For oral translation to be successful, apart from the expertise, knowledge, skills and all the qualities that the interpreter possesses, it is crucial to prepare well. The interpreter must be familiar with the topic and terminology. If necessary, the interpreter will create a small bilingual glossary, write down the names of the participants, read the minutes from previous meetings if they exist, and define abbreviations for everything she needs (e.g. names of companies, institutions, conventions…)
As briefly stated on the page interpreting, these are the three types that we distinguish:
1. Consecutive translation
Consecutive translation comes from the Latin word consecutio, which means sequence order. It is an oral translation where the interpreter speaks, i.e. translates after the speaker has finished a sentence or a segment. It is used with a small group of people, such as business meetings, discussions with a lawyer, marriages in the registry office, business presentations, and similar.
It is also used at the highest level of bilateral meetings, negotiations, business talks, conferences, etc.
This method of translation is also used by court interpreters during oral translation in courts, as well as notary public procedures, for example, when a foreigner opens a company in Croatia and needs a translation of the entire procedure.
This type of translation requires mastering the skill of taking notes. While the speaker is speaking, the interpreters create notes based on which they will perform the translation, i.e. with the help of notes, they will ensure that the communication message is smoothly transferred from one language to another. Fun fact: every interpreter has their own way of taking notes.
The interpreters must have excellent knowledge of both languages. They can use standard language, jargon, dialectics, professional lexicon, and possible postmans or non-verbal communication when translating. They will quickly estimate what to use; if unsure, they will always use the standard language. In addition, interpreters must have excellent general knowledge, the ability to concentrate and remember, and know the issues. Also, the interpreter must have strong public speaking skills and social intelligence.
During consecutive interpreting, the interpreter does not wear headphones and is visible to everyone. Contrary to this, the interpreter wears headphones during simultaneous interpretation and is ‘hidden’ in the booth.
When is consecutive translation most often used?
Various private and business situations requiring translation from Croatian to English and vice versa, such as:
- registration of a newborn at the registry office
- doctor’s appointments
- marriage in the registry office
- business presentations
- court hearings
- job interviews
- opening a company at a notary public
- trainings, seminars and various other education for employees
- conferences, congresses, symposiums…
One of the most significant disadvantages of this type of interpreting is the time it takes to translate. Time should be considered as an important factor when planning the duration of the entire translated event because translating doubles the length of the event.
What can hinder consecutive translation?
- unpreparedness of the interpreter
- a speaker who doesn’t know or doesn’t want to formulate his text clearly (then the interpreter cannot translate the text because she/he did not even hear or misheard the speaker), we also include bad rhetoricians and unprepared speakers;
- an interpreter afraid of public speaking
2. Simultaneous translation
Simultaneous translation is a type of interpretation where the interpreter listens and speaks at the same time. That is, they listen to what the speaker is saying at the same time and pronounce the translation a few seconds later. The interpreter must have highly developed skills in simultaneous listening, memorising, translation and pronunciation. It is simultaneous precisely for this reason – because it is being listened to and spoken at the same time.
The first simultaneous translations took place during the famous Nuremberg trials.
One of the interesting things about simultaneous translation is that it is always done in pairs for several reasons:
- interpreters change every 20 minutes
- both interpreters listen intently so they can ‘step in’ for the other if the first one has technical or other problems
- both interpreters have a common notepad where they record names, numbers and other things that do not get written down during the speech
It is always done in a special booth made just for simultaneous translation, using headphones and microphones.
3. Whispered translation or chuchotage
Whispered interpreting or chuchotage is a kind of interpreting where a specialist interprets for one or two people into just one language. It is carried out by quietly translating everything the speaker says into the person’s ear. It is performed without any technical equipment. It is often used during shorter meetings because this interpretation represents a great effort for the interpreter.
Namely, the interpreter must control the volume of his speech: if she is too loud, she can disturb those around him, and if she is too quiet, she may not be heard by all the people for whom she is translating. This type of translation can even bother the other event participants if it is done too loudly because they listen to both the original and whispered translations.
It is used, for example, when one or two people who do not understand the language participate in a conference or meeting. The advantage of this type of interpretation is that there is no loss of time, as with consecutive interpretation. It is used as an alternative to simultaneous or consecutive translation.
All types of oral translation indicate that it must be done by a professional person who puts the preparation and quality of the translation first. When you need a top consecutive interpreter for your business (but also private) needs, contact me.
