Simultaneous Interpreting Services
Want to have a live demonstration of how simultaneous interpreting works? Find any news video over the Internet and try at least to repeat all the sentences and words that the presenter says. If you succeed quite well, try saying the same in another language without munching words, in a clear confident voice, and spend some 15 minutes doing that. We are sure that you will be dead tired following that time, and you will wonder all your life after that at the marvel of simultaneous interpreting!
At least, you will understand using your own experience why simultaneous translation services cost so much and why this is not a profession for everyone: you should have a remarkable attention span to succeed.
What is Simultaneous Interpreting?
First of all, let’s make it clear that it is wrong to call this process simultaneous translation as translation usually refers to rendering a written text in another language in a written form while interpreting refers to the oral rendering of speech in one language into the speech in another one.
Simultaneous interpreting is done along with the speaker, without interrupting him (that is, he does not make any pauses for the interpreter to break in). If you use simultaneous interpreting services, you actually don’t listen to the speaker as you listen to the interpreter’s voice in your headphones.
Simultaneous interpreting can be done onsite or remotely.
Onsite Simultaneous Interpreting
This is when the interpreters (who usually work in pairs) sit in a special enclosed booth and take turns interpreting the speaker’s words into a microphone while listening to him or her via headphones.
Headphones and a microphone are not the only tools used: there are usually transmitters and receivers, and these are taken care of by a technician.
Remote Simultaneous Interpreting
The scope of services provided is the same, but this time the interpreter is in a remote place, usually in a home studio.
Remote simultaneous interpreting provides a number of substantial benefits:
- There is no need for traditional equipment, such as an enclosed soundproof booth.
- The interpreter no longer travels to the site, which saves costs.
- The floor space can be used to locate more participants.
- No need for technicians to travel to the event site.
In Which Cases Is Simultaneous Interpreting Used?
If two or more languages are used by the speakers and the participants need to get the information really quickly to take an active part in the event, simultaneous interpreting is a must. A conference, a symposium, or a training program are good examples of the respective events.
Foreign delegations usually require this linguistic support so that they could work and enjoy themselves while attending the event. You cannot do without simultaneous interpreting services if they need to participate in the activities in real time.
Simultaneous and Consecutive Interpreting
Consecutive Interpreting is often mistaken for a simultaneous one, but these are two different genres.
Consecutive interpreting means that the speaker makes pauses in his or her speech. The interpreter, who has been listening to him or her all this time and taking notes, breaks in and interprets what the presenter has just said. And this makes a big difference: there are no pauses for the interpreter in simultaneous translation, which considerably saves the time needed to communicate the message but also requires specialists with outstanding simultaneous interpreting skills.
Consecutive interpreting is used for small-scale events where only one pair of languages is involved.
Whispered Interpreting
It sounds strange if you hear it for the first time, right? However, this is a kind of simultaneous interpreting when the interpreter is sitting next to the listener, he or she listens to the speaker and interprets the words simultaneously by whispering them into the listener’s ear.
This is no easier than regular simultaneous interpreting, and it requires a remarkable attention span from the specialist. This kind of interpreting will be good for business negotiations, meetings, or on-site visits (to an exhibition, facility, or monument).
Simultaneous Interpreters
A simultaneous interpreter is a highly-qualified professional who has had years of training to be able to do several things at the same time:
- Hear and analyze the sentence
- Interpret it in his/her head
- Say it
As the speed is very high, the interpreter has to foresee the text that follows and kind of understand the words with multiple meanings even without context and sometimes before the presenter finishes the sentence. And this is a skill that borders on intuition and is very hard to get.
Why Are Two Interpreters Required?
The mental work required to do simultaneous interpreting is really outstanding, that’s why simultaneous interpreters are perceived as magicians in the world of translation and interpretation. But even they get tired in about 15 minutes as this is unnatural for a human to speak, listen, and analyze at the same time! This is an overwhelming pressure for the brain, that’s why interpreters have to take turns and change roles every 15-30 minutes to have a break. It is an impossible task for one simultaneous translator to do the whole conference without breaks.
Why Are Simultaneous Interpreting Services Charged At Such a High Rate?
The remuneration for simultaneous interpreting includes the cost of three items:
- Equipment used
- Work of two interpreters (at least two, more may be required depending on the event scale)
- Organizational costs
The fee paid to a simultaneous interpreter is of course higher than the one typically payable to a consecutive interpreter or a translator as these specialists cannot replace the simultaneous interpreter if need be, while he or she can interpret consecutively or translate. Simultaneous interpreters are the highest-paid and the most skilled specialists in the industry, so it should not come as a surprise to you that their services cost a lot.
Looking for simultaneous interpreters? Please contact our managers to get the best specialists in the field!
What makes a good translation? First of all, a high-quality source text. If this is a marketing piece of translation, for instance, and the original seems to convey some vague message that is hard to understand for the translator, it will be just as vague for the reader. Therefore, the customer should be prepared to work on the text to get a really good translation, and the translator should be ready to ask the customer to do so. This will make cooperation really beneficial – contrary to the “I-need-the-translation-quickly” approach that may not bear the fruit you want.
Ask the client about the country for which the translation is intended. The Arabic dialect required for Saudi Arabia will differ from the one appropriate for Egypt or Lebanon.
Most Arabic translations will require transcreation due to major cultural differences between English and Arab countries.
The target audience will determine the level of formality required in Arabic texts, so be sure to find out all the required information from the client.
The more important the translation, the higher quality should be agreed upon with the customer. High quality is achieved by editing, sometimes by several editors; it may add up to the cost, but it will finally pay off.
