All about Consecutive

Interpretation – FAQ
by InterStar Translations on in Best Practices, Business, Client Education, Conference
Interpreting, Conference Preparation, Consecutive Interpretation, Due Diligence, FAQ, how
to, Interpretation, Interpreter Education

A story about consecutive interpretation:

In the early days of conference consecutive interpretation there was a
genius interpreter, who could listen to a 2 hour speech and then deliver
his interpretation flawlessly. Instead of taking notes, he would take a
sheet of paper and start drawing the speaker’s portrait. Then, when it
was his time to interpret, he would “read” from the portrait, because
every line and notch associated with him mind with a speaker’s idea. At
the end of his interpretation, he would gift the portrait to the speaker!
What is consecutive interpretation?
In consecutive interpretation the interpreter repeats in the target
language the passage that the speaker has just said in the source
language. Strictly speaking, consecutive interpretation exists in two
configurations:
• long consecutive – the speaker can say not just one of two
sentences, but a passage or several passages. Students of
professional consecutive interpretation should be easily able to listen to
the original passage of up to 5 minutes and to deliver their
interpretation after that.
In some cases interpreters have been known to deliver 30 minute
passages. This mode of interpretation is better suited for official or
diplomatic occasions, when the speaker must have an opportunity to
deliver an entire speech and cannot be interrupted.
• short consecutive – usually only one or two sentences are said and
sometimes even a part of a sentence. This mode is more interactive
and requires faster turn-taking between the speaker and the
interpreter.
This mode is used more often and is better when the speaker wants to
establish rapport with the audience or when there is active interaction
between the speaker and the audience as in Q&A sessions, for
example, or lectures in front of live audience.    
 
What situations are the most suitable for consecutive
interpretation?
Any situation you can imagine. Keep in mind, however, that
consecutive interpretation may take twice more time and plan your
speech accordingly. Consecutive interpretation is suitable for large
conferences, bilateral meetings, interviews, panel discussions and
business talks.

Nowadays, however, international

organizations such as the UN or the World Bank mostly
use simultaneous interpretation and leave consecutive for smaller or
bilingual meetings. It is understandable, because if there are more than
2 languages, consecutive interpretation may significantly delay
proceedings.    
 
How consecutive interpretation evolved? What is its history?
Consecutive interpreter is a very old profession. Although we do not
have any records, a need for language interpretation probably first
arose when one prehistoric tribe wanted to communicate with another.
Interpretation becomes a profession already in the ancient world: first
professional interpreters are said to be present at the court of Egyptian
pharaohs, and the division between civilian and military interpreters
was already there in ancient Persia.
In Korea during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) the jungin (or the
“middle people”) was a highly specialized group of technical experts
who helped aristocracy to run the government. There was a special
Office of Interpreters. The jungin taught civil servants foreign
languages and provided government interpreters for the court.

A Mayan vase depicts se veral

people being received by a ruler. Once of the shields says in classic
Mayan language: CHIJLAM or “interpreter.”
Throughout history many interpreters were also translators i.e. they
interpreted orally and worked as scribes who translated written texts as
required by their employers.
In Europe, Latin, French and English succeeded each other as the
language of diplomacy. Educated diplomats and statesmen were
usually multilingual and until the early XX century there was no
particular need for diplomatic interpreters as a separate category.
There was, however, a great need to communicate with inhabitants of
newly discovered lands, including the Americas. A few names of
interpreters survived, for example, Doña Marina or Malintzin helped
Cortés in at least three languages: Spanish, Náhuatl, and Chontal
Maya.
In the early XX century came the era of large international
conferences. Speeches could last for 2 hours and then the interpreter
for each language would take the floor and deliver the interpretation for
2 hours too – a very time consuming exercise.
With the invention of simultaneous interpretation the share of
consecutive gradually diminishes after WWII.    
 
How is consecutive interpretation done?
It is obviously not possible to remember and recall 5 minutes of text:
human memory has very limited capacity and no special exercises may
lift certain biological limits and restrictions our memory has.
The interpreter analyzes the source text and uses special note
taking techniques to jot down the contents of the speech. Beginners
need to be warned, however, that the interpreter note-taking is not
stenography i.e. it does not put down on paper the text verbatim.
 Writing down the entire text would
mean that the interpreter would be limited by the structure of the
original text rather than conveying its meaning. Each written sign or
word, however, should be the tip of an iceberg and activate in the
interpreter an entire chain of words or thoughts to be said.
Another common mistake beginners have is that they rely on their
notes too much. Your notes are only a reminder and the blueprint of
the entire passage should be kept safely in your head.
When the source text is listened to and analyzed, the interpreter is
taking notes and jots down the most important words, numbers, names
and connections between sentences and passages.
What is extremely important is to prioritize information and remember
about the message not just the words!    
 
How are consecutive interpretation students trained?
 Consecutive interpretation
students are run through a series of more and more difficult exercises
to analyze the source text, prioritize information and to deliver
interpretation.
It is much more than simply retelling in your own words: you should be
able to create in your target language the image of the speaker as if he
were speaking that language, but do it subtly, without mocking the
speaker and without attracting too much attention.    
 
What qualities should I have to become a professional
consecutive interpreter?  
Flawless command of your working languages, analytical skills, quick
thinking, ability to prioritize information quickly, and very importantly –
acting skills!
Consecutive interpreters are like actors on the live stage: your
presence, eye contact with the audience, voice skills are as important
as what you say.  
 
What is more accurate: consecutive or simultaneous
interpretation?
 This question was debated quite a
bit when simultaneous interpretation was being introduced in the
United Nations and other international organizations after WWII.
General consensus nowadays seems to be that professional language
interpreters who are well trained and are experienced can deliver very
high quality interpretation in both consecutive and simultaneous
modes. Simultaneous interpretation, however, seems to follow the
structure of the original more closely, while consecutive interpretation
gives more of a gist of the original speech.  
 
How can I – as a speaker – best help my consecutive interpreter to
perform better?

Brief your interpreter on the topic

of your presentation and any important terminology. If you plan to tell
jokes, let your interpreter know: some jokes do not translate well.
Preparation is everything.
Agree in advance what length of passages you prefer in consecutive.
Usually one or several sentences will suffice. While professional
consecutive interpreters are able to translate rather long passages, you
do not want to tire your audience and it is best to make your
presentation more interactive, especially if it is educational in nature.
After the beginning of your presentation you and the interpreter will
establish a certain turn-taking routine and you will know in advance
how much time you have to think about the next passage while the
interpreter is speaking, and the interpreter will know the length of
passages you will give him or her. The rhythm will create the
atmosphere of predictability and will allow you to concentrate more on
the meaning of what you want to say and pay less attention to the fact
that you are being interpreted.
 
How to evaluate quality of consecutive interpretation?
Of course, without being a professional interpreter yourself (even if you
speak the languages) it is impossible to fully evaluate an interpreter’s
performance. There are way too many things a professional interpreter
has to keep in mind that a delegate may not even think about.

However, there are several clues

that may help you see if your interpreter does, indeed, deliver.
One of them is how much time the interpretation takes compared to the
original. Interpretation must never be more than 70%-80% of the
original in length: there is nothing worse than a substandard interpreter
droning on and on.
The reaction of the audience is also very important: do people nod their
heads, for example? A surefire way to see if you are understood is to
observe if the people in the audience blink – humans usually blink once
every several seconds and if delegates stare blankly into space when
the interpretation is being said then something may be wrong.
Make sure you get the reaction from the audience that you need: if
necessary, repeat but not in the same words: rephrasing helps both the
audience and the interpreter.
If the interpreter asks you a question or needs a clarification it is not at
all a sign of the interpreter’s weakness: professional interpreters must
be confident they understand the original fully and it is their duty to
clarify ambiguous passages.