A conference with attendees from across the globe, an interview with someone who doesn’t speak your language or a business meeting arranged to negotiate a trade deal with an international collaborator. These are typical examples of when getting an interpreter is the best choice to ensure effective dialogue that properly conveys the message and avoids miscommunication. However, interpretation can take many forms depending on the context, so choosing the method best suited to reach your goals requires some evaluation.

In this article, we provide insight into the different types of interpretation: consecutive, simultaneous and whispered (or chuchotage) interpretation, to help you identify the most suitable solution for your needs.

Consecutive Interpretation

Consecutive interpretation is when the interpreter provides a delayed translation of what the speaker is saying at regular intervals. How is it done? The interpreter usually sits near the speaker and takes notes while they are speaking, later relaying to the audience what the speaker said. This type of interpretation is largely used for interviews, press conferences or for large business meetings. A adept consecutive interpreter must be able to actively listen, quickly analyse what they speaker is saying, take well-organised notes and then accurately convey speech while being true to the original. It therefore requires quite a broad range of skills: from active listening and understanding, to the ability to analyse and communicate.

Simultaneous Interpretation

Simultaneous interpretation involves one or more interpreters translating speech in real time from a soundproof booth. The interpreter listens to the speaker through headphones and simultaneously translates what is being said while the audience listen to the interpretation through headphones linked to the interpreter’s microphone. Given the difficulty of listening and talking at the same time, without the speaker taking any breaks, simultaneous interpreters normally work in pairs, alternating every 15-30 minutes and supporting each other at more complicated points. Simultaneous interpretation is also called conference interpretation as this is the context in which it is most commonly used. This method of interpreting naturally lends itself to international conferences, large-scale meetings and trade shows. It can also be carried out remotely, for webinars or videoconferences, for instance. In these cases it is referred to as Remote Simultaneous Interpretation – RSI.

‘Chuchotage’ or Whispered Interpretation

The name of this particular type of interpreting derives from the French verb ‘chuchoter’ meaning ‘to whisper’, though it is now widely referred to as whispered interpretation. This is because the interpreter whispers what the speaker is saying to the client in real time. Unlike traditional simultaneous interpretation, the interpreter sits between the speaker and the person in need of the translation rather than in a soundproof booth.  While this saves the need for technological support, it requires greater effort on the interpreter’s part as they do not have a noise-free booth, meaning they must be able to speak at an appropriately low volume so as to not disturb the speaker while also speaking loud enough to be heard. That’s why whispered interpretation is used for business events, small meetings and television interviews, where only one or two people are in need of the whispered interpretation. A tool that can be particularly handy in these settings is a ‘bidule’, a professional, portable and easy-to-use closed-circuit system that includes a transmitter and receiver with headphones for real-time interpretation. An ideal tool for any setting in which using an interpreter’s booth is not possible for either logistical or financial reasons.

With extensive experience in providing translation, interpretation and localisation language services, Perenchio Translations can help you find the ideal interpretation solution for your needs and provide you with the best native interpreters.