Do you know when foreign politicians or celebrities go on TV and…
…there comes a voice making it instantly undestandable for viewers?
That’s the art of simultaneous translation. And, here, you’re speaking straight to the Brazilian voice behind your message
More than translating words, interpreters enable true and proper comunication
And that is why the wonderful and promising tool of artificial intelligence will never replace professional simultaneous translators — the true message lies way beyond words.
Oral speeches bear lots of cutural references, shades of humor, and a whole intentionality going on together with the communication. Only us humans can factor all of that in.
How does simultaneous translation take place?
In which cases should I hire it?
Professional conference interpreters are highly trained to reproduce speeches into their active languages nearly in real time.
That’s what makes simultaneous translation the perfect tool to facilitate communication between people from different languages and cultures, enabling the best use of shared time for all involved.
You should use simultaneous translation for almost *all* kinds of event settings, whether they are in person or online (using Zoom).
PRO TIP: to ensure quality, prioritize hiring interpreters with accreditation from peer-reviewed, professional associations such as AIIC and APIC. I’m currently a member of both.
What to take into account when planning an event with simultaneous interpreting?
- Is the job on-site or online (Remote Simultaneous Interpreting – RSI)?
- Dates, time and venue (tip: think of timezones!)
- Languages
- Event duration – how many total hours and working hours?
- Sound infrastructure at the venue (or online): microphones/headsets, loudspeakers, soundboards, cables)?
- Hire proper booths and interpreting equipment (booth systems + handout receivers)
- Will there be online broadcasting?
- Do you need to record the interpretation?
- Please share with the interpreters useful info such as the agenda, links, presentations, and any other relevant material for terminology preparation
Interpreters are true detectives!
Assignment in, assignment out, interpreters delve into all different kinds of terminology fields.
To prepare for your event, a professional interpreter will:
- Analyze the agenda in detail so as to get acquainted with important names, brands, products and much more
- Create and memorize glossaries based on materials sent over by the client + lots of professional research
- Check speakers out on YouTube in beforehand to detect style, challenging accents or speech traits such as speed, pronunciation peculiarities, etc.
- Research into previous glossaries from previous assignments, use specialized glossary building tools and make good use of AI for research and terminology investigation purposes.
Simultaneous translation for market research
I communicate spontaneously and I think fast, which really comes in handy when interpreting the fast-paced, fluid conversations that we often see in market research.
Face-to-face or online, I provide engaging simultaneous interpretation from Portuguese into English for focus groups, in-home visits, street interventions, and 1-on-1 interviews.
indirectly rendered services for modern giants such as Meta (Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp repeatedly over the years), Uber, Google, S.C. Johnson, Betnacional, Duracell, L’Oreal, among others.
Having interpretation is an act of inclusion
This is actually a short manifesto of sorts:
The real importance of offering interpretation is making sure *no one* is kept out of the conversation.
It is sometimes assumed that all participants are fluent in English or Spanish and “everybody will understand just fine”.
But don’t fall for that. Having a good command of a second language does not mean fluency.
Lack of fluency means you do get the words, but they fly over you. They don’t stick to your mind. A waste of time. Sad but true.
Everybody should have the right, the pleasure, and even taking pride in speaking their own language.
Hire interpretation!
It is very frustrating to have your guests leaving the event with “a kind of” an understanding. A partial, poor one. They came from far. They are offering their time. They deserve to just enjoy and not think about languages right then and there.
Also, don’t trust AI to properly handle human communication – our only real decisive trait as a species. Our fundamental peculiarity!
#humansfirst
Pro tip: hire interpreters for LIBRAS and/or other sign languages, too!
I'll soon be uploading a video of myself
reading from a book
for you to have a voice sample!
Other interpreting modalities
Consecutive translation
It’s a classic: the speaker will say a few sentences and stop for the interpreter to translate them.
In fact, before technological developments in the 20th century, consecutive interpretation was the only form of oral translation available, as it does not require any equipment.
The biggest caveat with consecutive is the duration aspect. In order to convey the message, it will take nearly twice as much time.
Adittionally, the 2-step dynamic of this modality usually interferes with the attention span and engagement of participants.
Except for a few spot-on cases, avoid consecutive. Still unsure? Reach out.
Liaison interpreting
Both simultaneous and consecutive interpretation help in external settings such as visiting sites, delivering training in a factory, etc. The interpretation industry calls this “liaison interpreting.” Simultaneous translation always saves time, but equipment is required. If that is your need, get in touch and learn more about it.
