Simultaneous interpreters and the hardships of their job

Translating is an art of its own, and it requires years of practice in order to master. Translating a text, slowly and with a dictionary, is often hard enough and takes hours upon hours, but what about immediate translation?

This is exactly what simultaneous interpreters do – they sit in a small room with big, sound-isolating earphones, absorb one language and produce a meaningful message into another. Immediately, their brains are almost literally on fire during this process.

Limited time

The difficulty of this process stands in the fact that you have extremely limited time to take into account intonation, jokes, metaphors, abbreviations and produce the same in another language. They put into action all their general knowledge, personal skills, and intelligence into a quick-paced show.

Interpreters

That is why interpreters usually work in teams of two – when one gets tired, which can happen anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes after the interpreting has begun – the partner steps in.

Professionals

After the job is done, one needs time to recover and once again be able to talk to people normally.

That is why interpreting is so well-paid. It employs high-profile professionals with years of experience and excellent training.

Action

There are, however, things that help the interpreter: a sound-isolated cabin, high-quality equipment, the aforementioned partner, prior preparation and a glass of water.

The rest is fun and action.

Start today

If you are an aspiring interpreter, but still do not know what to expect – go ahead and give it a try. I also suggest trying to translate from your native language to a foreign language as it is surprisingly easier.

All in all, have fun!