Contact us or visit our Kraków office at ul. Szlak 10/5
Contact us or visit our Kraków office at ul. Szlak 10/5
Interpretation is an indispensable tool in the exchange of ideas. It enables the mixing of cultures and enriches the world of commerce, diplomacy and science. It involves the rendering of speech in another language, in real time or with little delay. Conference interpreting is a relatively new form of interpreting whose nature is directly linked to a specific type of event (mainly conferences, but not exclusively). It aims to convey not only the meaning of the speaker’s words themselves, but also all the subtleties of his or her speech, such as tone, emotion, humour, metaphors and other hidden meanings. In order to convey the essence of the speech as faithfully as possible, the interpreter speaks in the first person. This type of work requires a high level of concentration, divided attention, efficient working under time pressure and, of course, an excellent knowledge of both languages and their cultural context. A conference interpreter always works with one language pair and very often conference organisers opt for simultaneous interpreting, which requires two people to work together and be present for one language pair. If the nationalities are more diverse, more interpreters are needed.
As the name suggests, conference interpreting takes place at conferences, but also at symposia, seminars or training sessions. These are usually fairly formal meetings with many speakers and a large audience. If these are people from different parts of the world, language barriers can be a problem. These can be overcome by the services of conference interpreters. Their work may sometimes require a combination of interpreting and translating – it all depends on your needs. At Alingua we offer comprehensive conference interpreting support: we provide fully equipped simultaneous interpreting booths, headsets and expert technical support. If necessary, we also work with texts, recordings and various multimedia materials. If, in addition to interpreting at your event, you need to prepare a presentation in a foreign language in advance, for example, please contact us to arrange the details. Our conference interpreting services also cover remote conferences held on platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. In any case, we guarantee that the audience will receive the interpretation and translation as if it had been produced in their native language.
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Conference interpreting does not represent any distinct method of interpreting. However, it is useful in the interpreting industry because it immediately indicates the specific nature of the meeting and the client’s expectations. The main types of conference interpreting are simultaneous and consecutive. Simultaneous interpreting is best suited to larger events, as it does not extend the length of the speech and allows the audience to follow the presentation as it is being made, as well as the speaker’s facial expressions and gestures. A separate type is whispered interpreting, which is used when only one or a few guests need interpreting. This is a form of simultaneous interpreting that does not require the use of soundproof booths. The interpreter translates the original text in real time, but directly to the audience – without the use of any equipment. He or she must also speak in an undertone so as not to distract the other participants in the meeting.
Simultaneous interpreting is used when there are many people in a hall who need interpretation from the source language. Everything is done at the same time as the original speech – with only a 2-3 second delay. It is an extremely difficult task, requiring simultaneous listening and translation and therefore excellent concentration and divided attention. Interpreting takes place in a special soundproof booth equipped with a microphone and headset. The interpreters have to change every 20 minutes or so to allow themselves time to recover. There are times when a lecture needs to be interpreted into several languages simultaneously. In this case, there must be enough booths in the hall, with at least two interpreters for each language pair. Participants in the meeting are provided with headsets through which they can hear the text translated into their language almost in real time.
Consecutive interpreting is less commonly used at conferences, as it adds up to twice as much time to the meeting. On the other hand, it is of better quality, more consistent and more accurate. This is because the interpreter does not speak at the same time as the speaker. He or she waits for the speaker to pause, which can happen every few sentences or so. During this time, the interpreter takes notes and remembers as many details as possible. During the pause, the interpreter renders the original words in the target language as accurately as possible. Although he or she may shorten the original speech slightly, this method always extends the presentation time. Consecutive interpreting is therefore more likely to be used for intimate meetings where you can afford it. For larger audiences, the use of this solution can cause impatience in the audience.
We believe that interpreting is more than just words, which is why we team up with professionals who share our values and are passionate about their work. Our interpreters are knowledgeable and experienced individuals who can handle the stress of such a responsible role. They also have remarkable diction and linguistic accuracy, making them a pleasure to listen to, and their speech is every bit as good as the original text. If you would like to use our conference interpreting services, please contact us by completing the enquiry form. It only takes a few moments to complete it and we will get back to you within 15 minutes with an initial quotation. Once all the details have been agreed, we will propose an interpreter who is not only fluent in the selected languages, but also specialises in the technical vocabulary of the conference. We also offer the services of our sworn interpreters.
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90 languagesWith 15 years of experience working with texts from all over the world, you can be assured of language support no matter your needs.
Sample translationsIn the case of larger projects, clients can request a sample of text translated by several different translators in order to choose a style most suited to their expectations.
Customer satisfactionIn-house statistics from the last two years show customer satisfaction at 99.7%.
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Foundation1% of the value of our projects is donated to Alingua Helpful Word Foundation (Fundacja Alingua Pomocne Słowo). Each submitted order helps those in need.
