Solutions
Interpreting
The Nuremberg Trials are regarded as the true beginnings of modern interpreting – and in particular of simultaneous interpreting. There, for the first time, new technologies were used in the trials before the International Military Tribunal. This was necessary because, also for the first time in history, large numbers of interpreters were employed in a court case, and the consecutive mode of interpreting – which was commonly used at that time – would have meant that the trials would have been far too long for all those concerned.
Simultaneous interpreting, then, had to be used. In fact, without simultaneous interpreters, the trials would probably have been impossible, or at least would have lasted much longer. The booths used for this purpose were made of glass and were open at the top. They were manned by three interpreters, who were able to give signals to the speakers, asking them to speak more slowly, to enunciate more clearly, to repeat a passage, etc. Three teams made up of 12 interpreters each were on hand for each of the three working languages. They interpreted throughout the trials, without a break, working on behalf of the court, the defendants, prosecutors, defence lawyers and witnesses.
Apart from simultaneous interpreting, the technique of consecutive interpreting is also used. Here, the interpreter makes notes while a speaker is making a delivery, and then translates what has been said either directly or in the form of structured summaries. This procedure is time-consuming, and is used for relatively short passages of speech.
Whispered interpreting is similar to simultaneous interpreting, except that no booth is used. Instead, a small group of people are given wireless receivers, and the interpreter whispers the translation into a radio microphone. This type of technology is used only for small groups (15 to 20 participants are typically regarded as the maximum number).
Relay interpreting is becoming increasingly important as the number of languages used in the EU grows. After all, no simultaneous interpreter can be expected to have a command of all the languages required. For this reason, some booths are designated as pivot booths. These serve as relay stations, i.e. interpretation takes place into a specific target language via the medium of standard languages, e.g. English, French or German. For example, the original language may be Finnish or Slovenian, and interpretation might take place into Portuguese via French, which then serves as a relay language.
Tele-interpreting is generally used in locations where no direct visual contact is possible with the speakers. Here, one or more monitors are installed in front of the interpreters’ booths, and the events at the conference are transmitted to the monitors via cameras. In other words, the booths are not actually installed in the conference hall: at one reference venue, Hampton Court, 23 languages are provided from the Interpreter Marquee.
Originally, an extremely complex system of cables, microphones and headphones was used in simultaneous interpreting. Today, though, it is the most convenient and widespread form of interpreting. The conference interpreters work in sound-insulated booths that are either installed as a firm part of the hall, or are specially designed portable systems which are rented for the event in question and installed at an individual location. The interpreters listen to the speakers via headphones, translate what has been said, and speak their interpreted version into a microphone, from where it is transmitted via another channel. At the beginning of the event, all the participants are given a set of headphones and a language channel selector they can use to choose the language they wish to receive. The language channel selector can be wireless (mobile, i.e. operated by infrared or radio link), integrated into a microphone, or available as a stand-alone, cable-connected selector.
For all of the above functions, Brähler ICS offers exactly the right solution
The INFRACOM simultaneous interpreting system for wireless transmission via infrared light, the complete digital CDSVAN system, the stand-alone digital language channel selector, and the wireless solution are all part of the product range.