Consecutive Interpreting

The most important practical consequence of this structure is that it needs no special technical equipment. There is no booth, no headset, no sound system; all it takes is the interpreter being in the room. There is a price for that, though: because the interpretation is interleaved with the speech, the meeting runs markedly longer – roughly speaking, everything is said twice, once in each language.

When is it needed?

Consecutive interpreting suits settings with few participants where the exchange is a two-way conversation. Bilateral business meetings, proceedings at a notary public, medical appointments, small meetings, factory and site visits and meetings with public bodies are typical examples. In these settings the conversation already moves in turns, so the interpretation slotted in between does little to disturb the natural flow.

The method is unsuited to situations where the speaker cannot be paused and waited for. At large multilingual meetings with many participants and a tight schedule, consecutive interpreting slows the proceedings down; simultaneous interpreting is the better fit for those. Where being physically in the same place is not possible, remote methods come into play.

How the process works

Most of the work in consecutive interpreting happens before the meeting begins; how well it goes on the day usually comes down to how well the interpreter was prepared. That is why the sequence below starts with briefing and materials. During the meeting itself, rhythm is what matters: a speaker who pauses in short, coherent stretches allows the interpreter to keep note-taking and memory in balance. Asking for a brief confirmation instead of guessing at anything unclear is an unvarying rule of the process. The steps below follow the same discipline whether the assignment is a transaction at a notary public or a visit to a site.

1. Briefing. The subject of the meeting, who will be present and what it is meant to achieve are shared in advance; the interpreter prepares the terminology of the field.
2. Materials. Any agenda, draft contract or presentation is provided beforehand; preparation is half the battle on the day.
3. Speech and rendering. The speaker talks in short stretches and pauses; the interpreter renders what was said, working from the notes.
4. Checking. Where something is unclear, the interpreter asks a short question to confirm it rather than proceeding on an assumption.
5. Closing. Where appropriate, a brief summary or note of what was agreed is confirmed orally at the end of the meeting.

What to watch for with this service

The quality of consecutive interpreting depends largely on preparation. When the interpreter knows in advance what the meeting is about, who will be there and what it is for, the rendering is far more accurate. An interpreter who arrives with no information about the subject learns the terminology on the spot, and that leaves room for error. Briefing beforehand, as far as confidentiality allows, is therefore strongly recommended.

The second point is that consecutive interpreting is the interpreting of speech; it does not stand in for a written document. If a text rendered orally in a meeting later needs a written, certified translation for an official procedure, that is a separate job, handled through the document certification processes set out on our our document guide pages. Items such as travel, accommodation and assignments outside the city are assessed separately, according to the nature of the work. In the same way, where an assignment runs over several days, takes place at unusual hours or covers a demanding agenda, those conditions are discussed at the outset. A framework settled in advance lets the interpreter prepare properly and lets both parties get what they expected; it keeps later uncertainty to a minimum.

Notes, memory and preparation

The most visible tool of the consecutive interpreter is the notepad, but these notes are not shorthand. The interpreter does not write down every word; they use a system of symbols that captures the meaning, the figures, the proper names and the logical connections. The rendering itself comes from memory, and the notes are only the scaffolding that supports it. This is why a speaker who talks for very long stretches without pausing will stretch even the most experienced interpreter; moving in short, coherent stretches raises the quality of the rendering directly.

In consecutive interpreting, preparation comes before performance on the day. When the subject of the meeting, the identity of the parties and the specialised terms that will be used are known in advance, the interpreter can prepare the language of that particular field. The clauses that will come up in a contract negotiation, or the medical terms that will be used at a doctor’s appointment, make the rendering far more secure when they are shared beforehand. The value of that preparation is bound up directly with the command of terminology we emphasise on our translation services page, where we describe how we work in specialised fields.

How it is priced

Consecutive interpreting is generally assessed on time spent, by the hour or by the day; measures such as words or pages do not apply. The determining factors are the length of the assignment, how specialised the subject is, the language pair and where the meeting takes place. A half-day at a notary public and a full day at a site visit are not judged by the same measure. For assignments outside the city, items such as travel and accommodation are discussed separately. A firm framework can only be set once the details of the assignment are known; no specific hourly or daily rate is given on this page.

You can send us the subject, length and location of your meeting through the quote form or directly via our contact page. The languages we work in are listed on our language pages.

Situations that come up often

• No briefing given. Where the subject is not shared in advance, the interpreter cannot prepare the terminology; accuracy suffers.
• Choosing the wrong method. Putting consecutive interpreting into a crowded meeting with a tight schedule; it slows the proceedings needlessly.
• Expecting a written record. Assuming that an oral rendering will serve in place of a certified document; official use calls for a separate written translation.
• Long, unbroken speech. A speaker who talks at length without pausing makes note-taking difficult; the meeting needs to move in short stretches.

The account below summarises typical practice; individual institutions may do things differently. The authority you are applying to decides the final requirement, so check with them in advance.