A good translation company has several multidisciplinary profiles that fulfill very different tasks. At LST, for example, we not only have simultaneous interpreters, but also consecutive best certified interpreters. The latter are usually less well known. So today we’re going to take a closer look at consecutive interpreters to find out exactly what their job responsibilities are .

1. Translating what a speaker says so the entire audience can understand

Put yourself in the situation: A medical eminence travels to a foreign country to give a lecture. However, he speaks in a language that the listeners of the said lecture do not speak. In such situations, a consecutive interpreter can be very useful.

Your job is essentially to listen to the speaker. Notes are then made as the meeting progresses, which he then uses to translate the key things the speaker said . In this way, all listeners are able to internalize the relevant concepts.

2. First step: Listen and analyze

First, the consecutive interpreter listens very carefully to the speaker . In order for your subsequent professional simultaneous translation task to be performed with better results, also carry out an analysis of the sentences that the speaker is explaining. This first step can be summarized as active listening.

3. Structured notes to get good results

While the consecutive interpreter listens to and analyzes the speech, he also organizes it in the form of notes. In the past, the typical notepad or notebook and ballpoint pen were common. However, technological development and environmental awareness have led to the fact that tablets are being used more and more today.

Regardless of whether a physical or digital format is used, the notes are taken very quickly. The structuring of the speech is crucial as it allows for an orderly memory of everything that was mentioned in the speech  . This way the consecutive interpreter can translate them without forgetting important terms.

It is worth noting that some very experienced and talented consecutive interpreters are able to get the job done without having to take notes. Still, in most cases they are used to get a more accurate result.

In any case, when a translator starts working in a translation agency to gain experience in the field of court room interpretation, he starts his work without taking any notes. In this way their memory will be stimulated to the maximum and later the notes and annotations will be inserted, which must be well structured .

4. In order to reproduce the speech perfectly, both languages ​​must be mastered

Finally, the final step in consecutive interpreting is to reproduce the speech . Some speakers are already used to such situations and will pause from time to time to facilitate the interpreter’s job. No matter how many notes you take, translating and reproducing an hour-long lecture is not easy.

In any case, a prerequisite for working as a legal aid interpreter is mastery of both languages . In this sense, our native translators are definitely the right choice. Thanks to their extensive knowledge, experience and idiomatic command of the language, they are able to deliver.

The notes you made in the previous step are ideal for reproducing the speech. Thanks to their language skills, they can do their job fluently and without unnecessary breaks, while fully reflecting the original content. All important expressions are faithfully and precisely reproduced in another language.