Simultaneous interpreting involves one person speaking and several others listening, not all of whom will speak the same language, and a translator or a team of translators where necessary translating the spoken word from one language into the language of the client.

This can be done either by voice alone (whispered interpreting) or with the use of electronic equipment like a microphone and earpieces or by using a text/type facility where as the speaker is speaking the translator simultaneously translates what is being said and types it into a machine which is then read on displays in front of the client.

Why Use Simultaneous Interpreting?

One of the best uses for simultaneous interpreting is during international conferencing. Consider all of the different languages being spoken in somewhere like the United Nations, how would they function during meetings and conferences without taking advantage of some form of simultaneous interpreting? Simultaneous interpreting is far more efficient than waiting for a speech to be transcribed.

By utilising simultaneous interpreting all of the nuances and inflections of the speaker are conveyed to the listener. Simply using transcribed information leaves the client with nothing but a piece of flat reading material, all of the emotion and passion of the speaker has literally been lost in translation.

What Other Situations Could Use Simultaneous Interpreting?

Simultaneous interpreting can be of use anywhere where people of more than one nationality are getting together. This could even be somewhere like a hospital environment, police station or court house as each of these situations relies on clear and effective communication to reach a common goal.

Business meetings, conferences and conventions, anywhere someone is addressing a crowd or delegates or attendees and the message needs to be conveyed in different languages so that everyone there receives and understands the same message also require simultaneous interpreting.

Is Simultaneous Interpreting the Best Method to Use?

Whether simultaneous interpreting is the best method to use depends entirely on the situation. In only a small meeting with two languages at play, whispered interpreting may work best. Simultaneous interpreting works best in large conferencing facilities, when the interpreter is away from the delegates in a booth, within clear earshot of the speaker, and can then use the electronic equipment at his disposal to transmit the translated material to any number of delegates directly into the ear pieces or via use of a text type screen.

With the translated words going directly from the speaker to the delegate in a matter of seconds, none of the importance or emotion contained in the message is lost as the simultaneous interpreting embodies all of the inflections and feeling of the original speech.

The delegates are constantly kept in the loop and have an understanding of not only what is being said at the time, but also how it is being said. They can then form a response in their own language, transmit it to the interpreter and have that forwarded to the speaker in his own language using the same simultaneous interpreting system.

Charlene Lacandazo works for Rosetta Translation, a leading interpreting services agency in the UK. Rosetta Translation provides simultaneous interpreting as well as consecutive interpreting for its clients world

Charlene Lacandazo works for Rosetta Translation, a leading http://www.rosettatranslation.com/interpreting-services/ interpreting services agency in the UK. Rosetta Translation provides http://www.rosettatranslation.com/simultaneous-interpreting/ simultaneous interpreting as well as http://www.rosettatranslation.com/consecutive-interpreting/ consecutive interpreting for its clients world

Author Bio: Charlene Lacandazo works for Rosetta Translation, a leading interpreting services agency in the UK. Rosetta Translation provides simultaneous interpreting as well as consecutive interpreting for its clients world

Category: Education
Keywords: simultaneous interpreting,simultaneous interpreting services,simultaneous interpreter