Verbal Interpretation

          o Introduction to simultaneous interpretation and other services
          o Did you see the movie The Interpreter?
          o Why interpretation?

          o Like in the United Nations
          o How can simultaneous interpretation help me?

Introduction to simultaneous interpretation and other services

Verbal Interpretation? Simultaneous Interpretation? Interpreter? What is that exactly and what it has to do with my conference?

And we are really glad you asked, because we can give you the answer.

Did you see the movie The Interpreter?

In the movie The Interpreter, Nicole Kidman is an interpreter of some rare African dialects. During the movie you will see her performing simultaneous interpretation (when she is inside the glass booth above the conference room) as well as consecutive interpretation (when she is called to a meeting room and translates face to face).

Aside from the adventure, the political conspiracy and the life threats, the movie The Interpreter depicts very well the work and life of a professional interpreter, in this case one working for the United Nations in New York City.

Why Interpretation?

Simultaneous translation is called interpretation because the translator actually interprets a message expressed by a person and renders it in another language using his/her own words and cultural experience to help both parties understand each other.

This type of translation can be done with or without the assistance of special equipment. When the translation is rendered with the use of equipment, it is called simultaneous interpretation and without the equipment it is called whispering or chuchotage.

A consecutive interpreter, will listen to the message of the speaker, take notes (but not necessarily), and after will explain the ideas contained in it.

A simultaneous interpreter will listen to the message and render it almost immediatly to the listener. 

Like in the United Nations...

This last type of interpretation is what you would normally see in international organizations such as the United Nations, the OAS or the European Union. Where the audience uses a special receiver about the size of a pack of cigarretes with an earpiece.

This system helps the audience hear the speaker and at the same time listen to the translation in their own language, making the meeting completely transparent to all the participants.

Simultaneous translation is so effective, that only after a few minutes participants find themselves exchanging opinions and asking questions as if they were all speaking the same language.

How Can Simultaneous Interpretation Help Me?

At this time, you are probably wondering how a service designed for international organizations can help you in your business.


Well, in many countries, Costa Rica included, simultaneous translation services have become very common and quite affordable.

In our case, it probably has something to do with the fact that we have a very diverse population with important amounts of bilingual professionals who either choose to become full time freelance interpreters or alternate their profession with the interpretation of conferences related to their area of expertise.

So, whether you call it oral or voice translation or verbal interpretation, do not discard the possibility of hiring professional interpretation services for your next international or offshore event. Bring together your collaborators from different countries and build up your team communication.

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