“You work in pairs? But you each only speak for half an hour!” It’s a common remark, and understandable from the outside. But what goes on in a simultaneous interpreter’s head is more like a mental sprint than a conversation.
Four tasks at once
In simultaneous interpreting, the brain carries out several operations at once: listening to and understanding the incoming speech, memorising it long enough to rephrase it, producing the translation in the other language and monitoring what you are saying, all while continuing to listen to what comes next. And all with a lag of just a few seconds.
Researchers speak of “cognitive load”. At the University of Geneva laboratory, it has been studied experimentally since long before the pandemic (UN Today). What we know: beyond a certain duration, performance drops, even among the most experienced. Errors increase, often without the interpreter realising it.
What raises the pressure
- Speaking too fast, especially when the speaker reads a written text.
- Figures and lists, which saturate working memory.
- A difficult accent or a speaker who isn’t speaking their native language.
- Poor sound, which requires constant effort to understand.
- The stakes: a tense negotiation, an expert audience, a live broadcast.
- Lack of preparation, for want of documents.
Why working in pairs isn’t a luxury
It’s for all these reasons that interpreters take turns roughly every 30 minutes. And the one who isn’t speaking isn’t really resting: she follows the speech, notes down figures, looks up terms and lends her colleague a hand. Working in pairs guarantees consistent quality from the beginning to the end of the day.
My routines for going the distance
Over the years, every interpreter builds her own habits. Here are mine:
- Solid preparation: it’s the best stress reliever. The less I discover live, the more resources I have for the unexpected.
- A good night’s sleep before the assignment: nothing replaces sleep for concentration.
- Water in the booth, and light snacks. The brain uses a lot of energy.
- Breaks where I really switch off: I leave the booth, walk, get away from screens.
- Breathing: a few slow breaths before taking the microphone calm the nerves.
- Being kind to yourself: mistakes happen. You correct them if necessary, then move on. Dwelling on them costs concentration.
- A real break after big assignments: sport, nature, silence. Recovery is part of the job.
What organisers can do
You can greatly lighten this load: send documents early, ask speakers to speak naturally rather than read, stick to the planned breaks and ensure good sound. These are small gestures, but they make all the difference to the quality of interpreting.
In short
Interpreting is a fascinating profession, but a demanding one for the brain. Pairs, breaks and technical conditions are not whims: they are the conditions for reliable interpreting. When you respect them, your participants are the first to benefit.
Want to give your audience quality interpreting from the first word to the last? Contact me to organise your event in the best possible conditions.
