The modern culturally diversified environment requires information to be shared and understood accurately to avoid misunderstandings. While some individuals speak a language fluently as their mother tongue, others need interpretation to understand what’s being communicated.
Unfortunately, interpreters aren’t the same. Getting better results requires selecting professional consecutive interpreting services to help prevent language barriers that hinder seamless communication, creating costly and undesired outcomes.
What is consecutive interpretation?
If you want to host an event that’s more interactive and engaging, consecutive interpretation does the magic. With this technique, the trained interpreter attentively listens to the speaker through note-taking and translates the message accurately to the audience. There are two types of consecutive interpretations including:
- Long consecutive: It’s mainly used for more official engagements that can last up to 5-10 minutes or longer and usually involves taking notes to capture the meaning.
- Short consecutive: It takes a more casual approach because the interpretation is limited to fragments of a sentence at a time. Unlike its counterpart, long consecutive, the note-taking technique isn’t used by the interpreter.
Consecutive interpreting is used widely for legal proceedings like arbitrations and hearings where the interpreter listens to the witness and translates.
Benefits of professional consecutive interpretation services
Any interpretation mode is necessary because it enables people speaking in different languages to understand each other. However, depending on the outcome of the speech, consecutive interpreting has more benefits including:
1. More reliable translations
Even if you’re an experienced interpreter, delivering a high-quality simultaneous translation can be challenging. Rushing through the process gives you little time to get the suitable words for effective translation.
Professional consecutive interpreting allows the interpreter to pay more attention to the subject including body language. Plus, there’s enough time to sufficiently prepare and deliver a more reliable and accurate outcome.
2. Increased audience engagement
Sometimes, listening to one person speaking can be boring. In many cases, the audience will lose focus, and it can get worse especially when two people speak simultaneously. However, allowing more time between the speech and translation can significantly enhance the attention levels of your listeners.
In addition, your audience will likely understand the topic better since they can easily compare what’s spoken in both languages.
3. No specialized tools required
In many events like conferences, speakers and the audience use different languages. This may require the organiser to use devices that support parallel communication. Luckily, consecutive interpretation sessions do not need special audio or electronic equipment, making them more affordable.
Instead, the interpreter relies on their language mastery and interpersonal skills. Moreover, the spare time allows for note-taking and reformulating the content for better outcomes.
4. It’s less demanding
Language interpretation usually comes with increased costs. That’s because at least two interpreters may be required for each language. Fortunately, only one consecutive interpreter is enough for a small seminar or training that lasts a few hours, which makes it less costly.
Conclusion
Interpretation is a complex process that helps to bridge language gaps. When done in real-time in a cross-cultural setup, it can be even more challenging. That’s why organisations must engage professional interpreters to ensure the audience receives accurate and reliable interpretation.
