, cannot be taken back'. ❒
Email me if you want to receive samples of ENG < >SPA simultaneous interpreting work I did in person and remotely. I can only provide work that complies with the principle of Confidentiality in the COE of our profession.