The speed and immediacy of simultaneous interpreting may create a few challenges. With almost 20 years in the conference and simultaneous interpreting field, we at Spanish Solutions have found that there many ways to overcome them.
Here are our top 5 Tips for Simultaneous Interpreting:
ANTICIPATION IS EVERYTHING
Familiarity with the topic and the speaker’s speech pattern is a must. To practice, pay attention to how people around you speak, you’ll see that you can predict the next idea, pause or reaction.
The knowledge of the source language is also important. Mastering expressions, set phrases and locate important words is fundamental for anticipation.
DÉCALAGE = CONTEXT
Décalage is the time difference between what the speaker says and its reproduction by the interpreter in the target language. If you increase your Décalage you will be able to get more context before interpreting.
You can practice this by interpreting videos while you pause them.
Challenge yourself to be at the top of your game!
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Sometimes the speed in which the interpreter must translate the message may lead to some omission of the general idea. You have to monitor yourself to make sure you are able to catch everything that is being said.
PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!
SHADOWING
Train your brain to listen and speak while continuing to listen at the same time. You can practice this shadowing a 20-min-long, structured speech, such as TED Talks. Repeat what you hear in the same language you hear it, record yourself and see the results.
Improve your memory by slowly lengthen your decalage. Once you feel comfortable, start interpreting the speeches.
DON’T SACRIFICE QUALITY
You must train your brain to multitask without sacrificing quality. For example, listen to a speech while writing down a grocery list or numbers from 1 to 50, afterwards, see how much of the speech you can remember.
KEEP YOUR BRAIN SHARP!
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