Listening and interpreting at the same time
What is simultaneous interpreting?
Simultaneous interpreting is a mode of interpreting in which the speaker makes a speech and the interpreter reformulates the speech into a language the audience understands at the same time (or simultaneously). Simultaneous interpreters work in an interpreting booth although they may also use a bidule (portable interpretation equipment without a booth) or whisper (chuchotage). For whispering interpreting, the interpreter is seated or standing with the participants and interprets simultaneously directly into their ear.
The essential skills
The required skills are the same as for consecutive interpreting.
The three main actions are essentially the same:
- listen actively (understand)
- analyse (structure the message)
- reproduce (communicate)
The difference with consecutive interpreting is that all these things need to happen at the same time.
The skills described in the consecutive interpreting page are still required: a special way of listening, prioritising information and distinguishing between primary and secondary information, activating short-term memory, communicating, etc. In addition, a good simultaneous interpreter has to be able to anticipate what the speaker might say (especially when the language spoken by the speaker has a very different syntactical structure to the one it is being interpreted into). The ability to remain calm under pressure and be resilient to stress is even more necessary in simultaneous interpreting.
Digital assistance
As meetings are becoming increasingly specialised and technically complex, digital skills and AI tools can make preparation more efficient. In the booth, AI tools can also help interpreters find the exact terminology and numbers on the spot. However, the interpreter using these tools still needs to master the skills described below.
Challenges in the booth
In this interpreting mode, the interpreter’s active (spoken) language is also under more pressure, as they must speak at the same time as they listen and analyse. Therefore, there is a greater need for excellent native-language or active-language skills than in consecutive interpreting.
The possibility of ‘interference’ from the passive (heard) language to the active language is also greater in simultaneous interpreting, so interpreters must pay even more attention to their output. This might mean getting away from the original syntax, chopping up long sentences into shorter ones and avoiding ‘false friends’ (words in different languages that are similar in spelling and/or pronunciation, but have different meanings).
This explains why trainee interpreters learn consecutive interpreting first as that is where they learn the key skills necessary for interpreting. Simultaneous interpreting uses the exact same skills but with some added layers of complexity and difficulty.
Simultaneous interpreting requires acquiring a combination of different skills. While speaking more than one language is fundamental, it’s just one part of the job. There are many universities that offer courses in conference interpreting.
Resources
For simultaneous interpreting, there are a number of resources on this platform:
- Speech Repository (for practice speeches)
- DG Interpretation training material
- ORCIT (Online Resources for Conference Interpreter Training)
For more detailed information, you can consult a large number of books on simultaneous interpreting. You can find the names of some of them and additional useful resources on our pages on books and E-books and articles and journals.