{"id":4094,"date":"2023-07-11T16:49:09","date_gmt":"2023-07-11T16:49:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fasttxt.es\/en\/?p=4094"},"modified":"2024-10-24T15:39:41","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T15:39:41","slug":"simultaneous-interpretation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fasttxt.es\/en\/blog\/simultaneous-interpretation","title":{"rendered":"Simultaneous interpretation"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The origins of interpretation as a profession<\/strong><\/h2>

Certainly, it would be somewhat absurd to try to go back in time to fix a date that would serve as a milestone to establish the birth of interpretation itself, since the figure of the interpreter exists from the very moment when a process of cultural intermediation takes place. Therefore, when we talk about the origin of simultaneous interpretation, we are referring to the systematization of the process required by the linguistic mediator to transmit a message from one language to another in real time. In this sense, the development of simultaneous interpretation systems has been closely linked to the history of contemporary international relations.<\/p>

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The need for interpretation at major events became apparent after World War One, specifically at the Paris Conference in 1919.\u00a0 Until that time, French had been the lingua franca par excellence, so that its use was preferential when dealing with international issues within the European framework; however, the preeminent position achieved by the United States after the Great War led to English beginning to share the same status as French as the language of diplomacy. Thus, the birth of supranational organizations such as the League of Nations, the International Court of Justice or the International Labor Organization highlighted the need for specialized interpreters to attend the meetings of the great leaders to enable fluent communication. It is in this context, therefore, that the figure of the professional interpreter arises, since up to now the so-called ‘interpreters’ had been experts in other subjects who for one reason or another knew several languages and were able to act as intermediaries, although their work was not thought of as a specific profession.\u00a0<\/p>

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One important fact, however, is that the interpretation provided in the international organizations of the interwar period was not as such ‘simultaneous’, but that the official interpreters were engaged in active listening to long segments of speech, during which they took notes, and then repeated what the speaker had said in the source language. This is known as ‘consecutive interpretation’. It was not until after World War II that simultaneous interpretation was developed as a large-scale communicative process. In this respect, the Nuremberg trials are often recognized as a turning point in the history of interpretation, for it is in this context that the shift from the predominant consecutive mode to the simultaneous mode takes place.<\/p>

The Nuremberg Trials and the birth of simultaneous interpretation<\/strong><\/h2>

The Nuremberg trials (N\u00fcrnberger Prozesse)<\/em> were a series of judicial actions carried out on the initiative of the Allied nations between 1945 and 1946 with the aim of punishing the responsible Nazi leaders and collaborators in the various crimes against humanity committed in the name of the Third Reich. This important event made it necessary to design a complex system that would allow interpretation in four languages: English, German, French and Russian. All the participants wore headphones and had to talk into the microphones that had been installed in the room, while the interpreters were located in booths very close to the defendants, where they carried out their interpreting work. Many of the interpreters hired had never had to deal with a simultaneous communication process before, let alone at such a dizzying speed, so they had to learn to cope with this modality in the days leading up to the start of the trials.<\/p>

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In addition to the multilingualism characteristic of the Nuremberg trials, there were two further difficulties for interpreters: on the one hand, the fact of bringing together different traditions, cultures, and legal systems in the same space, and, on the other hand, the need to coin new terms for frightening realities that had never before been seen, with the emotional impact that this entailed.<\/p>

Undoubtedly, Nuremberg had a special significance for the interpreting profession. First, the trials substantially altered the perception of multilingualism, as interpretation services were no longer limited to bilingual relations, as had been the case until then. Moreover, it was no longer a prerequisite to have to wait to hear what was being said in another language, but could be done instantaneously, resulting in a speed of information transmission never before known. It was after the Nuremberg trial that the interpreting profession really began to become widespread, and a good example of this is the birth of the International Association of Conference Interpreters (IACI) in 1953.<\/p>

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Simultaneous interpretation today<\/strong><\/h2>

Today, interpreters play a decisive role in the international arena, as they are the ones who make it possible to establish a fluid communication link within supranational organizations, such as the European Union (EU) or the United Nations (UN), which are the main providers of employment in the interpretation sector at a global level. As a general rule, professional interpreters work in the conference room itself or in fixed or mobile booths set up for this purpose, and the number of interpreters varies according to the working languages of each international organization.<\/p>

In this respect, the European institutions offer an interesting range of job opportunities for professionals who come from the world of interpretation. The opportunity to develop a professional career as an interpreter in European organizations is available in two ways, i.e., there are two different recruitment models: on the one hand, freelance interpreters, whose services are requested for specific events during the course of the year, and, on the other hand, staff interpreters, who have passed a competitive examination and perform their duties on an uninterrupted basis.<\/p>

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With regard to the first group, it should be noted that the European Union is currently particularly interested in recruiting interpreters who work with some of the languages of the countries that have recently joined the EU, such as Bulgarian, Romanian or Croatian, or of those countries that are in the process of accession, such as Turkish, for example. Languages such as Arabic, Japanese, and Chinese are also in high demand, due to the importance of these languages in the international economy. In order to work as a freelance interpreter for the European institutions, it is necessary to pass an inter-institutional test, in addition to meeting a series of requirements, such as having an official university degree.<\/p>

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Regarding the second group, that of official interpreters, this position can only be accessed through a competitive examination held by the European Union, which publishes vacancies through the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO). Some European bodies that have their own interpretation service are the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Court of Justice or the Court of Auditors.<\/p>

At FAST.txt<\/a>, we have professional interpreters specialized in different fields and for all languages, so if you want to prepare an event or arrange a meeting with a foreign supplier and require an interpreting service, do not hesitate to contact us. Trust in FAST.txt<\/a>.<\/p>

Carlos S\u00e1nchez Luis<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The origins of interpretation as a profession Certainly, it would be somewhat absurd to try to go back in time to fix a date that would serve as a milestone to establish the birth of interpretation itself, since the figure of the interpreter exists from the very moment when a process of cultural intermediation takes … Leer m\u00e1s<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4095,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[26],"tags":[271,268,270,115,272],"class_list":["post-4094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-translation-and-interpretation-services","tag-history","tag-interpretation","tag-nuremberg-trials","tag-simultaneous-interpretation","tag-today"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t