Many of us feel confused when hearing the term “interpretation services”. What’s the main difference between translation and interpretation? When may you need such services?
Interpretation services — what are they?
Wondering what are interpretation services? Does the term sound all Greek to you? Well, although it may seem to you that you haven’t heard about it before, you are wrong, believe us.
In simple words, interpretation services denote oral translation (and this is how some people refer to them). They’re particularly helpful during various conferences, galas, official business meetings, business calls and many, many more. On the other hand, regular translation has the written form and is a bit less demanding — after all, specialists have time to check terminology, vocabulary, and proofread the text.
When talking about interpreting, everything takes place in real time, which requires enormous concentration and outstanding skills. To ensure that provided interpretation services are professional and serve their purpose, you need to choose a quality company that cooperates with real experts and offers solutions tailored to your needs.
Three main types of interpretation services
Interpretation isn’t a piece of cake, and everyone who has tried it at least once knows it well. Depending on the expectations and requirements of clients, a professional translation and interpretation company can provide three main types of interpretation services:
- Simultaneous interpretation — this takes place when an interpreter “takes” notes in the head and provides utterances in the target language when the speaker finishes a sentence or a paragraph. It’s worth noting that in an ideal scenario, the speaker should be able to continue talking uninterrupted. This form of interpretation is appreciated mainly because it helps to save a lot of time and engages listeners from various countries.
- Consecutive interpretation — this is a type which requires outstanding note-taking skills, as interpreters are allowed to talk only after the speaker finishes the entire utterance. It’s believed that consecutive interpretation isn’t as popular as it used to be because listeners who don’t know the source language are simply bored during the speech they don’t understand.
- Whispered interpretation (also known as chuchotage) — an interpreter whispers the translation to the audience every sentence or two. Similarly to the simultaneous type, interpreters need to be extremely skilled and concentrated. This variant is perfect for smaller meetings and conferences.
What are interpretation services? The takeaway
To sum up, interpretation services denote oral translation and there are various types that work well in different circumstances. Interpreting requires impressive skills and concentration, thanks to which specialists are able to comprehend the source language message and transfer it into the target language, while taking into account its culture and recipients.
