Interpretation
What is it?
Interpreting is the act of rendering orally a speech from one language, the source language, to another one, the target language.
Interpretation is done from one given language into the interpreter’s native language.
However, to be an interpreter it is not enough to speak fluently more than one language. If acute knowledge of one’s native tongue is indeed required, an extensive knowledge of one or more other languages as well as of the cultures and countries where these languages are spoken is necessary. Interpreters have usually lived in different countries and must be naturally interested in international news, as well as to be willing to constantly learn new subjects (of technical, medical or political nature, for instance) to be proficient; because an interpreter’s job is to understand a verbal message communicated in a given language using a certain register of speech (or degree of formality), tone of voice, and referring to a particular context, and simultaneously be able to render the speech into the target language in the same tone and register, while translating idioms accurately.
There are 4 major types of interpretation:
Conference interpreting
It is done from a soundproof booth with audiovisual equipment by a team of 2 interpreters who take turns to interpret a speech given by one person to an assembly in a conference room.
Conference interpretation is required in international conferences and international organizations such as the European Parliament or The United Nations.
Conference interpretation is always done simultaneously: the interpreter renders the speech of a delegate as he or she speaks into another language.
Whisper interpreting
Can also be used in private delegate sessions where the interpreter only interprets for one person in the room, therefore sitting next to them and rendering the conversation in a soft voice to that particular person.
Relay interpreting
It is another type of conference interpretation. It is used when no interpreter can be found for a particular set of languages (for example, Chinese to Portuguese). In this case, one interpreter interprets from the source text (Chinese, for instance) into English, and another interpreter interprets the message from English into the target language (Portuguese, for instance).
Court interpreting
It is done in a tribunal, and is another type of simultaneous interpretation. However, in order to be a court interpreter, it is necessary to have a legal background and to know the judicial system of the country where the interpreting is performed. Court interpreters should have been trained specifically to work in a court room, as opposed to other work environments.
Phone interpreting (also called OPI – Over-the-Phone Interpreting):
It is an on-call type of work, where the interpreter is contacted by an agency to be the link between a customer and their client. Phone interpretation is often used for medical consultation, and is a consecutive type of interpreting. The interpreter listen to both parties (the doctor and the patient, for example), before interpreting the message in both languages. The interpreter here interprets for the doctor when the patient speaks, and for the patient when the doctor speaks.
On-site interpreting (also called liaIson or community interpreting):
On-site interpretation is similar to phone-interpreting, in regards to how the interpreting appointment is scheduled, and how the interpreter works; the main difference is that instead of working on the phone, the interpreter travels to the place of interpretation. It can be a hospital, a business location, a local community…
Note that consecutive interpretation is more suitable to small group-settings. While simultaneous interpreting is used in large-group settings as it allows for a faster pace of work.
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