This brings us to the conclusion that the spoken source text is broken into segments or fractions. The length of a fraction depends on numerous factors, but primarily, the context and purpose, but also the prior agreement between the interpreter and speaker/client. Sometimes, a fraction is just a sentence. This rate of interpreting is usually employed in judicial institutions, where a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail are of utmost importance (we’ll get back to this later). However, at conferences, meetings, and other events, the speaker’s turn lasts for about 2–3 minutes, but certainly not longer than 5 minutes, which is the absolute maximum given the interpreter’s memory (another subject we’ll get back to). Ideally, the source text should be segmented thematically.
We mentioned accuracy and attention to detail. Unlike written translation, where no information should be omitted, interpreting doesn’t allow for this kind of approach, mostly because of the interpreter’s memory, but also for practical reasons. If the interpreter talked as much as the speaker, meetings would take twice as long. This is why the translation should be only about 70% of the source text. So, in addition to a perfect command of both the source and target language, good memory, and excellent interpreting skills, an interpreter has to be equipped with one more skill—the ability to tell the difference between relevant and irrelevant information.
Consecutive interpreting
Clients often mistakenly request ‘simultaneous interpreting’ services, when what they really mean is consecutive interpreting. This confusion stems from a common misconception that simultaneous interpreting is just a synonym for interpreting. The truth is that there are several types of interpreting, the main ones being simultaneous and consecutive. As we’ve come to realize that the term ‘consecutive interpreting’ is not as widespread and is practically non-existent outside translation circles, we’ve decided to write this text and leave no doubt.
The word ‘consecutive’ is of French origin, coming from Latin, and is synonymous with ‘successive’, ‘sequential’. This name is quite self-explanatory—the source language speaker talks for some time, after which they take a break and let the interpreter translate the spoken source text to the target language. So, the speaker and the interpreter don’t talk simultaneously, but rather consecutively, i.e. one after the other.
The cardinal rule of every type of interpreting and translation, regardless of the language pair, is to translate the meaning, rather than words. This is even more meaningful in interpreting, where the above-mentioned limitations make the focus on the gist a must. Fortunately, spoken language is a lot different than a written text, in that it is repetitive, tautological, and full of filler words, which all facilitates the filtering process.
When individual fractions of the spoken text are longer than a sentence or two, a notepad with a hard backing and a pen are every interpreter’s powerful allies. Since the speaker doesn’t quite dictate the text to the interpreter, but rather talks at a natural pace, interpreters had to come up with special note-taking techniques. Even though every interpreter has their own system, in most techniques, sentence constituents are not written from left to right, but diagonally, and commonly used words are often replaced with predetermined symbols. In addition to buying some time during the actual note-taking, this approach also helps generate a more readable, easy-to-reproduce text. Notes can be taken either in the source or target language, which is up to the interpreter to decide.
We’ve already mentioned the 5-minute time limit, but it’s also important to mention that of two hours, which is also related to the human ability to commit a certain amount of information to memory. Basically, a single interpreter should not be interpreting for more than 2 hours without interruption. Otherwise, fatigue will kick in, which will in turn compromise the quality of the produced text. This is why events lasting more than 2 hours require hiring two interpreters, who take turns every 2 hours or more often. These periods are much shorter in simultaneous interpreting.
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