Contact us or visit our Kraków office at ul. Cystersów 9
Contact us or visit our Kraków office at ul. Cystersów 9
At some conferences, symposia, lectures and even TV broadcasts, you may notice a small, mysterious-looking booth. It is an interpretation booth – an invaluable aid to the simultaneous interpreter. Inside are a headset, a microphone and a chair. With this equipment, the specialist is able to translate the speaker’s speech almost word for word, with a minimal delay of about two seconds. This is extremely demanding work. There is no question of repetition or slowing down. The recipients of a speech translated in this way sit in the hall wearing headsets that play the sound of the speech being translated live. To ensure the best possible experience for our clients, we use interpreters who not only have excellent language skills, but also excellent pronunciation and diction. Experience also plays an important role – the work of a simultaneous interpreter is extremely demanding, so he or she must be able to cope with stress and react quickly to changing conditions. When done correctly, simultaneous interpreting is hardly inferior in quality to the source text, and sometimes even better than the original speech.
Most interpreters consider simultaneous interpreting to be the most challenging form of work – not only of the various types of interpreting, but of translation in general. What makes it so difficult? Well, simultaneous interpreting takes place instantaneously, almost simultaneously with the message being spoken in the source language. To make this possible, a special booth is needed with a properly configured headset and a microphone. The simultaneous interpreter listens to the message and simultaneously translates it into the target language without any pause after the original utterance. This requires quick thinking, split attention and the ability to anticipate the speaker’s next words. After all, each language has a slightly different structure, and a literal, word-for-word translation will usually not produce intelligible sentences – let alone a well-formed utterance. It is therefore essential not only to know the language, but also to be able to move freely within the specialist vocabulary.
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Consecutive and simultaneous interpreting are often confused. This is not surprising – they are two types of interpreting that take place live during a speech. So what is the difference? The main difference is that consecutive interpreting is done with pauses. From time to time, the speaker stops talking. During these pauses, the interpreter translates what has just been said for the whole audience. In order to remember the information as faithfully as possible, the interpreter takes notes quickly and accurately. In this way, the speech can only be translated into one target language. It also extends the duration of the meeting – sometimes even doubling it. This is where the advantage of simultaneous interpretation comes into play – as the speaker is not interrupted, the event is not prolonged at all. By setting up several soundproof booths, simultaneous interpretation can also be provided into several different languages.
A good simultaneous interpreter must have a perfect command of the languages he or she works with. Cultural knowledge and an understanding of the non-verbal subtleties of the speaker – which can vary from country to country – are also essential. It is important to translate not only the meaning of the speech itself, but also its specific nature. This type of work is extremely mentally taxing. To ensure a high quality of translation, interpreters need frequent and regular rest breaks. For this reason, there are almost always two or more interpreters per language pair in a single booth. This ensures that the speech has the same impact on all listeners, regardless of their nationality. As well as a high level of knowledge, experience and divided attention, simultaneous interpreters must be able to cope with stress, work well under pressure, show a high degree of creativity and concentration, and be able to think and react quickly to stimuli.
This type of interpreting is most commonly used at large international and multilingual conferences, including online meetings. It is also used at trade shows, industry events, political negotiations and televised debates. A team of experienced simultaneous interpreters enables the entire event audience to participate in the deliberations and even engage in a smooth and lively discussion without worrying about language barriers. Thanks to technology-assisted interpreting, international communication is becoming easier and easier. Our interpreters will be happy to assist you with your upcoming event – they are not only experienced, but also creative and quick to adapt to any situation. We adapt to your needs, providing professional interpreting services for online meetings as well as full hardware and technical support for live events.
In addition to simultaneous interpreting (of which conference interpreting is a very important part), we also offer consecutive and whispered interpreting. Of course, we do not expect our clients to be familiar with all these technical terms and the differences between them. Our specialists always choose the most appropriate form of interpreting for the task at hand. You are welcome to contact us by email or by using the enquiry form on our website. We will respond to each message within 15 minutes with an initial draft of our quote. In the case of interpreting, it is usually necessary to discuss in detail the nature of the planned meeting and the client’s expectations. Once we have agreed all the details, we will select the best interpreter (or several interpreters) for you. In the case of simultaneous interpreting, it is possible to work with several language pairs at the same time. We will select as many specialists in a given field as necessary to ensure that the meeting runs smoothly. The price for this service depends on the number of interpreters engaged and the length and complexity of the meeting.
ISO 9001ISO 9001 certification provides evidence that Alingua applies certified procedures to ensure consistent high quality of its translation services.
TechnologyThe use of CAT tools and AI-powered solutions helps control work organisation, streamlining the translation process.
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%.
Professional liability insurance coverYour translations are protected by an insurance cover of up to PLN 300,000.
MembershipThe Alingua Translation Agency is a member of a number of industry-specific organisations which aim to maintain the highest quality of translation services in the world of advancing technology and growing expectations.
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.
