Types of interpreting

• Simultaneous interpreting

  Specialized equipment

  This method always requires specialized equipment. The interpreter speaks almost simultaneously with the speaker, while the listener hears the translation in their own language through headphones. This form of interpreting demands such high levels of concentration and focus that it must be done in pairs. Two interpreters work together, switching every 20 to 30 minutes to ensure that no part of the conversation is lost when an interpreter’s focus naturally begins to decline.

• Consecutive interpreting

  Taking turns

  Consecutive interpreting is a specialized mode of translation where the speaker and the interpreter take turns. Instead of translating simultaneously, the interpreter listens to a segment of speech, waits for the speaker to pause, and then delivers the message in the target language (listen-process-reproduce). This might take more time, but no equipment is needed.

• Whispering

  Real-time for 1 receiver

  It’s an intimate, high-intensity technique (a form of simultaneous interpreting) used when only one or two people in a group don’t speak the floor language. The interpreter whispers the translation into the listener’s ear in real-time. This is the most commonly used technique in Belgian courts.