CONSECUTIVE AND WHISPERED INTERPRETING SERVICES

PROFESSIONALITY IN OFFERING CONSECUTIVE AND WHISPERED INTERPRETING SERVICES

CONSECUTIVE INTERPRETING

Consecutive interpreting does not require the use of conference systems and is often two-way.

Unlike simultaneous interpreting, the interpreter waits for the speaker to finish a part of their talk, taking notes with a special technique, and translates during special pauses or at the end of the speaker’s presentation.

Only one interpreter is required for half-day presentations, while two interpreters are required for a full day.

Alltrad helps customers in choosing the most suitable service, taking into account, for example, the fact that consecutive interpreting significantly lengthens events, even doubling the duration.

Consecutive interpreting is usually used when you need to translate to the audience in a single foreign language, for meetings, bilateral discussions, interviews, or short presentations, for small or medium-sized groups, and also in court.

Our consecutive interpreters, whose linguistic training is always guaranteed, also have excellent interpersonal skills that are at the basis of success in this kind of service.

The interpreter, in fact, positioned physically close to the speaker, is an intermediary for the customer’s company in that specific moment. As a result, their professionality, beyond their linguistic competence, must also be reflected in their behaviour and interpersonal skills.

These features are essential for a successful, quality consecutive interpretation service. For this reason, the Alltrad team is composed of long-time collaborators with proven linguistic training and professional experience.

The task of the consecutive interpreter does not solely consist in understanding the language, but in taking note of the whole nucleus of the message, so as to reproduce it in full, including after 20-25 minutes.

In this context, note-taking takes on enormous importance. It is a genuine mnemonic device that enables, via symbols, abbreviations, and other ancillary elements, the grasping and, subsequently, communication of the whole sense of the presentation, without neglecting details nor the intonation, anecdotes, or ironic comments.

This very effective technique, which is not comparable to stenography, is an aid for consecutive interpretation and must, necessarily, be schematic and minimalist given that it serves to summarise, as a whole, an oral presentation in which it would be difficult for the speaker to express themself at a slow enough speed to allow the transcription of every single word.

WHISPERED INTERPRETING

Whispered interpreting is a kind of simultaneous interpretation that does not require the use of any equipment.

Alltrad recommends this type of service to its customers for a maximum of three people who use the translation, so long as the event does not last more than two hours. To do their work, the interpreter must sit next to the parties concerned so that these can hear the translation expressed in a low voice.

Whispered translation is often proposed to customers during bilateral meetings or where there are few people who do not understand the language of the speakers at an event/meeting.

At times, the interpreter who practices whispered interpretation uses headphones so as to hear the speaker better, but often it is done without the aid of any equipment. The translation is whispered to one or more listeners, but always to a small number.

Alltrad carefully selects an interpreter who uses this technique: as well as linguistic knowledge, which must be certified and of a high level, the professional must prove they can be flexible with the customer, modulating their voice so as to be heard without disturbing the other participants. They must also know how to control the stress that sometimes results from interferences that render the speaker’s address unclear.