Agency specialising in consecutive
interpreting

With consecutive interpreting, the interpreter takes notes while a speaker delivers a speech, or part of a speech, while listening to and memorising the content. He or she then relays the speaker’s words to the audience, once the speaker has finished, or pauses in the case of longer speeches. Interpreters do not listen in order to react or take part in the conversation: their job is to reproduce speech accurately and faithfully in a language other than the one in which it was spoken (deed of purchase at the notary’s office, medical appointment, etc).

Consecutive interpreting services from Swisstranslate: a team of language experts at your service

Swisstranslate offers consecutive interpreting services tailored to your needs. To achieve this, we only work with professional, qualified and experienced expert interpreters. Consecutive interpreting is a demanding exercise that goes beyond linguistic expertise and calls on multiple skills in several fields. This is why Swisstranslate ensures that its consecutive interpreters have the following qualities and skills:

• Carefully listening to what is being said so that they fully understand its meaning.
• Analysing what they hear so that they can take structured notes, in particular noting key dates and figures. The interpreter prioritises information and is able to note clearly who did what, when, where, how, etc., usually in the form of abbreviations and symbols.
• Fully understand what is being said and memorise a speech or part of a speech: the interpreter takes notes so that he or she can refer to them when giving the speech, but he or she also uses his or her short-term memory.
• Mastery of the subject matter: we only work with specialist interpreters who know your subject matter inside out, so they’re familiar with the technical terms. They also take note of any reference documents you provide prior to the assignment. This is also part of the interpreter’s preparation before the assignment itself.
• Reproduce and communicate what they have heard, respecting the meaning, tone and message. The interpreter must convey every element, intention and feeling contained in the message that the source language speaker wishes to convey to the audience. In particular, they must be impartial, adopt a neutral tone and not let their opinion show.
• Demonstrate a talent for public speaking to capture the attention of the audience, who receive the message several minutes after it has been delivered by the main speaker. Stress management, good diction and a clear voice are also important.

You can rely on Swisstranslate to put you in touch with an expert who can meet your needs and provide a reliable, high-quality service.

Contact us for your consecutive interpreting assignment.

Areas of application of consecutive interpreting

Consecutive interpreting is not suitable for large multilingual events, for which simultaneous interpreting is preferable. Consecutive interpreting is ideal for meetings with small groups, short presentations in one or two target languages. Here is a non-exhaustive list of the types of situations for which Swisstranslate recommends consecutive interpreting:

• Interviews: the interpreter translates the presenter’s questions and the guest’s contributions.
• Press conferences: to establish a dialogue between the interviewee and the journalists asking questions.
• Meetings and conferences: to ensure that all participants have access to the information provided
• Negotiations and business meetings: to enable everyone to communicate and share in exchanges despite the language barrier.
• Training courses: the interpreter translates the tutor’s message to the students in their mother tongue as part of small group training courses.
• Medical appointments: consecutive interpreting is used for communication between the healthcare professional and the patient.
• Sightseeing and guided tours: the interpreter translates the words of the local guide for the group of visitors.

Why choose Swisstranslate for your consecutive interpreting services?

Swisstranslate is your preferred agency for consecutive interpreting assignments. At Swisstranslate, we guarantee you a high-quality, reliable service. For almost 10 years, we have been assisting our customers with their language projects. We are available to respond quickly to your request, and we are flexible enough to adapt to your needs. We offer two options: digital consecutive interpreting (by telephone, video, etc.) or physical consecutive interpreting (on site), depending on whether or not the interpreter is essential.

As well as providing you with a top-quality service, our experts respect your confidentiality. Subject to professional secrecy, they undertake not to reveal any information shared during their assignment. They also guarantee the accuracy of your message, not letting their opinion or feelings show when they deliver the message. They neither omit nor add any information, and remain neutral. You can provide us with all kinds of documents so that our experts can anticipate the assignment (presentations, glossaries, names of attendees, etc.).

How can to book our consecutive interpreting services?

Send us an e-mail about your project. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible to send you a form with questions about your project: dates, times, assignment, subject, reference documents etc. This allows us to provide you with an accurate quote. Ideally, you should book an interpreter at least 3 weeks before the date of your assignment. This also allows us to provide you with several interpreters’ profiles. We then select a qualified and competent interpreter to carry out your consecutive interpreting assignment. It is also possible to hold a preparatory meeting followed by a test on the day.

Do you need consecutive interpreting?