Interpreters work in sound-proofed booths, listening to the speakers through headsets and interpreting into microphones with a 2-3 second delay. The audience (listeners) wears receivers through which they listen to the voice of the interpreter. The interpreters are required to listen to the speakers as they interpret; a process that requires high levels of concentration. Meetings vary in length and content, thus interpreters usually work in teams of 2-4, taking over from each other at intervals of 15-20 minutes.

Simultaneous interpreting is common at large multinational meetings, meetings attended by large numbers of delegates and protracted meetings. Ten Nine Communications can also provide the special interpreting equipment necessary for this style of interpreting. Please feel free to contact us about our interpreting services.

With consecutive interpreting, the interpreter take notes while the speaker is talking and then delivers the interpretation at appropriate pauses in the discourse and while the speaker is silent. The repetition of this process is known as consecutive interpreting. In contrast to simultaneous interpreting, the interpreter is required to speak for the same length of time as the speaker, thus, if the speaker gives a 30-minute discourse then an additional 30 minutes will be required for interpretation. A single interpreter should be sufficient if the event will last for less than three hours, including breaks; anything longer will necessitate a team of 2-3 interpreters.

This style of interpreting is common in meetings where just one or two of the participants require interpretation. The interpreter sits behind a maximum of two listeners and provides simultaneous interpretation. This type of interpreting is also referred to as simultaneous interpreting without a booth. The interpreters speak quietly (whisper) to prevent their own voice from occluding succeeding utterances by the speaker. When it is the turn of an individual who has been participating in a meeting via an interpreter to speak, the interpreter will switch from whispering to consecutive interpreting. A single interpreter should be sufficient if the meeting is scheduled to take under an hour, but the same requirements as for a simultaneous interpreting team will apply for anything longer.

With simple equipment, whispering interpretation can also be used for more than two listeners. We offer a rental service for this equipment, so please contact us if you are interested. Whispering makes for shorter meetings than consecutive interpreting and precludes the necessity of installing the sound-proofed booths used in simultaneous interpreting.