Help for language interpreters

Language interpreters are different than language translators. While many people use the terms interchangeably (interepreters and translators are not the same), interpretation is the oral or manual (sign language interpreting) transfer of ideas from one language to another, while translation is expressing those ideas in writing.

There are two common modes of interpretation: simultaneous interpreting and consecutive interpreting.

Simulatneous Interpretation

In simultaneous interpreting, the language interpreter usually interprets at the same time the person they are interpreting (the source speaker) is speaking. The interpreter is usually in another room or sound-proof booth where they can simultaneously listen to the source speaker talk and immediately interpret what they are saying into a microphone. This is then usually transmitted to headsets worn by those listening to the interpretation.

Many official organizations throughout the world rely on this type of interpretation, with probably the most popular being the United Nations.

Consecutive Interpretation

The second most common type of interpretation is consecutive interpretation. In this type of interpretation, the language interpreter doesn't start interpreting until the speaker has finished (it can be divided into sections). While the speaker is talking, the interpreter takes notes on the content of the speech. When the speaker is done, the interpreter gets up and interprets the speech in the target language like they were the original speaker.

Consecutive interpretation is used in situations that expensive simultaneous interpretation equipment might not be available, or where there are relatively few people. Oftentimes talks between diplomats can take this form.

The above two type of interpretation are often referred to as modes of interpretation. In addition to these modes, interpretation can take place in a number of settings, including at conferences (conference interpreting), court, prison, or an attorney's office (legal interpreting), or at a hospital or doctor's office (medical interpreting).

The largest employer of language interpreters is the European Commission because they have a working need for all the official European languages. They employ freelance as well as staff interpreters. The United Nations is also a fairly large employer of interpreters, but because they only have six official languages the numbers are smaller than the European Commission.

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