The Future of Translation and Interpretation

Interpretation enables people who speak different languages to understand each other. An interpreter is someone who is able to translate text or spoken words from one language to another. The world has become more diverse and globalized. The need for translators as well as translation services has, consequently, risen. Luckily, the way professionals offer these services is constantly evolving.

Onsite interpreting is delivered a number of ways, one of which involves the interpreter translating after a live speaker pauses. The translation is performed gradually and requires the speaker to take breaks during which the translation is performed for an audience or group. Consecutive interpretation is more effective in certain interpreting contexts, though it is often difficult to determine what interpretation method will be be best for a given situtation. Consecutive interpreters must have the memory skills to accurately summarize portions of a speech after they've been uttered. While the consecutive speech translation does not require verbatim translation, it calls for an ability to capture the most significant messages and ideas of the speakers in the target language.

One might say that simultaneous interpretation skills are even harder to develop and deploy. Simultaneous interpretation specialists often train by trying to perform live translation services of a TV or radio show. Interpreters work inside a booth with a basic mixer they can control, including an input channel, output channel, volume control and mute button. Also provided are chairs, microphones and some kind of cooling system. The best simultaneous translators confer with the speakers prior to their presentation. On some occasions, they have access to the document from which the speaker is reading, beforehand. Speakers who are being translated try to create delays in the delivery of their speeches to facilitate translation. Though the speaker's words or meaning may, at times, not be clear, the translator has to keep the translation moving forward by not fixating on any particular word or phrase and making their speech as a whole tangible to those listening.

Telephone interpretation is another form of simultaneous interpretation. It is employed in an array of situations. Health care and government as well as law enforcement agencies are common users. It is increasingly used by corporations, however, who have customers across broad markets where multiple languages are spoken by their customers. Telephone interpretation using Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) or Video Relay Service (VRS) technology is an option suitable for the deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech-impaired. Interpretation via telephone is the realm of of the translation industry that shows the most room for growth and where demand is anticipated to most expand, in light of the fact that communications between parties are remote or distance communications.

There are 6,909 languages spoken in the world today. While English is being adopted as the common tongue, many worldwide do not choose to use or don't know English and use another language for conferences, speeches and other communications instead. The more obscure a language is, the more likelihood there is for a live or phone translation service needed. Hopefully, as countries across non-western areas of the world -- where languages other than English and more culturally dominant languages are spoken -- emerge economically, the type of demand for translation services will change and expand in interesting ways.