How many types of interpretation do you know? Part I
What is consecutive interpreting?
Interpreting after the speaker has finished
The interpreter sits with the delegates, listens to the speech and renders it, at the end, in a different language, generally with the aid of notes. In the modern world consecutive interpreting has been largely replaced by simultaneous, but it remains relevant for certain kinds of meetings (e.g. highly technical meetings, working lunches, small groups, field trips).
Well-trained interpreters can render speeches of 10 minutes or more with great accuracy.
Definition: European Commission, Directorate General for Interpretation
What is simultaneous interpreting?
Interpreting while the delegate is speaking
The interpreter works in a soundproofed booth with at least one colleague. The speaker in the meeting room speaks into a microphone; the interpreter receives the sound through a headset and renders the message into a microphone almost simultaneously. The delegate in the meeting room selects the relevant channel to hear the interpretation in the language of his/her choice.
There are many different possible configurations of languages or language regimes.
Definition: European Commission, Directorate General for Interpretation
This type of interpretation is performed by a minimum of two interpreters.
What is Relay?
Interpreting between two languages via a third
When a delegate speaks in a language not covered by an interpreter in an active language booth, this booth can "connect" (audio link) to another booth that does cover this language and "take the relay" of that. The interpreter works via another language without a perceptible loss of quality.
Definition: European Commission, Directorate General for Interpretation
What is Retour?
Working from your mother tongue into a foreign language
Normally interpreters work into their mother tongue. Some interpreters know a second language well enough to be able to work into that language from their mother tongue. This is called "retour" interpreting. The French word for return is universally employed.
A small number of interpreters know their second active language so well that they are able to interpret into that language from all the languages in their language combination. These interpreters are said to be able to work in two booths. Retour interpreting is especially useful to provide relays out of less well-known languages into more widespread languages.
Definition: European Commission, Directorate General for Interpretation
What is Pivot?
Using a single language as a relay
If only one or two interpreters have a less widespread language as a passive language they are said to be the "pivots" for the other booths which will take relay from them. The French term is universally employed.
DG Interpretation always tries to avoid to have a single pivot (pivot unique) for any language in its team. Sometimes a single language is a pivot language, but covered by two interpreters who both work retour into one language and take turns in the same booth or by one retour interpreter and one interpreter in the booth of the retour language who can take turns.
When putting together a large team (say 23-23) DG Interpretation always tries to provide relay through different language families (Germanic, Romance, Finno-Ugric) in order to distribute the work-load more evenly across the team and in order to avoid any imbalance in the interpretation that might result from always transiting through only one relay language or language group.
Definition: European Commission, Directorate General for Interpretation
What is Cheval?
An interpreter working alternatively in two booths in the same meeting
A cheval (French for horse) interpreter "sits astride" two booths in a meeting. Normally, there are at least two interpreters present for each language, but if a simultaneous meeting works in only two languages, you can save one interpreter by employing a cheval, an interpreter who is able to interpret into both languages, and who moves between the booths according to need.
Normally, interpreters work into their mother tongue. Some interpreters know a second language well enough to be able to work into that language (second active or "B-language") from their mother tongue. This is called "retour" interpreting. The French word for return is universally employed. A small number of interpreters know their second active language so well that they are able to interpret into that language from all the languages in their language combination.
Definition: European Commission, Directorate General for Interpretation
We continue with the different types of interpreting in the second part of the article.
