Simultaneous interpretation

This is perhaps the most qualified type of translation or interpretation, requiring of the interpreter special working skills – the ability to listen to a speaker talk while at the very same time translating his or her words to an audience. In its classic form this kind of oral translation is  done by a pair of interpreters working in a special booth into which the speaker’s voice enters and out from which the translated speech is transmitted into the earphones of the audience members.

IdeaTranslate’s team does simultaneous interpreting for Russian-French, Russian-English and French-English in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Sochi as well as travels to other cities as necessary. 

Of course, it is possible to offer interpreting services online without regard to geography. (There are currently many platforms, including Zoom, which offer the option of setting up “a room” for simultaneous interpreting.)

It is worth giving separate mention to Russian-English simultaneous interpretation using chuchotage, which is when the interpreter quietly performs the translation not from the booth but directly in the hall. The interpreter speaks softly into a microphone and his or her voice is heard in the earphones. The challenge for the interpreter is to not interfere with the speaker (who is in the same hall) while still being audible to the audience. For this, our interpreters use a headset, which makes it possible to solve this problem without having to set up equipment throughout the entire hall.

Chuchotage is a good option in situations where the target audience is small (several people) or when the location makes it necessary (for example, a workplace, factory or guided tour, etc.). 

Key skill: Ability to listen and translate orally in parallel. As the speaker continues to talk, the interpreter translates the speakers’ previous phase while at the same time listening to his or her new sentence and preparing for its translation. One must train for this craft so that the quality of the translation remains high despite all of the difficulties: terminological, rapid speech, digressions from the topic and improvisations. 

 

Taking into account the specific nature of this type of translation, we adhere to the following rules when we take on simultaneous interpretation tasks for the Russian-English and Russian-French language pairs:

Our portfolio for simultaneous interpretation in the Russian-English language pair includes live broadcasts on radio or television, conferences at the British and Canadian Embassies in Moscow and numerous seminars and exhibitions. 

 

Some examples from our experience in simultaneous interpreting for the Russian-English and Russian-French language pairs:

- Gaidar Forum (2017-2020), Moscow
- e-Days e-Commerce Conference at CCI France Russie, Moscow
- Meeting for suppliers of the Auchan company’s main office in Moscow, 110 participants
- Seminar at the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (simultaneous interpreting and equipment), 60 participants
- St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, St. Petersburg, 2018-2019