Conference Interpreting

All Conference and VIP Interpreters provided by Multimedia Languages & Marketing are strictly AIIC members as well as NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators & Interpreter of Australia) accredited senior conference interpreters. Multimedia Languages & Marketing also provides conference interpreters for VIP purposes (consecutive and bilateral interpreting).

What is a Conference Interpreter?

A conference interpreter is a professional language and communication expert who, at multilingual meetings, conveys the meaning of a speaker's message orally and in another language to listeners who would not otherwise understand.

The work of a conference interpreter is an oral intellectual exercise which is quite distinct from written translation and requires different training and qualifications.
Conference interpreters work in the heat of debate, thinking as they speak. Conference interpreters usually work from one or several foreign languages into their mother tongue. Conference interpreters use different modes of interpretation (simultaneous, consecutive, whispering) depending on the type of meeting and working environment.
How we work

You may already have seen or heard interpreters at work whispering for heads of state or interpreting in sound-proof booths at large international conferences.
The ability to interpret is a skill many claim but few truly possess. Consider the process of interpretation: the interpreter listens to the speaker, understands the message and converts it into another language, speaks to the delegates and all the while monitors his output to ensure elegant delivery. And while this is happening the interpreter is absorbing the next part of the speech.

Conference interpreters usually work in a team put together for a specific conference according to the event's working languages.

Today, interpreters spend most of their time performing simultaneous interpretation through headphones. For smaller meetings, where only two or at most three languages are used, consecutive interpretation is also suitable.

Modes of Interpretation

Simultaneous
In a sound-proof booth with direct view onto the conference room, the interpreter listens to a speaker through earphones and simultaneously transmits the message in another language through a microphone to listeners in the room.
Consecutive
Seated at the conference table, the interpreter listens to a speech, takes notes and then renders the meaning of the speaker's message in another language.
Whispered
Seated in the meeting room, the interpreter whispers in another language, to a maximum of two delegates, what is being said by a speaker.

How to choose Conference and VIP Interpreters
AIIC is the only worldwide association for conference interpreters. Founded in 1953, it brings together more than 2600 professional conference interpreters in over 80 countries. Membership in AIIC is achieved by peer review through a system of sponsorship, strict entering criteria and the interpreter must have worked at least 200 conference days. Interpreters make a commitment to respect AIIC’s stringent Code of Ethics and Professional Standards.

Text and information source: AIIC International Association of Conference Interpreters, www.aiic.net