Simultaneous translation

Interpretation or interpreting is the oral translation of speech or sign from a language into another.

An interpreter is a person who converts a thought or expression in a source language into an expression with a comparable meaning in a target language either simultaneously in "real time" or consecutively when the speaker pauses after completing one or two sentences.

The interpreter's objective is to convey every semantic element as well as tone and register and every intention and feeling of the message that the source-language speaker is directing to target-language recipients (except in summary interpretation, used sometimes in conferences).

For written speeches and lectures, sometimes the reading of pre-translated texts is used.

Simultaneous interpretation (SI) suffers the disadvantage that the interpreter must do the best he or she can within the time permitted by the pace of source speech and the advantages of time-saving and not disturbing the natural flow of the speaker. The most common form is extempore SI, where the interpreter does not know the message until he or she hears it.

There are two types of simultaneous interpretation. Since time immemorial, whispering simultaneous interpretation has been used, known in the trade by the French term chucotage. Whispered simultaneous To avoid disturbing the original speaker and those present listening to the original speaker, the interpreter's voice is kept at a low volume. To do this, the interpreter and the person requiring interpretation must sit or stand in close proximity to one another. No actual whispering is involved as this is difficult to decipher as well as being too much of a strain on the voice: the interpreter uses normal 'voiced' speech at a low volume. Only one or at the most two people in need of interpretation can be accommodated, unless portable electronic equipment is used.

This form of interpretation puts a strain on the interpreter who has to sit for long periods leaning towards the person in need of interpretation.

Simultaneous interpretation using electronic equipment where the interpreter can hear the speaker's voice as well as the interpreter's own voice was introduced in the Nuremberg trials in 1945. As it proved successful, IBM was able to sell the equipment developed to the United Nations.

In the ideal setting for oral language, the interpreter sits in a sound-proof booth and speaks into a microphone, while clearly seeing and hearing the source-language speaker via earphones. The simultaneous interpretation is rendered to the target-language listeners via their earphones.

The first introduction and employment of extempore simultaneous interpretation using electronic equipment that could facilitate large numbers of listeners was the Nuremberg Trials of 1945–1946, with four official working languages. The technology arose in the 1920s and 1930s when American businessman Edward Filene and British engineer Alan Gordon Finlay developed simultaneous interpretation equipment with IBM.

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