Consecutive Interpreting

For speeches, business negotiations, in smaller discussion groups, for after-dinner speeches, lectures, etc. it is commonplace for languages to be interpreted consecutively, that is, with a delay. When applying this interpreting technique, the interpreter is in direct contact with the interlocutors. At the same time that the speaker formulates his/her sentences, the interpreter makes notes on what is being said. The text is then rendered in the foreign language while the speaker takes a brief pause. Professional consecutive interpreters are capable of reproducing speeches of up to 15 minutes in length in another language subsequent to the narrator having spoken.

Liaison interpreting

One derivation of consecutive interpreting is liaison interpreting. In this case, the content is also translated consecutively, but this time interpreters begin translating almost immediately. They wait until one or two sentences have been spoken before formulating the message in the relevant foreign language. Liaison interpreting is typically applied when accompanying delegations, during lunches, at meetings involving notary publics or lawyers, at trade fairs and similar occasions.