What is simultaneous interpretation?
Simultaneous means at the same time. In simultaneous interpretation the interpreter speaks almost at the same time as the speaker, only a few seconds behind. They hear the speech through headphones, grasp an idea and say it in the target language into a microphone. Meanwhile they are already listening to the next sentence.
It is the usual form at conferences, congresses and general meetings with an audience in several languages. The speech runs without breaks and every language has its own channel. Listeners choose their language on the receiver and listen on headphones.
Professionals speak of interpretation because it deals with spoken language. Simultaneous translation is common in everyday use and means the same thing. The people who do this work are called simultaneous interpreters or conference interpreters.
Consecutive vs simultaneous interpretation, and whispered interpreting
In consecutive interpretation the speaker says a passage and then pauses. The interpreter then renders that passage in the other language, often with the help of notes. No booth is needed. Everything is said twice, though, so the event takes correspondingly longer. Consecutive interpreting is typical for dinner speeches, interviews and small meetings.
In whispered interpreting, also called chuchotage, the interpreter sits next to a few listeners and speaks quietly at the same time as the speech. Again, no booth is needed. For a small group a tour guide system with a microphone and receivers is often added. Whispering does not work for a whole hall.
| Simultaneous | Consecutive | Whispered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When it is interpreted | during the speech | after each passage | during the speech, quietly |
| Equipment | booth, sound system, receivers | a microphone in the room | none or a tour guide system |
| Listeners | as many as there are receivers | everyone in the room | a few people |
| Time needed | same as the speech | much longer | same as the speech |
| Typical for | conference, congress, general meeting | dinner speech, interview, small meeting | individual guests in a meeting |
Translation vs interpretation: what is the difference?
Translators work with written text. They have time to look up terms, revise the text and have it proofread. The result is another text, such as a contract, a report or a website.
Interpreters work with spoken language. They render what is being said as it is said, with only seconds to do it. There is hardly any time to look things up, which is why preparation with the programme, documents and terminology matters so much.
The two professions call for different skills, and not every translator interprets. If you need someone to render speeches live at an event, you are looking for an interpreter, even if you search for simultaneous translation.
How a team of interpreters works in the booth
As a rule there is one booth per target language, with two interpreters. The booth is soundproofed and has a view of the stage and screen. Sound goes from the mixing desk into the booth, and the interpreters’ microphone feeds the channel for their language.
The two take turns at fixed intervals, often around every half hour. Simultaneous interpretation is demanding, and taking turns keeps concentration up through the day. The one who is not speaking helps by noting figures and names, looking up terms and taking over when needed.
If nobody in a booth understands the speaker’s language, that booth listens to another booth. This is called relay. If someone speaks Italian and the English booth has no Italian, it interprets from the German booth.
Before the event the interpreters read the programme, documents and speaker list and prepare their terminology. At the event a technician looks after the system with its transmitters and receivers.
What AI changes about simultaneous interpretation, and what it does not
With AI interpretation, software takes over the work in the booth. It hears the speech, translates it and speaks the translation in a synthetic voice, also a few seconds behind. No booth is needed and no interpreters have to travel.
Much stays the same. The sound has to come clean from the mixing desk. Each language needs its own channel. Depending on the solution, listeners use receivers or their own phone. Names, abbreviations and technical terms need to be known in advance, and someone has to listen during the event and be able to step in.
AI has limits of its own. For Swiss German on stage, debates with interruptions, negotiations and confidential content, human interpreters remain the better choice. How the options differ in cost is set out under Cost and comparison.
Key terms in brief
You will come across these terms when you plan a multilingual event. More on the equipment is under Interpretation equipment and Translation headsets.
- BoothA soundproofed room for the interpreters of one language, with a view of the stage. There are permanent booths and mobile ones set up before the event.
- Interpreter consoleThe control unit in the booth, with microphone, headphones and buttons for channel and relay.
- RelayA booth listens to another booth and interprets from there. It is needed when nobody in the booth understands the speaker’s language.
- ChannelEach language runs on its own channel of the system. There is often an extra channel with the original sound from the room.
- TransmitterIt carries the channels by radio or infrared to the receivers in the hall.
- ReceiverA small device with headphones on which listeners choose the channel for their language.
- DelayThe gap between speech and interpretation. Anyone interpreting has to hear an idea before they can render it. For people and AI alike, this takes a few seconds.
Simultaneous interpretation with PONTAVOX
PONTAVOX provides simultaneous interpretation with AI and brings it into the hall through the sound system. The sound comes from the mixing desk, and each language has its own output and its own channel. Guests listen on receivers and headphones, with no phone, no app and no booth.
The interpretation runs about five seconds behind the speech, with one fixed voice per language. On stage the speech needs to be in standard German or English. The audio samples let you hear the result. What an AI interpreter can do and where its limits are is explained under AI interpreter.
At the Eventforum Bern you book hall, equipment, technician and interpretation from one source. Elsewhere we license PONTAVOX for the duration of the event.